The tasting room and grounds are beautiful and unique. The wine is delicious, with so much variety there's something for everyone. Chris and staff treat everyone who walks in the door like friends. The pourers are knowledgeable and educated about every wine they serve and can guide you through your tasting. Definitely a must to stop here, especially if you're on your way to or from the coast. read more

Handley Cellars - Wineries Near Me - Philo, California

Great wine and friendly staff! Most of the varieties are not distributed so it's worth the stop. The tasting room is small, so if the parking lot is full, try another winery and go back when there are less people. read more

A beautiful patio area provides for great seated tastings with lovely surroundings of the vineyards, water tower, barns, crushpad, etc. This place has some great AV history and the team is friendly and informative. Nice wines. Check it out! read more

Very good wines, especially the estate gewürztraminer, chardonnay, and pinot noir. Also, the syrah was top notch. Jeremy was thoughtful and entertaining. Mary made a pleasant cameo appearance. What a great place to spend a couple of hours! read more

Handley Cellars - Still life - Wineries Near Me - Philo, California

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! read more

See all

Having room for just one more winery, we headed up to Handley Cellars. The place was eerily deserted and the inside was desolate. We later found out they were making room for the Pino fest that was happing the next day. The woman doing the tasting was nice and initially said there'd be food pairings with our tasting. But the only food we got was a single cracker each with a dab of really good chicken liver pate. Wine here was so-so. All the whites were too mild for my liking. The best wine was a Pino Noir that was only available to club members. Booo! But it was our third free tasting of the day so we were pretty happy regardless. And they had free recipe cards of all the foods we supposedly should have had. Come over and you can try my pate =] I think we bought a couple bottles from here as well. read more

The facilities were really nice...probably the nicest of the wineries we stopped by. We brought our lunch and ate in their little garden area which was perfect. There is also a fantastic view of the biggest expanse of grape vines I've ever seen from here. The wines were mostly just OK...except for one pinot noir that was really good. I appreciated that we didn't have to pay for wine tasting. This was the only winery of the day where we encountered Napa-like snootiness. read more

Kind and helpful ladies on that staff. They spent quality time with you as they worked through glass after galss, bottle after bottle, off the list and on the list for tastings for the day. We bought a half case mixed between on the list and off the list. Impressive artwork and collections from around the world in the tasting room. Immaculate surroundings. First rate wines. HUGE SYRAH. Nice whites. Bought both. This is a "do not miss" location along the Anderson Valley. Best thing about these folks are the meal recipes that they give you. Little cards with wonderful recipes. If you cannot go there, go to their website and look up the food and recipe section and you will be dazzled by the range of recipes. read more

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. read more

I really enjoyed our tasting here.. and our winetender was named Rainbow! How cool is THAT? Rainbow was patient and a wealth of knowledge about each varietal. I was able to do an all-white-wine flight, as they offered so many: - 2011 Chardonnay, Whispering Oaks, Mendocino County - 2011 Gewürztraminer, Anderson Valley - 2011 Pinot Gris, Helluva Vineyard, Anderson Valley - 2011 Viognier, Whispering Oaks, Mendocino County - 2007 Late Harvest Riesling, Mendocino Ridge She even hooked us up with a blue cheese puff after pouring a sparking Rose wine. Upon viewing the selections, we just KNEW we'd walk out of here with a Late Harvest Riesling, but I'll be damned if I pay $30 for a 10.5% alcohol 375ml bottle of anything. That shit better be 18% alcohol or higher. What was so interesting, was that their viognier tasted like pinot gris and vice versa. So, we left with a Pinot Gris and I am excited to open that bad boy up and enjoy. Rainbow was not only a winetender, but she made some seriously beautiful jewelry that she was happy to share with us. Very intricate details and beautiful beadwork..So inspiring too..she made me want to take up jewelry design. This is a fancy, nice, beautiful tasting room (with fantastic bathrooms). I highly recommend a stop here if you're in the area. No tasting fees!! Yay! read more

Milla Handley is one of my wine heroes. She makes GREAT wines with organic grapes (certification coming in a year - it's a three year process). These are wines that sing to me - well balanced wines that reflect the sun and fog and dirt of the Anderson Valley. Her wines are fairly priced (estate pinot noir for under $30!), the tasting room is fun and staffed with very knowlegeable anti-snobs. Tell them Farmstead sent you....... read more

