We were generously gifted a certificate for a wine tasting & tour of the estate by a friend &…read morefinally had the chance to visit this weekend. Lichen estate is fairly small and quite far for us coming from the city but was well worth the drive! My husband & I took my mom here on this beautiful Saturday afternoon. Shawn was very knowledgable & welcoming! We took a seat outside on one of the picnic tables & Shawn brought the wine out to us. Left with a few bottles for ourselves & family and friends. Would recommend bring a small snack to pair with your wine or enjoy a little lunch on the estate. This was our first time visiting Anderson Valley so Shawn recommended Jumbo Win Win down the road for a quick lunch. Fantastic recommendation!

Great bubbles! Came…read moreby just after opening for a tasting ($25/person). I was very impressed with their sparkling wines. The Blanc de Noir was my favorite of the tasting. The Moonglow Pinot Noirs were ok, but not my preference. Love their label and Karen, the hospitality manager, is lovely. Worth a taste if you find yourself driving through Anderson valley!

Handley has some of the best Pinot Noirs currently being produced in the US. When we visited for…read morea tasting during the days surrounding the 2026 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Festival, we were also thoroughly impressed with their Petite Sirah, and their Pinot Blanc! Super friendly and knowledgeable staff, and a beautiful vineyard! Moreover, they have a Ranch House on property where their wine club members can stay when visiting the area! Super cool!

This was a beautiful location with both indoor and outdoor seating. It was the first wine tasting…read moremy husband and I did on our trip. Price wise, it was one of the cheapest, but the pours of wine were pretty small. The whole experience took about 40 minutes. We'd booked a picnic table for afterwards in case we needed to sober up before leaving. It didn't end up being particularly necessary, but it was a nice setting and a beautiful day to enjoy it.

I visited last year and loved it. Went back on a special trip, wayyyy out of our way this past…read moreTuesday and everything said open including a sign on the road which read "Open- Walk ins welcome" Went inside. No one. Waited for 20 to 30 mins. Walked around. Called the phone number. The lights were on and the music playing but not a soul on the property inside or out. Very strange. They also don't sell any of their wines locally so I couldn't buy anything sadly. Wine is good but like wtf?

Greenwood Ridge Vineyards is a beautiful winery with some wonderful wines (my fave was the 2023…read moreZinfandel Dragon Reserve)! The service is amazing also shout out to Angel she was very personable and hospitable and gave us all kinds of recommendations for the area! Great convo and great wine :) a must stop on the way to the coast!

A beautiful tasting room with lively service and awesome wines. The owner, Cris, was very…read moreaccommodating of our toddler, supplying toys and inviting us to taste inside whereas we normally sequester ourselves to an outdoor area. The tasting room was decorated with art for sale and other items reflecting the owner's experiences. The scope of wines wasn't vast, but each was great. Would highly recommend!

Cris made sure we had a great time. Thankfully he made nice wine for us as well. This place is just…read moreoff the main road, it has ample parking, and the experience is great.

Family-run winery that invites you into their home for private, by-appointment tastings!…read more I was recommended this winery by a friend and scheduled an appointment by emailing the owners directly. Molly's response was prompt and I had my tasting appointment scheduled within the hour! *Note: they only accept appointments on Fridays and Saturdays* Upon arrival, you pass through the property's outer gate and are instantly welcomed by the fuzziest welcome comity, the family's golden retriever Brit! Just continue driving slowly towards the tasting room - the pup knows to stay clear of your vehicle. The tasting is $30/person, waived for every 3 bottles purchased, and includes 4 wines. Their tasting boasts wines from a selection of vineyards across Mendocino Ridge, and the four I sampled on this particular visit included: 2021 Valenti Ranch Viognier 2022 Valenti Ranch Pinot Noir 2021 Faite De Mer Farm Field Selections Pinot Noir 2021 Perli Vineyard Syrah They utilize native yeast fermentation, a traditional method that allows the grapes to express a sense of terrior and spontaneity! I enjoy exploring cold-climate syrahs, and purchased a bottle of their Perli Vineyard Syrah to share with a friend. We drank half the bottle that first night, enjoying the deep rich purple fruits and soft minerality of the cool climate syrah. Unfortunately, this wine is meant to be imbibed immediately! By the second day, the wine had already oxidized and we did not finish the bottle. Still a fun experience and nice wines, just be sure you will finish the bottle before opening!

