Let Anderson Valley wine country magic unfold: Navarro Vineyards and Winery

I still remember when our wine country travels took us to Anderson Valley's iconic Navarro Vineyards and Winery. Navarro Vineyards and Winery has pioneered wine making in the area since 1973. Navarro Vineyards, Philo, Mendocino County has not only been growing grapes, and producing wines since that date, but also getting raving reviews. This family owned, iconic Northern California winery, is an absolute must for Anderson Valley wine country visitors. 

Navarro Vineyards & Winery, Anderson Valley © Spaswinefood

Anderson Valley wine country is located just north of Sonoma County, about a two-and-a-half hour drive from San Francisco or Napa, and roughly 30-45 minutes from Healdsburg. 

Gateway to Navarro Vineyards and Winery © Spaswinefood

As we entered the gate the Navarro estate vineyard came into view. Their estate vineyard occupies 90 acres of their 935 acre ranch.

Arriving at Navarro Estate Vineyard © Spaswinefood

Navarro Vineyards and Winery is known for its award winning wines, which are only available at their winery, but by online orders as well. Spaswinefood would like to note, according to their website 82/86 wines that they have entered in national and international wine competitions in the last three years has won gold medals or better. The winery has won other awards, such as California's Winery of the Year in 2014.

Beginning of Summer, Navarro Estate Vineyard © Spaswinefood

Anderson Valley is within the Mendocino wine region, which is part of the larger North Coast American Viticultural Area (AVA), one of the largest and diverse wine regions in California. In 2004 the county voted to become the first county in the United States to become GMO free. This effort was supported by the wineries in the region. It is also important to note that 25% of Mendocino County's wine production is organic, making the county the largest producer of organic wine in California. With the addition of the Anderson Valley AVA in 2017, Mendocino County is now home to 12 AVAs. 

Navarro Vineyards and Winery
Navarro Vineyards and Winery, Anderson Valley's iconic winery wines represent a diversity of what Mendocino Wine County has to offer. Mendocino county’s climatic and geographical diversity allows the region to produce a wide range of grape varities for wine production. Chardonnay is the county's leading grape variety, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Noir. In addition Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Carignane, Charbono, Chenin blanc, Gewürztraminer, Grenache, Malbec, Merlot, Muscat Canelli, Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah, Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Roussanne, Sangiovese, Sauvignon blanc, Semillon, Syrah, Tocai Friulano, Viognier and Zinfandel are grown in Mendocino County. While the winery is located within Anderson Valley AVA, known for its world class Pinot Noir and Alsace-style varietal wines, the winery produces wines from vineyards throughout Mendocino County. 

Taking in the Views, Navarro Estate Vineyard © Spaswinefood

Before continuing onto Navarro Estate's tasting room I paused for awhile, taking in those vineyard views. Navarro is committed to sustainable practices in their farming and wine making processes. Their wine making process also utilizes the best of both traditional and modern techniques. 

Tasting Room, Navarro Vineyards and Winery © Spaswinefood

Tasting Navarro Vineyards Wines

Wine Tasting, Navarro Vineyards and Winery © Spaswinefood

I would highly recommend a tasting room experience here. We enjoyed the wide range of wines available for tasting. While Anderson Valley’s four most widely planted varietals are Pinot Noir, Gewurztraminer, and Riesling Navarro produces wine from vineyards throughout Mendocino county.  I loved the wines (Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Rosé of Pinot Noir, Pinot Noir, and Zinfandel) that we tasted, whether it was from their estate vineyard, or Mendocino AVA. Naturally, we decided to buy some Navarro wines to take with us. After all the wines are not only good but so reasonably priced, with the majority in $20-$30 range. This is an excellent price range for quality California wines. Of course we just had to buy those cool wine mugs!

Leaving Navarro Vineyards and Winery © Spaswinefood

Wine Country Travels along California's Highway 128
After leaving Navarro winery our drive along Highway 128 took us by the hard to miss Roederer Estate. Given Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay do well here, the Anderson Valley is an ideal place to produce sparkling wines.

