California Official Visitor's Guide 2021 - 87

Mendocino

OUR EXPERT
Trial lawyer Theodora Lee
founded Theopolis Vineyards in Anderson Valley's
Yorkville Highlands in 2003.
In the wine world, she's
known as " Theo-patra,
Queen of the Vineyards. "

155 Watch the Sunset
Sandstone, churning swells, and the sundown sea intersect at Mendocino's ocean-worn
headlands. The result? Mesmerizing sunsets. Enjoy the close-of-day spectacle while wandering
the cliffs at Mendocino Headlands State Park or strolling the headlands near Point Arena
Lighthouse. Or take Lee's advice and get a VIP seat-nab a chair on the cliff across from Agate
Cove Inn. " At sunset, you can witness the headlands turning golden, and the view of the Paciﬁc
Ocean is awesome. " More great viewpoints are found at the luxurious Heritage House Resort &
Spa in Little River, where sunset's glory lights up your room's private deck.

156 Perfect Your Slow Game

PREVIOUS SPREAD: JOE AZURE/TANDEM STILLS + MOTION; OPPOSITE PAGE: COURTESY SKUNK TRAIN; THIS PAGE, FROM TOP: DAVID BOUCHAT/
GETTY IMAGES, COURTESY ROEDERER ESTATE, CAVAN IMAGES/GETTY IMAGES, COURTESY LITTLE RIVER INN; ILLUSTRATION BY JOEL KIMMEL

154 Taste Along
Highway 128
Highway 128 twists through
wine-growing regions from
Cloverdale to the coast. For
sparkling, head to Philo,
where Scharffenberger
Cellars and Roederer Estate
produce bubblies that rank
among America's best. You'll
ﬁnd luscious reds at Domaine
Anderson, Goldeneye, and
Toulouse Vineyards. For
Merlot and Rhône varietals,
go to the Yorkville Highlands,
where Lee's Theopolis
Vineyards bottles an awardwinning Petite Sirah. Or visit
winemaker and artist Tom
Rodrigues at Artevino/Maple
Creek Winery. " Visiting Tom's
winery is so much fun-you
enter as a stranger and leave
as friends, " Lee says.

Jedediah Smith
State Park

157 Try the Catch
of the Day

The North Coast is a place for meditative coastal walks
and communing with ancient forests. Savor nature's
artistry while you watch Russian Gulch's waterfall splash
into a fern-ﬁlled grotto. Count the waves rolling through
the Devil's Punchbowl blowhole. Pitch a tent near the
emerald Smith River at Jedediah Smith Redwoods State
Park, then visit the 340-foot-tall Stout Tree. Or take one
of Lee's favorite slow-down strolls-a two-mile loop at
Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve. " The park has
ancient redwood groves and one of the tallest trees in the
world, " she says.

Little
River Inn

In Mendocino, there's
s nothing ﬁshy
about reeling in a dinner that was
recently swimming in the Paciﬁc.
Primp for a cozy evening at Albion
River Inn, where James Beard Award-
winning chef Stephen Smith works
magic with seafood chowder and
Paciﬁc rock cod. In Little River, order
the perfect catch in tacos, risotto,
bouillabaisse, or roasted whole at
intimate Wild Fish. At Little River Inn,
taste the sea in brothy, bacon-rich
clam chowder and hearty crab cakes.
And don't forget breakfast: During
Dungeness crab season, it has to be
crab eggs Benedict.

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California Official Visitor's Guide 2021

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