Seema and I decided at the spur of the moment to go on a little road trip. We wanted to hike, go winetasting and have good food. After some research, we picked Mendocino as our destination. Only a couple of hours up the coast from the Bay area, we had both not been there. It was also an opportunity to visit the wineries of the Anderson Valley. So, on a sunny Monday morning in February, we were on our way for a hiking for wine Mendocino Road Trip.
Just an ordinary Monday….
Pennyroyal Farm
Goldeneye
Our next stop is Goldeneye, just ten minutes up the road. Goldeneye is lovely. A beautiful home that reminds me of Entre Nous in Napa, that we used to visit regularly before they closed. The grounds are stunning and the service amazing. We are greeted by Doug and soon we are seated outside. Seema pre-ordered the cheese fondue. Goldeneye is known for their Pinots, and our tasting has five different ones. Maybe it is the combination of the somewhat spicy cheese, but we both do not care for the wines. They taste flat. We might have to try again without the fondue. They offer us a taste of the Calera Pinot, a wine from one of their sister wineries. I do like that one much better.
Lovely Mendocino
From Goldeneye winery, we make our way to Mendocino. The road takes us through a stretch of giant redwood trees. It is a beautiful drive, and it feels like we are the only ones here, nobody else on the road. In less than an hour, we arrive at our destination: Agate Cove Inn, just outside the town of Mendocino, right on the Pacific Coast. The Inn is lovely, with little individual cottages. Ours is called Garnet. After checking in, we go and explore the town. It is lovely, small streets with local stores, with main street right along the water.
That night we have dinner at Patterson Pub. It is a charming little place. The food is very good. Seema has the Salmon served on a Ceasar salad, while I opt for the mussels and clams with fries. I do not recommend ordering wine. I ordered a glass of pinot grigio, which tastes like vinegar and cork. They replace it with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. It is slightly better, but not great after the great wines we tasted today. So back at our hotel we open a bottle of the Pennyroyal PinotTrio, while watching the first episodes of The Sinner. (both highly recommended!).
Winter in California
Noyo Headlands
After a great breakfast at the Agate Cove Inn, and still warm, freshly baked oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies to go, we drive north to Fort Bragg. Today is our hiking day. Afterall, we have to hike for wine! We start at the trail head of the Ka Kahleh Trail. The trail, part of the California Coast Trail, takes us through Noyo Headlands Park, all the way to Glass beach. We stop several times to take pictures of the stunning views of the Pacific Ocean. We could not have asked for a better day: the sun is out and the temperature mild. At Glass beach we search for and find a couple of beautiful pieces of glass. On our way back, we find a bench overlooking the Pacific and enjoy the cookies, before we return along the coast back to the car.
Point Cabrillo Light Station
On our way back to Mendocino, we stop at Cabrillo Point Light Station State Historic Park. It’s a half mile walk from the carpark. Along the way, there are signs with questions about whales and the ocean to keep us entertained. We wonder whether there actually is a lighthouse, as we do not see it while walking in. We see the little cottages, that have been turned into rentals, before we finally spot the lighthouse. The lighthouse is small, but the beam coming from the bullseye lens is both beautiful and very powerful, with a reach of 13-15 miles. We visit the gift store inside the lighthouse and the little museum in what used to be the 1st assistant lightkeeper’s house. Everything inside has been restored to the way it used to be in the 1930s.
Mendocino Headlands
As it is such a gorgeous day, we decide to hike some more and hike part of the Mendocino Headlands Trail. The trail wraps around the cliffs and provides stunning views of the ocean, the cliffs and various arches. We hike almost the whole trail and take a lot of pictures. Satisfied we return to the Inn. We have walked almost 11 miles today.
Dinner at Trillium
After a day of hiking, we are looking forward to a nice dinner. We have reservations at Trillium Cafe in town. When we walked by it on Monday, it was buzzing and when we walk in tonight, it is already busy with a nice vibe. Trillium has a beautiful big outdoor area, however, as it has started to rain, we are happy with our table inside. After browsing the menu, we decide to sample the appetizer menu. We order the seared Albacore Tuna, the crispy roasted brussels sprouts, the wild mushroom crostini and the sauteed scallops. With it, Seema has a glass of the Roederer Brut, while I have a glass of the Handley Pinot Gris, both from Anderson Valley. It is all delicious and we feel we deserve it, as after all, we hiked a lot of miles for wine today.
More Anderson Valley Wine sampling
We are sad to leave on Wednesday morning as it has been such a nice little trip. Overnight, it has started to rain. We drive back to Anderson Valley for some more wine tasting. It is just us, the rain, the redwoods and the river…it is beautiful and relaxing.
Roederer Estate
We have reservations at Roederer Estate at 11.30. The table is already set when we get there, with a view of the gardens. We taste two Brut Multi Vintage. They are the same, the only difference is that one is aged in a normal size bottle, the other one in a Magnum. They taste very different, funny enough. The next taste is their Brut Rose. It is delicious; however, my favorite is the Extra Dry. It is possibly the best sparkling wine I ever had. The wines are great companions for the delicious food: a smoked salmon plate and crostini with goat cheese, honey and lavender.
Toulouse Vineyards
Our last stop is Toulouse Vineyards. I am excited as they are known for their Alsace style wine, and I love Alsatian wines. I love the story of their name:
When we started our journey as a hands-on vineyard and winery, we had nothing “toulouse”. The Toulouse Goose symbolizes our new beginnings, good luck, and love of home as we endeavor to produce fine handcrafted wines.
We start with their Rose of Pinot Noir, followed by the Gewurztraminer. I love Rose and I am normally not super keen on Gewurztraminer, but interesting enough, I am not crazy about the Rose, but really like the Gewurztraminer. After tasting a couple of their Pinots and a nice Petit Sirah, they show us another specialty: they make three aperitive wines. Rita’s Vermouth, Rita’s Amaro and Quina Rita. We try the Amaro, which I don’t like as it has a strong taste of anise. However, the Quina Rita over ice, is a nice surprise. Crisp and a little fruity, we really enjoy it and take some home with us.
All good things come to an end, so does our little road trip. We had a great time, and we will definitely come back for more hiking for wine in Mendocino!