Roederer Estate, Anderson Valley © Spaswinefood

It is because of the uniqueness of the Anderson Valley that the French Champagne house Louis Roederer has established wineries here.

Entrance to Roederer Estate © Spaswinefood

Anderson Valley's Roederer Estate © Spaswinefood

After visiting Navarro, and Domaine Anderson wineries, perhaps a visit to one of the Roederer owned sparkling wine wineries would complete your day in wine country. For further ideas on Anderson Valley wineries to visit see Wine Country Getaways. I would add Toulouse to the list.

Toulouse Vineyards & Winery, Anderson Valley © Spaswinefood

As you travel along Highway 128 from Boonville to Navarro Estate these day you will enjoy visiting world class wineries on the route. I still remember those earlier days driving through the laid back town of Boonville however, in recent years with the the arrival of tasting rooms and restaurants the pace has picked up. Still the pace of life in Anderson Valley is amazingly peaceful. If you travel plans include traveling onto the town of Mendocino on the coast you will also find a relaxing wine county escape.  Indeed there is a special sense of peacefulness in Anderson Valley wine country. 

Boonville, Mendocino County © Spaswinefood

If your travels take you to California's Mendocino County then Navarro Vineyards and Winery in Anderson Valley wine country is an absolute must. Visit this iconic winery and enjoy some of the best Mendocino County wines. I invite you to join me in my California wine country explorations and elsewhere at Wine Travels with Dr. Sharon and at Spaswinefood on Bluesky and  Facebook.

Sharon

Travels in Anderson Valley

Mendocino County, California

© Spaswinefood

Entrance, Navarro Vineyards and Winery © Spaswinefood

Anderson Valley's Foggy Mornings © Spaswinefood

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Let Anderson Valley wine country magic unfold: Baxter Winery

Anderson Valley's Baxter Winery is a small premium wine producer of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and some hard-to-find varieties. Usually when planning my wine travels I like to include a variety of wineries, ranging from boutique to large scale producers. I chose to include this small boutique winery because their wines consistently get good reviews. Given its vineyard is located on Anderson Valley's coastal ridge top, they have a tasting room in Philo. So on one September weekend off we went to Baxter's Tasting Room. It just perfect for experiencing the magic of Anderson Valley wine country.

Baxter Tasting Room, Philo, Highway 128 © Spaswinefood

Welcome to Baxter Winery
Baxter Winery, Anderson Valley is located just north of Sonoma County, about a two-and-a-half hour drive from San Francisco or Napa, and roughly 30-45 minutes from Healdsburg. Their website provides the following description of Baxter's approach to wine making:

"Now in his seventeenth year of Baxter wines, Phillip Baxter studied winemaking at UC Davis before spending a six month internship at a winery in Burgundy, France. There he contributed to wines from 33 different vineyards from village to grand cru wines, ranging from Pommard to Gevrey-Chambertin. This experience heavily influenced Phillip’s approach to winemaking - he learnt traditional methods that he continues to use to this day.

Another shaping influence in Phillip’s career is his veteran winemaker father, who he worked alongside for many years and who originally inspired him to enter the winemaking field.

Baxter wines are truly made by Phillip’s own hand, with traditional French cellar techniques such as: a five day cold soak; slow wild yeast fermentation; punchdowns done by hand; a gentle basket press and an extra long aging regime with minimal intervention. We age our wines in 100% neutral French oak barrels to ensure the vineyard and fruit is the focus, not the oak. Our fruit is always hand-harvested and often fermented partial whole-cluster. The craftsmanship and quality shows through in the finished wines.

