Handley Cellars

Steven was my host on Thursday 6÷23÷2016. I appreciated his knowledge of the wine. He explained Handley’s organic farming practices to me. We even had a tour of the vineyards and the cellar itself. The tasting was complimentary, which is a welcome relief in the face of much higher fees at other places in Wine Country.
I truly enjoyed their 2014 Pinot Blanc. Currently it is one of the best white wines from California. I picked up a bottle. The 2013 Brightlighter White was good as well. It is a great wine for retreating from a hot summer day, another bottle that ended up in my cooler. I enjoyed all of their Pinot Nor offerings. The two that stood out the most to me were the 2013 Helluva Vineyard and 2013 RSM Vineyard, so I bought one of each. Their Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon offerings were ok, but not particularly impressive. They’re masters of the Pinot and should stick to it.
Overall I felt that their wine was excellent and it was worth joining their club. This is one of those few places where a membership has value. I can’t find these wines at stores near me, so they have exclusive appeal, and their reasonable prices mean that Handley is one of the few wineries where you get a better deal by doing business directly with them. This place is the epitome of a boutique winery. I wish all place were like them.

Was just there on ⁶⁄₁₁ as our last stop of the day as most of the other wineries close at 5pm whereas Handley is open till 6. Our host Chris was amazing. He provided a great experience for our group of 4 and didn’t rush the process at all even after closing time had come and gone. The outside patio was beautiful. Really liked the atmosphere and would interested to see the place lit up when the sun goes down. Looking forward to getting back up here from San Francisco next time we can.

All I can say is wow.
We visited the winery on June 11^th. I planned a relaxing weekend im mendocino for my little sister’s bachelorette party. This was our first stop on Saturday and it set the bar really high.
Our server was absolutely delightful… so friendly and informative. We sat on the patio and she brought each wine and poured it for us outside while we relaxed under the tree on the comfy couches. I can’t even remember how many wines we tried, had to have been at least 9 or 10.
My mom and I were so impressed with the experience that we bought 6 bottles of wine and joined the wine club.
I can’t wait to go back!
Thank you Handley for an absolutely wonderful wine tasting experience.

Pinot noir, pinot noir, pinot noir! Do I need to say again I’m a pinot noir fan?
It’s a pretty quiet and serene property with friendly staff and free walk-​in tastings. They do a solid 2012 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir (although 2010 was the year that sweeped awards) reasonably priced (around $ 32) and a really fun 2013 Gewürztraminer.

Worth a visit for the view alone. Some of their whites are really good, especially their Brightlighter blend.

I grew up in this beautiful area of salt, sand, fog and wines and vines all around me. It was not until I left the area to go to college, gain a career and come home again did I truly appreciate all of Mendocino Counties beauty and gifts. ONE of those many gifts are the wines that are produced here in Mendocino County! Handley Cellars is one of my very, VERY favorite wineries in ALL of California. First of all, unlike some of the wineries and vineyards in more ‘commercial’ areas of growth, this vineyard/​winery just pops put at you along the crooked, remote, winding highway 128 in Anderson Valley after swooping in under the trees off the coast. My family used to always say that Anderson Valley was a cool, little ‘secret’ of lovely vines and once found, there truly would be no need to venture for wines anywhere else. Having the perfect climate for Pinot, Chardonnay, Gewurtztraminer grapes. Mendocino County is pure perfection for grapes. My first visit to Handley was over this past holiday season. I actually drove for once, rather than my usual mode of transport via air, so that I could bring home lots of wines, (cheeses, sourdough, crab, Russian River Brews!), from home. I did just that! I am def not a Chardonnay drinker, but Handley’s 2013 Chardonnay sold me. My husband and I love good Pinot Noirs and our ‘splurge’ was the 2012 RSM Pinot. 2011 was a tough year for Pinot grapes so 2012 was a nice surprising vintage! In fact, we loved so many of the wines and the way they are grown, mostly on the estate, family owned, considered ‘vegan’ that we joined their wine club. I want to pretty much keep the benefits of this club a secret, they are just that good! I will tell you this: even if you don’t join the wine club to have what I consider gifts of beautiful wines that come once in awhile to your home or invites to great cellar events at Handley, at least get into this cellar. They all love wine, vines, grapes. The tastings are gratis. something you don’t find in the more ‘glam’, commercialized wine areas of California, for sure ! The tasting pours are generous and the hosts are informative and nice. Bring a picnic or bread and cheese for the grounds, because this place, like much of my home of Northern California, is too beautiful to pass up. Salut!

Handley is our favorite vineyard in Anderson Valley. The service here is phenomenal! When you join the wine club you feel like family. On the day of our most recent visit, we shot hoops in the cellar with the some of the team! Oh, and we did some barrel tasting as well. Wine club members can also stay at the ranch house, which is a wonderful experience. You feel like royalty staying in a private house stocked with art from around the world and surrounded in all directions by vineyards.
Now, on the wine: their RSM vineyard Pinot Noir is the best in the Valley. This is based on seven-​years experience visiting Anderson Valley and tasting at nearly every vineyard. The Reserve brand is made in the Old World tradition and acts as a nice complement to the RSM. The S.B. and Gewurtztraminer are first class as well.
There’s also a free 240V charger onsite and this makes EV-​only Anderson Valley trips possible.
We give Handley our highest recommendation. You won’t be disappointed. Ask for Chris when you arrive.
Eric & Andi

I absolutely love everything about this place from the laid back atmosphere to the delicious wines!
We have been members of the wine club for over one year and will renew our membership. Every wine we have received has been amazing!
This winery is located in a beautiful and quiet area where wine is truly appreciated. Nothing snobby about this place. Just great wine, beautiful property and good vibes!

