Mendocino recommendations

L

Larry Stein

Larry Stein
Sandi and I are going to the coast for a couple of days of R&R in mid-April. We'll be taking 128 through the Anderson Valley. Other than the obvious choice (Navarro), are there other winery visits you'd recommend? Most likely, we'll only taste at 2 or 3 places.

Also, any B&B recommendations in the town of Mendocino? Dining suggestions (lunch and dinner) would be welcome, too!
 
Booneville Hotel has a website that can give you information on the hotel and dining room. I have eaten there but not slept. Nice place.

I'd stop at Husch, if for no other reason than the tasting room - old building that's worth a look.
I also enjoy Greenwood Ridge and even buy some wine occasionally.

If you are going all the way through the Valley and out to the coast, the Little River Inn is nice for overnight and the Albion River Inn has a good restaurant and wine list. If you go to Albion for dinner, go early so you can see what's outside - its worth it.
Breakfast at Little River Inn is satisfactory.
And there's a couple of sandwich places in Booneville.
Mendocino is a great walking town.

Golden Eye has nice grounds but they think they're in Napa and the wines aren't my style.

But, maybe best of all, as you exit Anderson Valley on 128 headed for the coast (the highway actually turns west) you enter the avenue of the redwoods. Go slow, turn-out often and take a deep breath - finest kind.
Picnics are special here.

Best, Jim
 
Larry,
I'll second what Jim said and also suggest Lazy Creek in the Anderson Valley. I haven't been to Pacific Echo since it was Scharffenberger, but it might be worth a visit, too. I can't recommend any place to say in Mendo proper, but will instead suggest going down the coast a tad and staying in Gualala at St. Orres, which also has good meals. Major seconds to the Albion River Inn for both food and wine and I'll offer up the Salt Creek Café on the N Sonoma Coast if you happen to go down that way.

Have fun and speak some Boontling!
Mark Lipton
 
I have a very nice stay at the Booneville Hotel. Of course I went off season (December) and they upgraded me from the smallest and least expensive room to the largest one since I was their only guest. That sort of thing puts one's rose colored glasses firmly in place.
 
originally posted by Jay Miller:
I have a very nice stay at the Booneville Hotel. Of course I went off season (December) and they upgraded me from the smallest and least expensive room to the largest one since I was their only guest. That sort of thing puts one's rose colored glasses firmly in place.
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Are you posting from work again? Shame on you!
 
Sea Rock is a pretty place and reasonable.

Food is iffy - but Petite Rive, Cafe Beaujolais, MacCallum House. Keep it simple!

Go to the bar on the main drag down by the water. Great crowd.
 
It's been 10 years since I was there, but Roederer is one of CA's more worthy sparklers, and might be worth a stop.
 
Go here:
Breggo Cellars 11001 Highway 128, Boonville, CA 95415 707-895-9589

I like camping out at Armstrong woods if the weather permits.
Anderson Valley Brewery is a must stop.
 
originally posted by Gregg G:
Go here:
Breggo Cellars 11001 Highway 128, Boonville, CA 95415 707-895-9589

I like camping out at Armstrong woods if the weather permits.
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There's also Hendy Woods State Park in Anderson Valley itself, a place I have many fond memories of camping in.

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by MLipton:
originally posted by Gregg G:
Go here:
Breggo Cellars 11001 Highway 128, Boonville, CA 95415 707-895-9589

I like camping out at Armstrong woods if the weather permits.
Click to expand...

There's also Hendy Woods State Park in Anderson Valley itself, a place I have many fond memories of camping in.

Mark Lipton
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A lovely lovely spot. Also, Bates & Schmidtt, the apple people, in Philo is a better visit in the fall but might be worth a quick peek.
 
originally posted by MLipton:
originally posted by Gregg G:
Go here:
Breggo Cellars 11001 Highway 128, Boonville, CA 95415 707-895-9589

I like camping out at Armstrong woods if the weather permits.
Click to expand...

There's also Hendy Woods State Park in Anderson Valley itself, a place I have many fond memories of camping in.

Mark Lipton
Click to expand...

Yes Hendy is what I meant. Lovely place. Armstong is down near Guernville.
 
This is all real helpful. We're going to stay at Joshua Grindle Inn in Mendocino town. Reviews are great and off-season rates are very reasonable.

Breggo has a tasting room in town so we'll definitely hit that.

Dining is still kinda up in the air. Petite Rive shut its doors right after NYE. I think we'll go to North Coast Brewing Co. in Ft. Bragg. for one meal. I love their beers (and Sandi loves beer) and the food reviews look decent enough.
 