Phillip met his English wife, Claire, during his university days when they were both studying for a year abroad at the University of Grenoble, France. Their’s is a long winding love story, starting in Grenoble and culminating in their marriage in the Napa Valley in 2010 when Claire subsequently joined the business. They live on the rural ridge top at Baxter Winery and have two young children. Claire works from the winery office running the business alongside Phillip, as well as overseeing the wine club and tasting room, which were her early initiatives. "

Baxter Winery Tasting Room © Spaswinefood

They produce 2000 cases of single vineyard wines (Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and some hard-to-find varieties), that are consistently gain excellent reviews. As previously noted their wines are produced using traditional techniques, with neutral oak and wild yeast. 

Since they are only open via appointment on weekends I made an appointment to visit prior to arrival. Upon arrival we chose to do our tasting in the courtyard. We tasted Baxter Winery wines from four single vineyards.

 Tasting Room , Baxter Winery © Spaswinefood

After we settled around a table in the courtyard we were presented with the two whites and the two reds to taste.

We began with the two white wines.

 Baxter Tasting Room: The Whites © Spaswinefood

The white wines were:

1. 2022 Cole Ranch Reisling, Cole Ranch AVA 

2. 2021 Oppenlander Vineyard Chardonnay, Mendocino AVA

 Baxter Tasting Room: The Reds © Spaswinefood

Next, the two red wines were:

1. 2019 Oppenlander Vineyard  Pinot Noir, Mendocino AVA 

2. 2019 Langley Vineyard, Pinot Noir,  Anderson Valley AVA

It was a pleasant tasting, and I picked a bottle of my favorite to go. That September weekend was just perfect for experiencing some Anderson Valley wine magic. I look forward to tasting more of their wines in the future.

Anderson Valley Wine Country

For visitors to Anderson Valley here is a brief overview of the wines from this area. The Mendocino wine region is part of the larger North Coast American Viticultural Area (AVA), one of the largest and diverse wine regions in California. In 2004 Mendocino County voted to become the first county in the United States to become GMO free. This effort was supported by the wineries in the region. It is also important to note that 25% of Mendocino County's wine production is organic, making the county the largest producer of organic wine in California. With the addition of the Anderson Valley AVA in 2017, Mendocino County is now home to 12 AVAs. Anderson Valley AVA petitioned to become an AVA in 1982.The Anderson Valley is known for its (1) organic and sustainable wineries, and (2) world class Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Alsatian-style varietal wines. Anderson Valley’s four most widely planted grape varietals are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, and Riesling. Given Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay do so well here, the Anderson Valley is an ideal place to explore California sparkling wines. Roederer’s Anderson Valley wineries (Roederer Estate and Scharffenberger Cellars) farm about half of all the valley’s vineyard acreage for sparkling wine. Beyond finding a special sense of peacefulness in Mendocino County's Anderson Valley, Roederer has obviously discovered something unique here for producing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. 

Those looking to visit a variety of Anderson Valley wineries, ranging from boutique to large scale producers, might want to add one or more of Roederer's three Anderson Valley wineries.  Besides Roederer’s wineries (Roederer Estate and Scharffenberger Cellars), which are sparkling wine producers, their Domaine Anderson specializes in still wines, making it distinct for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines. During our last visit we included:

1. Scharffenberger Cellars, a Roederer’s sparkling wine producer

2.  Handley Cellars, Historical (Milla Handley, an Anderson Valley's wine pioneer was more than just a visionary for the remote and rural Anderson Valley, but she also helped put the area on the wine map. Moreover, she was a trailblazer for women in wine). 

3. Husch Vineyards, Historical (oldest winery in the Anderson Valley) 

4. Baxter Winery, Boutique Producer 

Besides a tasting at Baxter Winery, perhaps a visit to one of the historical wineries, and one of Roederer owned sparkling wine wineries would make your day in wine country complete. For further ideas on Anderson Valley wineries to visit see Wine Country Getaways.

Anderson Valley, Mendocino County © Spaswinefood

Of course on earlier wine country travels we have visited Domaine Anderson and others.

