Wine Traveler in the Anderson Valley of Mendocino - Boonville

Here we are in the famed Anderson Valley of Mendocino County. This is the land of Pinot Noir and Alsatian varietal wines. On this trip we are exploring the wineries in this area that are found along Highway 128 West, the beautiful Highway that leads from Highway 101 to the Pacific Ocean.

There are actually two distinct wine regions along this stretch of Highway 128. Besides the Anderson Valley there is the Yorkville wine region. The Yorkville, just west of Highway 101, takes a backseat to the more famous Anderson Valley, but nonetheless there are wineries in Yorkville making terrific wines from this wine region.

We are spending the night in Boonville at the Boonville Hotel. Boonville is the main town on Highway 128, and supposedly the center point of this wine area. The Boonville Hotel has a restaurant that has been recommended in many travel and wine magazines, most recently the Wine Spectator. Unfortunately, the night we are lodging at the hotel the restaurant is closed. It is only open Thursday to Sunday. Our room is tiny and we are paying $140 per night, and this is discounted $35 because the restaurant is closed. What a deal!

The town of Boonville has few fun things to do if you are not visiting tasting rooms. There is a gourmet coffee shop and bakery and a café with very good organic delights. In nearby Philo, there is an apple farm to visit and Hendy Redwoods State Park for some beautiful hiking trails.

There are a few restaurants in town other than the Boonville Hotel restaurant. There is the Boonville Lodge and Lauren’s Place. Lauren’s Place is the local’s hangout and that is where we decide to dine for dinner. Our meal is decent, nothing to brag about but better than we expected. The wine list has many local wines at great prices for a restaurant. We had an Eaglepoint Ranch Syrah for $25. This wine sells for $22 in wine shops.

This is our first stay in Boonville and most likely our last. We much prefer to drive to the town of Mendocino, about an hour’s drive from Boonville. The ocean is so beautiful at Mendocino and there are a plethora of great restaurants and B&B’s to enjoy. Ignore the travel mags and head straight to Mendocino and visit the wineries along the way. We will blog our favorites in our next few posts.

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Wine Traveler Visits Norman Vineyards in Paso Robles

Norman Vineyards is one of the wineries on a wine trail called “The Far Out Wineries of Paso Robles.” These wineries were so hidden off Highway 46 West that wine visitors were few and far between. With a great PR move, the wineries banded together to form this association complete with a great little brochure guide that you can pick up at the visitor center in town. We highly recommend following this trail, the roads are beautiful and each winery on the trail offers something a little different to the wine traveler.

From Highway 46 West take a right onto Vineyard Drive and after you pass Opolo winery look for Norman Vineyards. Norman is family owned and famous for the Zinfandel that they have aptly name Monster Zin. Stop here and taste for $5 some very good wines. The $5 fee is waived if you buy a case. That one, is a first for us.

The Monster Zin is a big bold Zinfandel that is as big as its name. You can find it at many supermarkets and fine wine shops, it is Norman’s flagship wine. Perhaps a bigger Zin is the Norman Old Vine Zinfandel that actually comes from old vine grapes grown in, if you can believe it, Cucamonga. Yes, that area way down south where is hot and dry. Of the two wines, the Cucamonga-grown Zinfandel was more to our liking than the Monster Zin. The Syrah was also quite tasty and impressive.

The winery has a beautiful picnic area and we suggest you bring your picnic lunch here and grab one of the Norman wines and just take an hour or so to enjoy the peacefulness of the area.

By the way, they also have an Elvis cardboard cutout in the tasting room that is very lifelike. We shot this photo of some young ladies who, after tasting the Monster Zin, thought that they were actually hanging with Elvis.

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