BEST AND PLACE EVER.!! The manager Chris is just amazing huge parties small parties he is the nicest manager ever.! The wine speaks for itself and the prices are extremely reasonable I can't wait to come back thank you again Chris for all your help.! I will be coming back every year for that late harvest Riesling read more

We did get a bottle here, but man....the experience we had sucked big time! I will never ever come back to this winery! And we are in Mendocino quite often....always coming back to the wineries we hold dear to our hearts... This is a review the owner, manager of this place needs to read. The lady who poured our wine was the most horrible host I have EVER experienced in all my years of wine tasting (and we normally go to 4-5 wineries per day of wine tasting; we went to 12 wineries in 3 days this time). She was around 60 years old, long hair, grey/white. Please fire this woman! She will bring you lots of low reviews from people...She was simply demoralizing...She barely spoke...she was snooty, standoffish and like she could care less about us. Even when we said we wanted a bottle of wine she acted like she didn't even want to make the effort to head to the back and get the wine for us. Most of the wine we wanted to try she said she would not open a bottle of because we could only open so many wines in one day and that they were slow that morning. What is that supposed to mean? I am only giving it 2 stars for the beautiful views and for the wine. The experience we had here deserves 0 stars, though. please get rid of this woman, so we can consider coming back. Thank you! read more

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. read more

All I can say is wow. We visited the winery on June 11th. 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. read more

Visited during January where their is pretty much nothing joining on in wine country, maybe some pruning. The tasting rooms are empty, which I love. I came early in the morning and she poured us through everything on their menu. Sometimes I would like to just stick to 5-6 wines not 11. I appreciate the hospitality, but it just gets overwhelming sometimes. To my surprise I enjoyed the reds over the whites, which is usually not the case in Anderson Valley for me. Favorites: 2007 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir 2007 Redwood Valley Zinfandel 2007 Mendocino Ridge Zinfandel Gionoli Ranch Good acidity! which is sadly overlooked in a lot of California wines. Also they used to produce 25,000 and tightened up to 12-15,000 wines to focus on better quality. read more

This is a friendly, unpretentious vineyard and winery. Our hostess was a very gracious local woman who recommended local restaurants and offered tips to those of us who are new to the area. (Was her name Linda? I'm trying to recall.) Their tastings usually come with a nibble. It really enhances the ability to slow down and enjoy a tasting, when one has a drop of chocolate or a little sushi style roll to accompany the liquid repast. We were told that it's pretty worthwhile to join their wine club as it includes attendance at a catered annual party on top of the wines. This sounds like a brilliant idea to me! Unfortunately, I'm still recovering from the regular wine purchases we left with. Cruelly, my budget and my tastes are at war. I'll look into that at a future and better-funded date in time. ;o) Our four year old companion loved the elephant themed furniture and the fact that our hostess slipped us extra chocolate upon request. read more

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 read more

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! read more

Friendly and tasty. One of the last tasting rooms heading West. I bought the 2009 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir for $32. Definitely worth a visit. read more

We been loyal customer since the first time we visited. We bought more friends this time. Everyone enjoyed so much that both my friends jointed the wine club member. Chris is as charming as always. Can't wait for next visit. read more

See all

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! read more

Best winery in Philo. It was like a free wine buffet! They let us try everything free. Needless to say it was a fantastic experience and we bought lots to go. read more

Nice tasting room. They offer great hospitality, and you can chose to taste inside or out (and they'll bring you your next selection, even if outside). They wines are plentiful to choose from, and are all (all I had, at least) enjoyable. read more

Handley Wine Cellars has it all: the wines, the people, the tasting, room, the gorgeous grounds with a view of the Anderson Valley. Of course, the Pinot Noirs are the best, but Handley does a great job with Alsatian style wines, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, and Riesling. They even do a great job with some Sonoma County syrah. Because they make so many wines, tasting here is great for people who like everything (because they open a lot of different wines) and people who are picky (because they make many different varietals). Stopping at Handley is a must in the Anderson Valley. They even have some picnic grounds where you can hang out and enjoy the view. read more

Wow... I still cannot get over the delicious Brut sparkling wine. Great location, great ambiance.But the best part was our wine connoisseur(is that what they are called ? )She was new there, and she took us through an entire journey. Sorry to have not remembered the name. I have been to many wine tastings , but this one was probably the best in terms of personal attention.Drink unlimited free of cost, and we were lucky they had food+wine pairing the day we went in. Excellent! I would return if I go back to this area again. read more