Toulouse Vineyards & Winery, Anderson Valley © Spaswinefood

As you travel along Highway 128 these days you will discover world class wineries on the route. I still remember those earlier days driving through the laid back town of Boonville however, in recent years with the the arrival of tasting rooms and restaurants the pace has picked up. Still the pace of life in Anderson Valley is amazingly peaceful. Anderson Valley has become known for its world class Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Alsace-style varietal wines. Anderson Valley’s four most widely planted varietals are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Gewurztraminer, and Riesling.

Boonville, Mendocino County © Spaswinefood

Baxter Winery's Tasting Room is just perfect for experiencing the magic of Anderson Valley wine country. This small producer of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and some hard-to-find varieties will not disappoint you in their Vinous offerings.  For a most relaxing visit to California wine country then the Anderson Valley AVA, one Mendocino County's 12 AVAs is an absolute must.  I invite you to join me in my California wine country explorations and elsewhere at Wine Travels with Dr. Sharon and at Spaswinefood on Bluesky and Facebook.

CHEERS!

Sharon

Anderson Valley

Mendocino County, California

© Spaswinefood

Anderson Valley's Foggy Mornings © Spaswinefood

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Let the magic of Anderson Valley wine country unfold: Husch Vineyards

Anderson Valley's Husch Vineyards, a small family owned winery, was founded in 1971. Husch Vineyards, the oldest winery in the Anderson Valley, is managed by 3rd generation family members of the Oswald family. Spending time at this historical winery was just a perfect way to let the magic of Anderson Valley wine country unfold.

 Husch Vineyards, Anderson Valley © Spaswinefood

Welcome to Husch Vineyards

Husch Vineyards located across from Roederer Estate vineyards, has a line of redwood trees bordering the entrance to the property. On our way into the winery and tasting room we passed by the vineyards. Their vineyards include some of the earliest varietals planted in the valley. In 1967 Tony and Gretchen Husch bought the 60-acre Nunn Ranch on Highway 128, about 10 miles northwest of Boonville. The land had been known for growing apples and grains. They later planted eight acres of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Gewurztraminer grapes on the property. Their first official crush was in the fall of 1971.

Welcome to Husch Vineyards © Spaswinefood

 Husch Vineyards © Spaswinefood

The story began in 1979, when Hugo Oswald Jr. bought 6,000 cases of wines from the Husch family. The Oswald family had been growing pears in the Santa Clara Valley, but when the area began expanding they sold their land, and headed for southern Mendocino County. Today Husch Vineyards is owned and operated by the 3rd Generation of the Oswald family (Zac Robinson and Amanda Robinson Holstine). Amanda and her brother Zac Robinson, along with their parents and spouses, are in charge of Husch today. Winemaking is under the direction of Brad Holstine (Amanda's husband). Al White, who has been with Husch since 1974, manages all the viticulture operations. While over the years Husch has modernized and expanded, but it has never lost its initial rustic charm, nor its reputation for great wines.

 Husch Vineyards Winery and Tasting Room © Spaswinefood

Upon arrival in the parking lot visitors immediately see Husch Vineyards historic tasting room, which dates back to the late 1800s. It resembles the original dwellings of homesteaders who first settled this region. It was once used as a pony barn and a granary for storing animal feed.

 Historic Tasting Room, Husch Vineyards © Spaswinefood

 Picnic Tables, Husch Vineyards © Spaswinefood

There is also space outside the tasting room for wine tasting and picnics.

 Tasting Room, Husch Vineyards © Spaswinefood

After exploring the property a little we headed into the tasting room. Husch produces 22 different wines, with six being distributed nationally. They also produce small lots of special wines that are available exclusively at their tasting room. 

 Husch Vineyards Wines © Spaswinefood

We so enjoyed wine tasting at this historic winery.

 Wine Tasting, Husch Vineyards © Spaswinefood

When we visited they had a special on buying a case. We had no problem deciding on buying a case of wine.

