Mendocino CA Vacation - 2

Mendocino Wineries

If you’re heading to Mendocino from San Francisco, you can get in some quality wine tastings along the way with a more affordable and personalized experience than typically found in Napa and Sonoma vineyards. Most of the places I visited either didn’t have a fee at all, or a nominal one ($5 to $10), that would go toward purchases, and most of the bottles I bought ranged in price from $15 to $25.

Highway 128 Vineyards

An increasingly popular wine-tasting route is along California Route 128—the connector between inland U.S. Highway 101 and California Highway 1, aka the Pacific Coast Highway—through the Yorkville Highlands and Anderson Valley, including the towns of Yorkville, Boonville, Philo and Navarro. During the dry summer season, the foothills along the way look like they’re covered in gold dust.

Recommended stops include Lazy Creek Vineyards for pinot noir and reisling, and Goldeneye, also for pinot noir, both near Philo. I’m a dedicated fan of red wines, preferring cabernet sauvignon to just about any other grape (the cabernet at Husch Vineyards near Navarro is worth a stop), but I was surprisingly taken with Navarro Vineyards’ crisp, dry estate bottled gewürztraminer and its rich muscat blanc, which tasted like honey with overtones of apricots and mangos. Sparkling wine fans should make sure Roederer Estate, near Navarro, is on their itinerary.

For a food break during your day of tasting, try the restaurant at the Boonville Hotel in tiny Boonville. Blink and you might miss it. If you’re looking for something less formal, there’s the filling Moya’s taco cart on the edge of town. (My favorite place, the Highpockety Ox, is now closed.)

 

• The picnic area with vines in the background at the Navarro Winery.

Donna M. Airoldi

Highway 101 Vineyards

Vineyards in the Redwood Valley, Ukiah Valley and Sanel Valley region around Hopland are accessible from U.S. 101. In Hopland, some vineyards have tasting rooms in town, including Brutocao Cellars and McNab Ridge Winery, so you don’t have to worry about driving from place to place. If heading this way, I recommend a stay at the historic, 21-room Hopland Inn (rates start at $139). It’s under new ownership since April; the restaurant and bar—retaining a mostly-organic menu—reopened in June. Be sure to also try the hearty diner fare and fantastic homemade pies across the street at the Bluebird Café.

Organic Vineyards

And true to its alt-culture heritage, Mendocino has many organic and sustainable farms, and claims to have the largest number of certified organic producing vineyard acres in California. More than a few vintners I spoke with said that about 2 percent of California’s vineyards are certified organic, with 20 percent of them in Mendocino County.

The first organic winery to open in the United States is the award-winning Frey Vineyards in the Redwood Valley, which uses biodynamic winemaking methods—the use of cultured yeast, malolactic bacteria, acid and sugar adjustments are prohibited.

 

• An interior shot of the period furnishings at the Hopland Inn & Restaurant in Mendocino County.

Donna M. Airoldi

I made Yorkville Cellars along Route 128 my designated organic stop, tasting its bottles of cabernet franc (hints of licorice and red cherry) and a rather light merlot, and picking up a relatively rare bottle of 100 percent petit verdot.

For more information about Mendocino wineries, tastings, wine festivals and more, visit the Mendocino Winegrape & Wine Commission.

Where to Eat and Stay

There are plenty of places for excellent food in Mendocino. For light bites and excellent sandwiches, don’t miss the Mendocino Market in Mendocino village. Walk around the corner for your java fix at Moody’s Organic Coffee Bar. If you’re in Fort Bragg, Mendo Bistro serves terrific seasonal fare, but at an exceedingly relaxed pace. For a quick fix, especially if children are in tow, try the Wizard of Oz-themed Egghead’s Restaurant.

Mendocino’s popular Café Beaujolais (entrees, $24 to $36) put the village on the foodie map years ago, and it lived up to its reputation. The duck, paired well with a local Esterlina pinot noir, was a perfect medium rare. The menu changes seasonally, and there are only 15 tables, so be sure to reserve early.

 

• The exterior of the MacCallum House.

Donna M. Airoldi

The MacCallum House Inn & Restaurant is another venerable spot for top-notch romantic dinners (entrees, $25 to $42) as well as stays. The Victorian-era main house, built in 1882, features period furnishings, stone fireplaces, gourmet breakfasts and private decks. Rooms start at $275, and often sell out on weekends.

The Alegria Oceanfront Inn & Cottages bed and breakfast, has comfortable rooms (starting at $159), but the reason to stay here is for co-owner Elaine Wing Hillesland’s amazing breakfasts. My favorite: orange pancakes served with chicken, apple and potato sausage, edible blossoms and homemade orange syrup.

Those seeking to get even closer to nature—deer, quail, birds, cats and goats included—should opt for the Fensalden Inn, a renovated 1860s-era stagecoach stop located off Highway 1 in Albion, with rates starting at $149. All rooms (one supposedly has a ghost) include a fireplace, and Innkeeper Lyn Hamby offers a nightly cocktail hour in the parlor and makes guests feel like family.

At the end of my visit, I had a hard time saying goodbye. Suzy Long was right, it did feel as if I belonged in Mendocino.