Author: Shelley Lindgren
The joy of living in Northern California is that there are so many destinations and outdoor explorations, all within a car ride – the ocean, the snow, camping, wine country. During the 2020 lockdown, craving the great outdoors was something we all felt. So instead of stepping onto a plane, many of us hit the road, including me.
Boonville is in the heart of Mendocino county and as a native Northern Californian, it’s always held a special place in my heart. So when we were offered to create an A16 Boonville Pop-up, we jumped right in. The drive from San Francisco is one you can quickly get used to – once you exit after Cloverdale to take the 128 – and the windy turns suddenly become the grand entrance of the magical Anderson Valley. The town of Boonville itself is charming, rustic, community orientated, and full of winemakers, artisans, families, and local entrepreneurs.
We operated the A16 Boonville Pop-up for five weekends over the summer and we were able to meet so many locals, as well as see familiar faces from the Bay Area. In particular, we formed a wonderful relationship with Roger Scommegna who introduced us to his vineyard called Signal Ridge, and his winemaker Joanna Wells.
Signal Ridge is Roger’s vision. He bought the land, planted the vines, and now manages the vineyard with his team. It’s so close to Boonville but as biodiverse as you could imagine. Nestled under redwood trees, the Signal Ridge Vineyard overlooks the majestic Pacific Ocean. It’s a place where nightly sunsets and cool evening breezes allow for long growing seasons. The memory of drinking wines with individuality with expressive spice, white pepper, cardamon and red fruits like loganberry and ripe strawberries brings me along so many parts of northern Rhone and Burgundy, and California. These qualities are distinctly found in Signal Ridge grapes, and a perfect place to source Pinot Noir for Tansy Wines.
All in all, I highly recommend a road trip up there because this is one of many places to discover up there.
