Wine Meets Weed on Mendocino’s Cannabis Trail

Late summer in San Francisco, the weather is warm and the sky cloudless. With 48 hours of vacation left before I board a plane home to Europe, I’m looking to wind down—quit the gritty city for a laid-back vibe. Northern California offers heaps of wine-themed itineraries, of course (but been there). A search led me to The Cannabis Trail and its suggestions for exploring the history of the area’s marijuana movement.

In France, where I was due to head home in two days, cannabis is illegal, so a plan for a whistle-stop trip through the Emerald Triangle—the largest cannabis-growing region in the U.S. just a couple of hours north—greatly appealed. Mendocino is one of the three counties (along with Trinity and Humboldt) that form the Triangle, and it has been a mecca for marijuana cultivation since the 1960s. Now it’s entering its cannatourism era. The Mendocino County visitors guide told me to expect high-grade, quality craft cannabis cultivation, consumption lounges and dispensaries, canna-friendly lodging and even “artistic expression of cannabis in museums, galleries and cuisine”—enough said. I jumped in the rental car and set out.

Ukiah Bound

The route was real simple: north up U.S. 101, straight on through Santa Rosa, and a couple of hours later, I was in the southernmost tip of the Triangle. I chose Ukiah as my base: Located just off the 101, it was perfectly positioned for exploring the area, and offered multiple choices for drinking, dining and sleeping.

Ukiah’s downtown dispensaries were a revelation. Some were more aesthetically appealing than others (a couple were downright intimidating), but all yielded their fair share of fascinating product and kit. I expanded my mind and vocabulary to include gummies, bangers, terp slurpers, dab rings and even lube and suppositories. (Who knew?)

I got the warmest welcome at Heritage Mendocino, the world’s first public cannabis hashery plus dispensary and lounge, where I watched solventless hash being made by hand (it involves white lab coats and sophisticated machinery, and the end product looks like taffy).

I confessed my 420-newbie status to kindly budtender Bryan, who briefed me on the dispensary’s 75 different flavors of hash and the kind of intricate aromas I could expect from high-quality marijuana; talking about tropical fruit and pine notes and earthy, floral undertones made perfect sense to the wine drinker in me. I sniffed my way through a menu of elaborately named concentrates (Gush Mints and Garlic of Oz) and Bryan patiently answered all my questions about resin, rosin, extracts and edibles. The top-tier service, plus a fridge full of cannabis-infused beverages and a sweet outdoor deck made Heritage one of my pot hot spots.

The Splendors of Redwood Valley

Also high on the list (no pun intend—well, yes) Plantshop, a women-owned dispensary, had a female-friendly feel. Tucked away on the edge of town, it specializes in sun-grown cannabis, and a Cannabis Trail plaque commemorates the back-to-the-land movement of the 1970s. A yoga class was in progress, and several upcoming events were posted (a gathering of Nor-Cal Women in Cannabis with certified ganjier Leah Cerri intrigued me). I took photos of the plants in the half-acre outdoor lounge and generally vibed with the smiley staff.

Heading to my next stop in Redwood Valley, I drove slowly with the windows down, taking in the views of seemingly endless acres of rolling golden grassland. I inhaled deeply, and the sweet, citrusy smell of sensimilla hung heavy in the air. Hoophouses sat behind tall fences, hiding their precious crops from prying eyes. Time stood still, and life was, well, groovy.

I drifted up the valley to Frey Vineyards—America’s very first USDA Organic and Demeter Biodynamic certified winery—to see their new, ultra-sustainable facility (official inauguration scheduled for later this year), then made a pit stop at Barra to admire their historic tasting room that resembles an upturned champagne glass (trippy, but hey, it was the 1970s).

I was getting the munchies, so supper at the Ukiah Brewing Company (America’s first certified organic brew pub) was in order. I ordered some $2.50 samplers and worked my way through their handcrafted, unfiltered beers until I found my sweet spot (the Orr Springs IPA, a crisp red apple and citrus blend on a firm hop frame). One order of Fort Bragg Rock Cod tacos later, and I was ready to tune in, drop out and, um, go to bed.

An Anderson Valley Adventure

Anderson Valley is an easy side trip from Ukiah, and a no-brainer for wine lovers: Highway 128 is a winding ribbon lined by lichen-draped oaks and mighty redwoods, connecting the 101 with the coast. A delightful drive, it’s studded with small-scale tasting rooms where I sampled some of the AVA’s cooler climate wines. I loved Husch Vineyards and their lush, late harvest Gewürztraminer, ditto Navarro Vineyards (family-run, intimate, no tasting fee) and Boonville’s Disco Ranch, a charmingly kooky wine bar anchored in local wines (but stretching well beyond) and tasty morsels like charcuterie and cheeses.

However, the highlight was The Madrones, a classy, canna-hospitality concept within a collection of cloistered buildings and courtyards just outside Philo. As a wine lover, I felt right at home—the site features two tasting rooms, a wood-fired restaurant, a ritzy gift shop and some smart lodgings—but The Madrones’ real unique appeal is The Bohemian Chemist, an Art Deco herbal apothecary with eastern European cabinetry, antique glass pharmacy bottles, Man Ray photographs and its own brand of exquisitely packaged, sun-grown cannabis products.

I talked taste and terpenes with the affable budtender, and learned that the founder’s mother grew her own supply on-site back in the days before legalization; today her legacy lives on through the cultivation of quality landrace cannabis. And just as harvest parties are common in wine country, so The Bohemian Chemist marks the release of its latest crop with a pickup party for club members who come to collect their allocation and then enjoy a little recreation and relaxation (apparently the last party included a ganja and wine pairing led by renowned canna-blogger Jamie Evans aka The Herb Somm).

This sounded most excellent, but there was more: From July through October, The Madrones hosts cannabis weekends, with Saturday dinner and live music in the consumption lounge, and on Sundays, a local craft cannabis market in the courtyard. I kicked myself for visiting on a weekday. It was time to head to the airport, but I was already planning my return.

420-Friendly Lodging

Mendocino County has an impressive selection of canna-friendly accommodations, from the
upscale, more boutique-y (The Madrones, The Brambles Hideaway), the pet-friendly (The Andiron Seaside Inn and Cabins, Mendocino Magic), the eco-friendly (Shambhala Ranch Eco Lodge), the vintage (Rendezvous Mendocino) and the accessibly priced, amusingly named Captains Quarters “bud & breakfast.”

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