Chris did a wonderful job at walking us through their delicious wines on a rainy November day. Great hospitality and service, without pushing for wine purchase/club membership. We'll be back. read more

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. read more

Wow. Fantastic place. Great wines, great location. Bring your dogs in and hang out. I love this place. It's the heart and soul of the Anderson Valley. A must stop! read more

Handley Cellars - Handley RSM PN and late night computer work go hand in hand. - Wineries Near Me - Philo, California

See all

Handley is a solid choice for wine tasting in Anderson Valley - and they're open the latest (6 pm), so you can cram in one more tasting before the end of the day. They have a large assortment of wines, with a couple of gems in there. Very friendly tasting room staff (tolerant, too, I might add of one of our more rowdy friends). read more

The wine is pretty good (for the most part), I think out of the 6 wines I tried, I only thought one was kind of bad....and this is good for me considering I don't like white wines, and 4 of the wines I tried were white! :) What surpassed their wine was their customer service. The lady serving my husband and I had the wines paired with food for us. And, my husband doesn't drink wine and she offered him a free rhubarb dry soda (how sweet!) The tasting room was perfect for the first 15 minutes we were there...even though they were really busy, she kept on top of what we wanted. The one annoying thing was a couple that brought their 2 annoying children into the tasting room and let them run wild and scream. I know it's not the fault of the winery, so I'm not going to make them suffer...try Handley Cellars; they are good! read more

Super friendly family winery - the Estate Pinot is a must. Great whites as well. Chris was awesome.

We spent the weekend in Elk and Saturday night we had the pleasure of sampling a couple of Handley's wines. We really enjoyed them so we headed to the tasting room on Sunday. Free tastings? Really? Wow, we haven't seen that in decades! Our hostess was very knowledgeable and friendly. She let us try so many wines, including several of their delicious Pinot varirals, but our absolute favorite was their Syrah. Excellent experience. read more

Nice wines and great feel. This was my second visit, the first being 3 years ago. Still solid wines and still knowledgeable, friendly staff. Steven was our host and did a great job. Definitely a stop to make when in Anderson Valley. read more

Very friendly staff and amazing grounds but the wines had a bit of an aftertaste that didn't suit me. However my husband really really like their house red which I thought was pretty good and didn't have the funky finish their other wines did. read more

I had fun stopping in at this winery as my boyfriend and I went wine tasting through the Anderson Valley on our way to Napa. Handley was our first stop of the day, and fairly early- I think we got there around 11. We were the only ones in there, and we got a lot of attention as a result- it was nice. The employee who helped us was a bit quiet, but still friendly and informative about all their wines. The wines were pretty tasting. I preferred their whites more than the reds, and bought the Water Tower White- a nice, easy to drink wine. Best part of the tasting experience? They were offering food pairings the day we went; so with our whites we were brought out little bite-sized portions of food that paired well with the whites, and same with the reds. Quite tasty food too! Worth a stop if you're in the region. read more

Steve was very helpful and made the wine tasting an experience. Definitely left there much happier than when we arrived. Excellent service. read more

What a pleasant surprise this place was. We were touring this area on the motorcycle and we just happened to pick this place at random. Chris was an amazing host. His knowledge of the wines and their incredible selection was great. The view was also amazing and the faculty was pleasantly quaint without the pretentiousness of the Napa/Sonoma vineyards. We will be back! read more

This was one of our first stops - Husch opened at 10am and Handley at 11, so we ended up making this our second stop. Another beautiful tasting room in the Anderson Valley. I'm not normally a white fan, but their Water Tower White was a sweet , citrusy, floral blend of a 55% Viognier, 30% Pinot Gris, and 15% Riesling, and that's a great blend. The tasting notes say it pairs well with Thai or other sweet and sour cuisine from southeast asia, and I agree. I ended up buying a bottle of the white (priced very reasonably) and of their Dry Creek Syrah. read more

We recently visited Handley Cellars and had a lovely time. The wine host Chris was extremely kind and professional, the wines were great and the winery tasting room was beautiful with interesting art pieces. We highly recommend that you check it out. Sincerely, Greg and Liz Klein from Pleasanton, CA read more