Focus. Commitment. Dedication. Grit. These are words we often associate with competitive athletics…read moreor high stakes business, not the elegant and refined world of fine wine. Maybe we still recall these words being thrown in our faces by angry parents or exasperated teachers who instructed us to invest our time wisely in something of lasting value rather than fritter it away on short-term, sometimes even self-destructive, thrills. When many of us set off on wine tasting adventures, we don't want to be reminded of how much hard work went into the contents of each glass, or to be told a true but humbling story of how it took decades of work digging, grafting, pruning, and pressing before the secrets of the vine begin to unveil themselves and the critics finally began to take notice. Why not surround oneself with light-hearted romance instead? Why not fantasize, as Robert Mondavi and his second wife, Margrit, once encouraged wine drinkers to do, about the pleasures of the Good Life in pleasure-soaked places like Napa? Well, for one, as the folks here at Drew might tell you if you asked them directly about it, all of those things are exaggerations and outright lies, even if some of them might be well intentioned. Wine making is artful, to be sure, but it's not art. It's work, and lots of it. This doesn't make the contents of the glass any less pleasurable and worthwhile. In fact, the wine takes on more meaning and seems more expressive if you sense how much inspired effort went into its production, without actually having to do all that hard work yourself. Drew wines are like that. They are crafted primarily from higher elevation vineyards above Anderson Valley with complex, uplifted seabed soils and cooling ocean breezes. They are grown from cuttings selected from high-quality heritage vineyards in California, from so-called suitcase clones smuggled in from Europe, or from clones rigorously selected and certified by viticultural experts at UC-Davis. The vineyards are tended in ways that minimize their impact on the environment using organic and no-till methods, and the wines are made using a similar set of hands-on but non-invasive techniques that are designed to showcase the quality of harvested fruit and unique mineral content of the soils in which they were cultivated. The resulting wines are not cult collectibles that command mind-bindingly high prices that only the elite can afford. Instead, they are priced accessibly given the production and labor costs involved and open to all who arrange ahead of time for $15 tastings at Drew's modest but attractively styled space in the Madrones resort, restaurant, and shopping complex between the small Anderson Valley towns of Boonville and Philo. Drew is a tiny independent operation that relies on club memberships, restaurant sales, and word-of-mouth recommendations to stay viable. In a wine world largely controlled by well capitalized conglomerates like Constellation, Gallo, Jackson Family Wines, and LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton), on the one hand, or by wealthy vineyard and winery owners, on the other, it is important to remember that the majority of wine industry professionals, like those who run Drew, have dedicated years of their lives to improving wine quality and catering to the needs of a diversifying wine enthusiast public. They don't set out to shape the wine buying habits of the masses or try to place their limited annual production of wines at Costco or Trader Joe's in the sub-$20 price range. Their goals are different and far more ambitious. When you taste a Drew Chardonnay, Pinot, Syrah, or Rhone varietal blend, they don't assault your senses or flaunt their abundant attributes, but they aren't lean, austere, or stingy wines, either. They have multiple facets to their highly individualized personalities. They are models of poise, precision, balance, structure, and restraint. And they taste, smell, and feel the way that site-specific grape varietals are supposed to do if tended properly while they grow in the ground, are harvested from the vine, and then left to ferment and age in the cellar until they are ready for release. Like all good and lasting relationships, Drew wines likely will take time to get to know well. But if they make a connection with you, as a wine drinker, it will also be immediate, intense, and obvious, like love at first sight. You will never know if you don't visit. Will you take that risk? My advice? Roll those dice. Fork over the $15. It may change the way you think about wine. If not, there is always Long Meadow Ranch's tasting room right next door with a Napa Valley wine or two with which to comfort you.