I dont have too much to say in the way of good or bad for this place. Reading other reviews i saw that Chris was a common host and we didnt have him, we instead had an older woman who was much quieter and not as warm. However, she was very knowledgeable and certainly not rude but i feel the experience certainly would have been enhanced with someone a bit more talkative. Other than that, the wines were very good. The Syrah was smooth and the chard we tasted was nice and light.

We have been visiting Napa and Sonoma wine areas for over 30 years. This was our first time in the gorgeous Anderson valley along beautiful winding Hwy 128. After a one night stay in Mendocino, it took us just one hour to arrive at Handley. Our host Chris was absolutely the best! He was so friendly, down to earth, fun and easy to talk to. There is no fee for the tasting, and we tasted so many outstanding wines. We bought two bottles of their Sauvignon Blanc and one of their award winning Pinot Noir. We were shocked when we left and realized we had spent over 90 minutes there. It was so fun! They don’t sell their wine in stores so we will have to return to get more! And the grounds are gorgeous — would be fun to stay and have a picnic too. Highly recommend this fantastic winery and Chris!

We had a fantastic experience here for my husband’s birthday. The host Chris went out of his way to make it an enjoyable and memorable tasting. Great Pinots and customer service. I highly recommend stopping here for a taste if you are in the area. I never leave reviews on Unilocal,but felt the overall experience was so exceptional that it was worth writing one!

Great Pinot and Chardonnay, Host Chris is very informational, warm and friendly. He is not pushy at all. We still bought a case because the wine and people.

Absolutely stand up people who went completely out of their way to help a couple of strangers out.
Their wines were delightful too. I will never forget this place and can’t wait to go back hopefully with my date :)

We went to Handley while doing some wine tasting on 128 and it was Awesome! Everything about our experience was fabulous!
First off, it being a rainy Sunday the weekend before Christmas meant that no one but us was there. Ali was our pourer and she was fantastic! She was incredibly friendly and super knowledgable. She was excited to share everything she knows about wine and everything she is continually learning. My partner and I LOVED that. Especially because she was sharing really great information in a genuine, non-​pretentious, non-​condescending way! She MADE the experience for us. Additionally she gave us a little tour and a little barrel tasting. Not sure if they do that with everyone or with folks when it’s slow, but it was a great experience.
The wine was tasty. We liked a couple of the whites and we enjoyed the reds a lot. The wines were very interesting. Dry and earthy and bright. They were all really unique and enjoyable.
I highly recommend Handley when you’re passing through. Because it’s not big distributor and the last winery on the strip heading towards the coast, they don’t get a lot of traffic. And we liked that because it was a much more intimate and educational experience!
We will 100% go back and recommend it!

Wonderful place to start our second day of tasting, 10/​18, at the north end of Anderson Valley. Hosted by Chris, who is very informative as a taster – really a nice gentleman.
Poured the entire family of Handley wines for us. Bought a few – our highlight was the 2011 RSM vineyard Pinot Noir and the 2012 Redwood Valley Zin. Everything was tasty and at a reasonable price point.

Found this great little gem passing through town.
My girlfriend and I were leaving the area that evening, we came 10 minutes before closing. We really did not want to be «those people» who come right before closing but They were very kind to show us there selection.
We stayed for an hour past closing kudos!
Great experience! we will try to make up state just for Handley.

The first stop on our wine adventure and certainly has kept a lasting impression. The tastings were delightful and came full with the education. The winemaker, Randy, was kind enough to show us the ropes and talk vintification — great guy with an awesome out look on winemaking and the end product. Recommend this to everyone! Our favorites? The hillside Pinot, the Red Blend and the Zin (which we took home). Cheers!

Must try the Pinot.
We really liked this place. The staff was friendly, and the tasting room stayed open until 6pm so we stopped on our way back to Point Arena. I would stop there again if we are tasting though Anderson Valley.

Handley Cellars is the best winery I have ever been to. The wine is great, but what really makes it stand out to me is the experience. I have been here twice. The first time I thought I would be going in for just a free tasting, but the sommelier who helped us was so friendly she really made the experience. Not only did we get to do a tasting, but she brought us black berries from the farm to pair with the wine. We were there late in the day on a Sunday and since they were about to close she took us on a tour of the winery and the gardens/​farm. The location is beautiful, especially around sunset.
We were given some produce from the farm, and chocolates to take home. I ended up purchasing a membership which I never thought I would do, as well as two bottles of wine then and there.
Recently I went back again, and this same person invited us to come see how wines are made. It meant we had to get up really early, but the experience was amazing. I learned how red wines basically need to be mixed more than once a day, and about how the process the grapes, and the yeast that are used, and more. I have never had such outstanding service and will be back to visit Handley many times in the future I am sure. Thanks again.

Handley first gets points for being open past 5pm. Sweet.
Second, Allie, who lead us through our tasting, was definitely the most thorough and informed person we spoke with about wine in Mendocino. She knows her stuff and knows the Handley wines very well.
The tasting portion is very generous, and there are tons of wines to try.
We really liked their pinot noirs and had trouble choosing which one to purchase. Ultimately, we went with their Mendocino County, mostly for sentimental reasons.
Their wines were very different than others we tasted on this trip. If you like surprises and unique wines, check out this spot.
Their shop in the front is a little weird, IMHO. But it’s sort of amusing to peruse, as well.