The 52 California wineries you need to visit in 2019

A few of the wineries with tasting rooms here at The Madrones are included in this list of California Wineries recommended for enophiles traveling in 2019.

Drew
Jason and Molly Drew make some of the best wines in Mendocino County, and they’re known — rightfully so — for their gamey, meaty Syrah. Visit their small, storefront tasting room in the Madrones complex in Philo, near the deep end of Anderson Valley, though many of their wines come from outside of this Pinot-centric valley. The Valenti Ranch Syrah is a special treat.

Long Meadow Ranch
The newest addition to the Anderson Valley tasting room roster is an old-timer from Napa Valley: Long Meadow Ranch, which purchased a formidable 145-acre estate here in 2015 with the goal of adding cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay to its portfolio. Noted winemaker Stephane Vivier makes the wines from this vineyard. (Long Meadow Ranch also bought the Napa Valley Chardonnay winery Stony Hill Vineyard last year.) At the tasting room in the Madrones complex, you can sit at a big communal table and choose either an Anderson Valley-only flight or a flight that includes the Napa Valley wines. Espresso is also available, if you need a pick-me-up. The winery still runs its original St. Helena tasting room too.

Read all recommendations at SF Chronicle.com.

Uncork a perfect weekend in Anderson Valley

To get to Anderson Valley from San Francisco, you drive north for two hours on Highway 101, through Sonoma County, into Mendocino County. When you finally pull into Cloverdale and take a hard left-hand turn onto Highway 128 toward Boonville, it feels as if you’re diving into a rabbit hole.

You corkscrew down several hundred feet of altitude on a ribbon road that snakes through the forests of the Yorkville Highlands, finally washing out into the flats of Anderson Valley.

Surrounded by heavily forested hillsides on both sides, Anderson Valley is a narrow conduit between the warm inland reaches of Mendocino County and the chilly, pristine Mendocino Coast.

Read the full article at sfchronicle.com.

Top 100 Wines of 2013

RHONE-STYLE REDS

The big story for the Rhone-minded this year is a great spike in the quality of California Syrah. Not all of it by any means, but whether due to the chill of 2011 or a partial weeding-out of the less than obsessive, now is a time to take heart about the state of this wonderful but often under-loved grape.

Grenache continues to show its virtues, as does Mourvedre. In all, it adds up to a terrific time to be enjoying these varieties – and to discover both old terroirs like Napa’s Phoenix Ranch and new ones like Mark Adams’ patch of Paso Robles.

2011 Drew Family Valenti Vineyard Mendocino Ridge Syrah ($45, 12.8%): Jason and Molly Drew are less well known for Syrah, but this parcel at the western border of Anderson Valley shows the grape’s beauty on an obscure coastal edge. Tons of spice here – a mix of green and black peppercorns, and a mint-leaf freshness that builds on plum and wild blueberry fruit. Its savory side is astonishing in its depth, less meaty than minerally, with perfect focus in its flavors.

Read the full article at SFGate.com.

Stone & Embers fires up Mendocino

The Madrones sits in the middle of nearly nowhere, a Mediterranean mansion and gardens on Hwy. 128 in Philo. But the luxury B&B complex with shops and wine tasting rooms has attracted a notable chef, Patrick Meany, who is opening a trattoria named Stone & Embers there later this month.

Read the full article at sfgate.com.