Anderson Valley, Mendocino County

Husch Vineyards, Anderson Valley wine country is located just north of Sonoma County, about a two-and-a-half hour drive from San Francisco or Napa, and roughly 30-45 minutes from Healdsburg. The Mendocino wine region is part of the larger North Coast American Viticultural Area (AVA), one of the largest and diverse wine regions in California. In 2004 Mendocino County voted to become the first county in the United States to become GMO free. This effort was supported by the wineries in the region. It is also important to note that 25% of Mendocino County's wine production is organic, making the county the largest producer of organic wine in California. With the addition of the Anderson Valley AVA in 2017, Mendocino County is now home to 12 AVAs. 

The Anderson Valley is known for its (1) organic and sustainable wineries, and (2) world class Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Alsatian-style varietal wines. Anderson Valley’s four most widely planted grape varietals are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, and Riesling. Besides learning about Husch Vineyards history it is interesting to note that grape growing on this property has been certified Fish Friendly. They use no-till farming, sometimes called regenerative farming, which has numerous sustainability benefits.

Fish Friendly Certified Property © Spaswinefood

After stopping at the historical Husch Vineyards you may want to drop across the highway to Roederer Estate, owned by Louis Roederer, a French Champagne company. 

Roederer Estate, Anderson Valley © Spaswinefood

Roederer has three wineries in Anderson Valley. Domaine Anderson specializes in still wines, making it distinct from Roederer’s other Anderson Valley wineries (Roederer Estate and Scharffenberger Cellars), which are sparkling wine producers. Beyond finding a special sense of peacefulness in Mendocino County's Anderson Valley, Roederer has obviously discovered something unique here for producing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Given Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay do so well here, the Anderson Valley is an ideal place to explore California sparkling wines.

It is because of the uniqueness of the Anderson Valley that the French Champagne house Louis Roederer has established three wineries here.

Roederer Estate

Roederer Estate © Spaswinefood

Scharffenberger Cellars

Scharffenberger Cellars © Spaswinefood

Domaine Anderson

Domaine Anderson, Anderson Valley © Spaswinefood

More on Anderson Valley

It is good to see local restaurants offering a good selection of Anderson Valley wines. For example in Mendocino, over diner at the Trillium Restaurant, we enjoyed a glass of Anderson Valley Pinot Noir, I had a glass of Roederer Estate Brut. 

Trillium Restaurant, Mendocino © Spaswinefood

With the arrival of wineries with a connection to a French Champagne house, the Anderson Valley wine country has come into its own. 

Mendocino County © Spaswinefood

After visiting Husch Vineyards, perhaps a visit to one of the Roederer owned sparkling wine wineries would make your day in wine country complete. Roederer farms about half of all the valley’s vineyard acreage for sparkling wine. For further ideas on Anderson Valley wineries to visit see Wine Country Getaways.

Toulouse Vineyards & Winery, Anderson Valley © Spaswinefood

As you travel along Highway 128 these days you will discover world class wineries on the route. Anderson Valley has become known for its world class Pinot Noir and Alsace-style varietal wines. I still remember those earlier days driving through the laid back town of Boonville however, in recent years with the the arrival of tasting rooms and restaurants the pace has picked up. Still the pace of life in Anderson Valley is amazingly peaceful. 

Boonville, Mendocino County © Spaswinefood

For a most relaxing California wine country visit then the Anderson Valley AVA, one Mendocino County's 12 AVAs, is an absolute must. For the most delightful wine tasting at an historical Anderson Valley winery then put Husch Vineyards on your list. You might also decide to enjoy a picnic lunch at this wonderful winery. It has the perfect setting for a picnic. I invite you to join me in my California wine country explorations at Wine Travels with Dr. Sharon and at Spaswinefood on Bluesky and  Facebook.

CHEERS!

Sharon

September 2024

Anderson Valley

Mendocino County, California

© Spaswinefood

Husch Vineyards Winery © Spaswinefood

STOP here at Husch Vineyards © Spaswinefood

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