I thought the North Coast taproom was kind of a letdown, but this was probably 5 years ago, and I remember average food but the real letdown for me was poorly handled cask red seal, which I had high expectations for. Now I wasn't there on a Friday or Saturday night, so slow turnover of beer isn't entirely unreasonable but bad tasting flagship beer in their taphouse was a bit of a disappointment...

Cheers,

Kevin

I certainly wouldn't try to convince you go elsewhere based on my experience.
 
Thanks, Kevin. I like their Red Seal quite a bit, but I'll be going for their more limited at-the-brewery-only offerings. Sandi used to live in the Marina in SF and one of the local restaurants had Le Merle on tap. Great stuff. I also like Old Rasputin and Old No. 38. I'm sure I'll make a beeline for Brother Thelonious as I've never had that one. Never have had any of those on tap.
 
I went before the days of Le Merle and Brother Thelonius, so I have no idea whether you can expect to find them there, I would think odds are good, though!

I'm not sure whether draft Rasputin is a seasonal thing or not.

Cheers,

Kevin
 
originally posted by Larry Stein:
Thanks, Kevin. I like their Red Seal quite a bit, but I'll be going for their more limited at-the-brewery-only offerings. Sandi used to live in the Marina in SF and one of the local restaurants had Le Merle on tap. Great stuff. I also like Old Rasputin and Old No. 38. I'm sure I'll make a beeline for Brother Thelonious as I've never had that one. Never have had any of those on tap.
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Pranqster and Old Stock are standouts. Brother Thelonious I find a bit four square and disappointing. Never been to the taproom though I'll be down in that area in a couple months.
 
OK, we're back...

Winery-wise, we went to Navarro and Medlock Ames in Alexander Valley.

At Navarro, we weren't at all thrilled by the reds. They were either on the bitter/tannic side or simply washed out. The whites were fine (albeit a couple being simple) with the '09 dry Gewurz and '09 dry Muscat Blanc being the stand-outs. The '10 Pinot Noir Rose was very good, too. I wasn't keen on the '06 and '07 CSLH (Cluster Select Late Harvest) Rieslings. They tasted like botrytis, not Riesling. '09 LH Gewurz was quite nice with good acidity and varietal character. '10 CSLH Muscat Blanc was outstanding. It has the sweetness and viscosity of the Rieslings, but tasted like Muscat with excellent balance.

Reason we went to Medlock Ames is that my youngest step-daughter's rehearsal dinner is there in July. Sandi wanted to show me the setting. The whites were fair although well-made. Sauv Blanc was at least crisp and balanced. Chardonnay was over-oaked, but not as badly as others in that idiom. The Cab Sauv and Merlot were actually pretty nice! We were poured the current vintages and an older vintage of each ('01 Merlot and '03 Cab). They were balanced and what oak they did use was there as an accent and underpinning, not as an equal with the fruit.

We did go to North Coast Brewing for a late lunch and the 12 beer sampler (4 oz. of each). They were out of Old No. 38 dry stout so we had the choice of picking our favorite and getting another pour of that. La Merle (Belgian saison-style ale) took that prize. We both thought Old Stock was weird stuff. I, for one, don't like sweet beer and this was all that and more. Quite cloying. The cask Red Seal was smooth and delicious. Food-wise, they currently have a chef who knows how to turn out high-quality pub food. Sandi's fish & chips were absolutely terrific. I had a great club sandwich. All the ingredients, even down to the bread, were top-notch.

Scott, if the bar you were talking about was the Mendocino Hotel, we did go there for a drink. I had a very nice and large Anchor Junipero Martini. We were seated where I could watch the bartender and he kept free-pouring and pouring.
 
I've always enjoyed the wines from Medlock Ames; in a part of the world where balance and relative restraint are long in marketing buzz but short in actual supply, they usually deliver the goods, especially with their reds. I've not had the Chardonnay for several vintages but have heard from a number of sources that it's overoaked now, a shame since they used to employ less new wood in the elevage and the wine was (to my palate) refreshing and far from oak-dominated. But I am still enamored of the Merlot and Cabernet. Maybe not Mayacamas, but...
 
originally posted by Larry Stein:

Scott, if the bar you were talking about was the Mendocino Hotel, we did go there for a drink. I had a very nice and large Anchor Junipero Martini. We were seated where I could watch the bartender and he kept free-pouring and pouring.
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I meant the place next door - Dick's place.
 
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