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?
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.