Hopland Wine Country Getaway - Mendocino County

Our last visit to the town of Hopland was five years ago so we decided it was time to again visit this very small and quiet wine country. There are two distinct areas of wine country in Mendocino County. There is the cool climate Anderson Valley on Highway 128, and Hopland, a much hotter area than Anderson that stretches along Highway 101 from Hopland to the town of Willits.

The main attraction in Hopland is the Hopland Inn built in 1890 and the several tasting rooms that are located along the three-block area of the town. Since our last visit, there is a new hotel, Lawson Station, equipped with an upscale restaurant and a few new tasting rooms. We spent three days exploring this wine region.

Our recommendations should you travel to Hopland wine country:

Where to stay: Hopland Inn

Where to eat: The Hopland Inn Restaurant or the Bistro, Shotgun Restaurant

Where to deli: Cafe Lima

Wine Tasting: Graziano Family of Wines, Brutocao Cellars, McDowell Vineyards, Jeriko Vineyards, and Fife Vineyards.

What we did:

Hopland Inn Restaurant

For about a year, the Hopland Inn and restaurant have been under the co-ownership of chef Shaun Behrens. For a tiny town, chef Shaun is cooking up some big city meals. We had a delicious dinner on our first night, and the patrons we spoke with had equal raves about their meals. The only down side was that the restaurant was almost empty at our 7 pm seating. We were virtually all alone in this beautiful dining room on a Friday evening. The hotel also has a bistro section with its own menu that the locals frequent. The bar area is not to be missed.

The Good: Wonderful food presented with great flair
The Bad: More people need to discover this treasure

Shotgun Restaurant

We dined at the Shotgun Restaurant on a Saturday night. The food was exceptional but a tiny notch below the Hopland Inn. The service was excellent. There are a good number of choices on the menu, something to suit the needs of almost everyone. The restaurant is located in the Lawson Station Hotel

The Good: The food
The Bad: Wine list a bit on the short side

Hopland Inn & Lodging

The hotel was restored about six years ago and since then has had three owners. The rooms are on the second and third floors and it is quite a climb up each set of stairs. The bar is very inviting and the price of cocktails very inexpensive. The library is fantastic and vert relaxing, a great place to read a good book. There is a pool that is open during the summer and an outdoor deck outside the main dining room. A delicious and healthy breakfast comes with the room and usually includes a frittata made with fresh herbs from the garden.

The Good: Nicely restored rooms, fabulous breakfast included
The Bad: Hiking the stairs with luggage

We visited these wineries:

Graziano Family of Wines
Brutocao Cellars
McDowell Vineyards
Milano Winery
Jeriko Estate Winery
Parducci
Barra of Mendocino
Silversmith Vineyard
Fife Vineyards
McNabb Ridge Winery

Our favorites were Milano, Graziano, Brutocao, and Fife Vineyards. Next time we will skip Parducci Winery, Silversmith, and Barra of Mendocino, which is in a tasting room called Redwood Valley Cellars.

We tried for an appointment at Lolonis, but no one was at the winery that weekend. Lolonis is only open by appointment. We will try again on our next visit. We got lost on the Redwood Valley roads but finally were able to find our way to Silversmith and Fife Vineyards. Fife Vineyards, by far and away, has the best picnic spot. It overlooks Lake Mendocino. They also have the best wines. We lucked out on a case sale and purchased a case of dry Syrah rose for $50 and a case of 2001 Whaler Vineyard Zinfandel for $70. What a deal!

We also took a trip over highway 253 from Ukiah to Boonville and visited some wineries in the Anderson Valley. If you are in the Anderson Valley, be sure to visit Breggo, Navarro, Handley, and Husch. For sparking wine, visit Scharffenberger.

We outline our list of top wineries to visit on our Mendocino County wine region, the Hopland Wine Trail and the Anderson Wine Trail. The Mendocino Winegrower's Alliance has a brochure with a map detailing all the wineries and the various wine AVA's in Mendocino County.