We had the best experience at Brashley - it was our favorite of the trip to Anderson Valley. The…read morewine was exceptional, but the experience is really what made it - such a wonderful tasting. Sean led us through the tasting and we actually went back the next day on Monday for the pizza - and the pizza was delicious. Cannot recommend Brashley enough!

Learned about their 'Pizza Monday's' and stopped in for lunch and a glass of wine. I enjoyed the…read morewhite Pinot and the Rose while my partner had two Pinots - all the wines are well made and reasonably priced. The woodfired pizza was one of the best I've ever had which was topped with arugula, pickled onions, and pepperoni (the winery also makes two fantastic hot sauces they serve with the pizza). Staff was super friendly and knowledgeable. The indoor tasting room is smaller and intimate, with extra seating outdoors on a patio. We cannot wait to come back!

Came here on a day when we were one of two parties in the whole place. Staff = pretentious or just…read morerude. Unsure which but the gal took forever to bring the next wine and acted like she did not want us there. Wine = phenomenal. Would brave the staff to get another bottle. Ambiance = gorgeous, especially the outdoor patio. Ran into a lovely couple who lived in my hometown (wife was from the same area) and ended up haveing a wonderful time talking to them. So, our experience was excellent but not due to the staff in any way.

White Pinot?! What?!…read more Maggy Hawk is a recently-opened Pinot House, part of Jackson Family Wines, and they make a White Pinot! We were a big group so just bought bottles to share. Next time I'll do a full tasting! What I tried and enjoyed: JOLIE PINOT NOIR "Expressive, silky, and refined. Jolie is an elegantly transparent Pinot Noir that opens with light-footed red fruit and rhubarb, then blooms into bright raspberry, strawberry and floral notes." - from website WHITE PINOT NOIR ANDERSON VALLEY, CALIFORNIA "A unique combination of aromatics: white peach, jasmine, Meyer lemon, rose petal, blood orange and wet stone. An entirely original and truly beautiful sensory experience." - from website The White Pinot was so unique and refreshing on a hot day! Give it a try! Maggy Hawk is located in Philo, in beautiful Anderson Valley, across the street from The Madrones (a small compound of guest rooms, a boutique, tasting rooms, and a restaurant). We had a delicious lunch at Wickson, at The Madrones, then crossed the street to meet friends at Maggy Hawk. They have bocce courts and some seating in the front, more seating and a small bar inside the cozy tasting room, and tables and a pizza oven on their back patio. I look forward to returning to do a full tasting, hopefully when they're making pizzas! Cheers and thanks for the warm hospitality!

Fathers + Daughters Cellars offers an incredible, unique, and unforgettable wine tasting experience…read morein the beautiful Anderson Valley that you don't want to miss! Their "Taste of the Day" takes you on an ATV ride through their family vineyards up a hill to a picnic table that overlooks Anderson Valley, orchards, and grazing sheep. The view is absolutely breathtaking! Sarah and Guy host most of the tastings themselves. They are a multi-generational winery that have been growing grapes for a long time. It's so great to know that you are supporting a family instead of a wine corporation and they are truly the nicest and most kind-hearted people. This is truly an incredible experience! We sipped a variety of quality wines, had some light snacks, and soaked in the incredible views! We purchased many of our favorites to enjoy at a latter date. Highly recommend to all when visiting Anderson Valley! Tips: *They only offer one tasting a day so my recommendation would be to reach out to them through their website well in advance and plan any other tastings you may go to that day around this one. *The tastings are not offered year round so go onto their website to see if they are open during the month you are visiting Anderson Valley. *If you are going in the summer months, make sure to wear sunscreen.

Fathers + Daughters Cellars offers the most unique and intimate tasting experience in Anderson…read moreValley. Their "Taste at the Top" takes you on an ATV ride through their family vineyards to the top of a hill overlooking Boonville and the valley. There you visit with the winery owners while tasting their exquisite wine and hearing stories about the history of the valley and their family vineyard. This is the insider experience in the valley! I love taking guests there!