Navarro Vineyards Archives - Wine Country Getaways

Why You Should Visit Navarro Vineyards

February 12, 2020 by Joe Becerra

Navarro Vineyards in Anderson Valley — Enjoying the Chardonnay at Navarro Vineyards – View from the picnic area

Why you should visit the Navarro Vineyards in the Anderson Valley

Small and Family-owned winery
Sustainable farming practices
Outstanding wines including Alsace varieties
Unbelievable vineyard views
Nicest people working the tasting room
No fees for tasting wines
Other quaint wineries nearby in the Anderson Valley

Navarro Vineyards is one of our favorite wineries to visit. We visit at least once a year and sometimes more often.

Are you old enough to remember Pacific Stereo? This successful company had several high fidelity stores scattered around the San Francisco Bay Area. Those stores were owned by Ted Bennett, who sold the business in the early 1970s for a considerable price. In 1974, he used his profit to create Navarro Vineyards in the Anderson Valley of Mendocino County.

Today, Navarro is the most-visited winery in the Anderson Valley and has an extensive mailing list of loyal customers. The wines are sold only online, out of the tasting room, or from the mailing list. A few restaurants also carry their wines. Ted Bennett and his wife Deborah Cahn have been loyal to their land, farming organically before anyone else in the Anderson Valley.

The tasting room staff at Navarro is knowledgeable, friendly, and always enthusiastic. The picnic area is one of our favorites of any wine country and, when we visit the Anderson Valley, Navarro Vineyards is where we picnic no matter what the season. There are picnic tables in front of the vineyards and a few others scattered in the gardens. It is one of the most serene settings for a wine country picnic. It is so delightful! The setting in the tasting room at Navarro Vineyards is spectacular. There are wonderful vineyard views, with a backdrop of the mountains dotted with oak trees.

As of the posting of this article, tasting room fees are non-existent. You can try any wine they have open, which on most days is at least eight. Can you find this in the Napa Valley?

Navarro vineyards and anderson valley — View from the tasting room area at Navarro Vineyards

Wines of Navarro Vineyards

We like the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines at Navarro. They are excellent, and the price is right compared to many other nearby wineries. Chardonnay, and especially Pinot Noir, have a great reputation among Anderson Valley wineries.

Not getting the respect they deserve are the Alsatian wines from Navarro and other Anderson Valley wineries. These wines are fantastic, and one should make sure to taste and purchase these terrific wines. Navarro Vineyards makes a Gewurztraminer, a Pinot Gris, and a Riesling.

Other Anderson Valley Wineries

Years ago, there was just a handful of wineries along Highway 128 in the Anderson Valley. Today there are many wineries, including some from Napa Valley vintners. These include Golden Eye (Duckhorn) and Lichen Estate (Cliff Lede). Two other terrific wineries, very similar to Navarro, are Husch Vineyards and Handley Cellars.

Tourist Information – Anderson Valley

Navarro Vineyards and the Anderson Valley are approximately 120 miles from the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge. In Cloverdale, take Highway 128 towards Mendocino. Along this route is the Artevino Maple Creek Winery we recently wrote about. Stop and have a visit there, and then continue on to Navarro.

Beautiful Anderson Valley

April 7, 2016 by Joe Becerra

The beautiful Anderson Valley in April

The Beautiful Anderson Valley in April

Early Spring is one of the most beautiful and peaceful times in the Anderson Valley in Mendocino County. The days are usually clear of fog and the tasting rooms less hectic. The photo above was shot from below the tasting room at Navarro Vineyards. The April vines are beginning to take form and give a fresh look to the valley and the hills above. On the Anderson Valley floor, cool climate grapes flourish. Pinot Noir is the most abundant grape but Alsatian varieties also are grown in this area. Sparkling wine grapes, namely Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, also love this climate and are the first of the grapes to be harvested. During the summer months, fog is almost always present until the afternoon. The afternoon brings breezes from the Pacific Ocean, continuing to provide cool temperatures to the grapes. There are a couple of routes into the Anderson Valley. We like heading north from San Francisco and taking Highway 128 in Geyserville to the Anderson Valley Road. Highway 128 is a lovely road. The biggest town is Boonville, about 60 minutes from Geyserville. Boonville is the place to stock up on goodies for a picnic lunch. Picnicking in the Anderson Valley at a winery is a must for any wine country traveler. Check our list of wineries in the Anderson Valley with picnic facilities. We also have a list of favorite wineries for wine tasting and purchasing wine. We like to exit the Anderson Valley and head over Highway 253 from Boonville. This way we can take a stop in another wonderful wine town in Mendocino County, Hopland, CA. We then are able to take in a few favorite wineries on the Hopland Wine Route. Another great option is to travel from the Anderson Valley to the Pacific Ocean and visit the romantic town of Mendocino. Stay at a Mendocino B&B and have dinner at one of Mendocino’s fabulous gourmet restaurants. Mendocino is magical any time of the year but especially so in the Spring.

Verjus and Kokomo

March 1, 2016 by Joe Becerra

These are two words you most likely do not have in your wine vocabulary. So what exactly are Verjus and Kokomo? Verjus is a French term that translates into “green juice.” It is a product of wine grapes that are not fully ripe. The grapes are also not fermented. Verjus is acidic and, therefore, a wonderful ingredient in gourmet cooking. Kokomo is the name of a winery in the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma County. Kokomo makes wonderful wines and is one of the few wineries that produce a Verjus. The only other California winery that I know of that produces a Verjus is the Navarro Winery in the Anderson Valley of Mendocino. I have been using a bottle of the Kokomo Verjus and testing it in various recipes.

Verjus made by Kokomo Winery

Verjus and Kokomo Winery

Salad Dressing

Right off the top, Verjus is the ideal substitute for vinegar in making a salad dressing. Vinegar in a salad dressing clashes with any wine that you might be serving. Add Verjus instead of vinegar and you will certainly have much more enjoyment from your wine selection. I made the Kokomo salad dressing recipe found on their Website and it is delightful. The dressing is for Wild Arugula Pear Salad. I use this salad dressing for many other types of salads. I also tried a favorite Caesar salad dressing of mine and instead of using lemon juice I substituted Verjus. Much better!

More recipes using Verjus

Apparently, in Medieval times, Verjus was quite the chef’s ingredient. Then along came the popularity of lemons and Verjus nearly vanished from the cooking shelf. Today Verjus is back! It offers the dish a softer and more subtle tartness then does lemon juice. So first off, experiment and substitute Verjus in any recipe that calls for lemon juice. On the Web, there are many recipes specifically using Verjus. Kokomo has several recipes and Navarro Vineyards has a Verjus cookbook that can be downloaded for free. These are recipes from great restaurant chefs in the Mendocino area.

About Kokomo Winery and Navarro Vineyards

Kokomo Winery is located on Dry Creek Road near the town of Healdsburg. Their tasting room and several other tasting rooms are located at Timber Crest Farms, about 4.5 miles from the Dry Creek Exit on Highway 101. The tasting room is open daily from 11 am to 4:30 pm. More info. I really enjoy the variety of wines that Kokomo offers and the very laid-back atmosphere and unusual tasting room decor.

Navarro Vineyards is one of my favorite wineries. We’ve been visiting Navarro Vineyards since the late 1970s. They make delicious Alsatian-style wines and wonderful Pinot Noir. I think Navarro Vineyards has one of the prettiest picnic areas in wine country. The Navarro tasting room is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm in the winter and 9 am to 6 pm in the summer. And, get this, no tasting room fee!

Navarro tasting room in the Anderson Valley of Mendocino County