Napa’s Tranquil Neighbor

For most of the 1980s and early ‘90s, Sally and Don Schmitt owned the French Laundry, the successful and widely acclaimed Napa Valley restaurant. By 1994 the Schmitts were ready to move on, so they sold the Yountville restaurant. “We like to leave a party before it’s over,” Don said.

Following two of their adult children, they moved to the Anderson Valley, an 18-mile, oak-studded landscape 100 miles northwest of San Francisco. “Of course we fell in love with the place,” Don said.

Today, Sally and Don help run the Apple Farm with their daughter and son-in-law, Karen and Tim Bates. The 30-acre farm, which opened three cabins last year, still produces bushels of apples, gallons of cider, lustrous organic tomatoes and savory chutneys, sold unattended with an honor box. (They even put out a few $1 and $5 bills so customers can make change.) Some guests come for Sally’s weekend cooking courses, which book up months in advance.

For many travelers, the Anderson Valley is simply a scenic drive on the way to the coastal town of Mendocino. But for others, it’s a destination in its own right--full of natural beauty and free of traffic lights and strip malls.

Nature lovers explore the old-growth redwoods in Hendy Woods State Park, while epicures sample acclaimed wines, organic produce and sumptuous cuisine. Connoisseurs consider the Anderson Valley among the best regions for Pinot Noir and Gewrztraminer, and its sparkling wines were served at recent White House state dinners.

The region is home to casual eateries such as Lauren’s, as well as the award-winning Anderson Valley Brewing Co. The remote location and sparse population have kept chain stores at bay, enabling local shops and restaurants to thrive or at least survive. About a half-dozen of the older residents can still “harp the ling,” as they say; they can speak a century-old dialect called Boontling.

My fiancee, Willow, and I began our getaway on a Saturday in late September, driving up U.S. 101 through Sonoma County, then northwest along California Highway 128. We passed acres of vineyards, heavy with plump purple grapes, backed by tawny hills. We rolled through Boonville’s downtown, four blocks of shops, markets and restaurants flanking the highway. Soon we reached the blink-and-you-miss-it enclave of Philo and continued three more miles to the Apple Farm.

Sally and Karen greeted us in the Apple Farm’s kitchen, where they were preparing appetizers for a party. Three chickens, two ducks and a kitten escorted us along a path of redwood slabs to our cabin. The high-ceilinged cottage had a four-poster bed and a hardwood floor stained in muted shades of red, green and walnut. We were delighted by the absence of a television and phone. A huge triangular window blurred the distinction between inside and out, blending the comforts of the tastefully appointed cabin with the natural beauty beyond.

That beauty beckoned. We sauntered over to Hendy Woods, an 845-acre state park of old-growth coast redwoods, some more than 300 feet high, taller than the Statue of Liberty. We craned our necks as we walked through Big Hendy Grove. The silence--broken only by the occasional tapping of woodpeckers--evoked the hushed reverie one might expect in a cathedral.

During the 1960s and ‘70s, the shady groves of Hendy Woods were home to Pitro Zalenko, known as the Hendy Hermit. Believed to be a Jewish survivor of World War II from the Ukraine, Pitro became self-sufficient by hunting small game and helping himself to blemished produce from nearby farms.

Several of his huts remain in Hendy Woods. One, a set of redwood planks over a hollow fallen tree, sits along the Hermit Hut Trail. A nearby display shows a picture of the hale, bearded Pitro in a flannel shirt and wool hat. Pitro died in 1981; his ashes were scattered in Hendy Woods.

The afternoon of hiking left us ravenous, so we returned to Boonville for dinner at Lauren’s, a local favorite. The casual restaurant was enlivened by the whimsical still-lifes and landscapes of painter Claudia Graham.

My spicy sesame noodles with chicken and sugar snap peas were good, but Willow’s order was better: a cheeseburger smothered with caramelized onions and served with a mountain of piping-hot steak fries. She graciously let me carve off a hunk of her burger, which was incredibly flavorful.

The next morning, Willow and I walked through the orchard to the warmly decorated kitchen, where we enjoyed a breakfast of fresh raspberries with cream, locally baked organic toast, farm-made jams and coffee. Behind the farm stand, Don cooked down a vat of apples for syrup.

A couple of miles west in Philo, in the heart of the Anderson Valley wine country, is Navarro Vineyards, known for its Pinot Noir. Like most wineries here, Navarro is a family-run operation with a relatively small annual production. The tasting room is surrounded by rolling hills, with an umbrella-shaded wood deck for picnicking.

Unlike some places in the Sonoma and Napa valleys, wineries here don’t subject visitors to obligatory tours. Owners occasionally staff the tasting rooms, describing why the region is ideal for cultivating pinot grapes. (Answer: cool nights and warm afternoons.)

We continued on to nearby Roederer Estate, opened in the 1980s by French Champagne house Louis Roederer. The winery produces 62,000 cases of sparkling wines, including a few sent to the White House.

The $3 tasting fee covers five samples: brut , brut rose , extra dry and L’Ermitage brut , as well as a still Pinot Noir. L’Ermitage, a magnificent blend of chardonnay and pinot, was our favorite, but the $42.50 price gave us pause.

Next we visited Husch Vineyards’ flower-bedecked tasting shack, also in Philo. “It’s just wine; it’s not religion,” a tasting room attendant there once told me.

Of course, wine isn’t the Anderson Valley’s only libation. We returned to Boonville for some robust beer at the Buckhorn Saloon. From a half-dozen varieties from the Anderson Valley Brewing Co. on tap, I settled on the extra special bitter, and Willow enjoyed a rich porter. Up the street we toured the brewery, our jaws dropping at the sight of huge Willy Wonka-esque copper vats.

We capped our weekend with a sumptuous dinner at the Boonville Hotel, run by Don and Sally’s son, Johnny Schmitt, who trained at the French Laundry. He uses fresh herbs and produce from the garden on site and offers cuisine such as herbed pork loin and seared ahi tuna. We tucked into a goat cheese and sun-dried tomato pizza, and a salad made with the home-grown produce, all served with a bottle of Navarro Chardonnay.

After dinner we climbed the stairs to our room, furnished with a sculpted metal bed and a tub almost big enough for both of us. We enjoyed another TV-free night, slipping out in the morning to a world that seemed cleaner, clearer and more welcoming.

Budget for Two

Round-trip air fare, LAX to Oakland -- 259.00

Car rental, two days -- 57.33

One night, Apple Farm -- 176.00

Dinner, Lauren’s -- 38.90

Lunch, Buckhorn Saloon -- 30.48

Tasting, Roederer -- 6.00

One night, Boonville Hotel -- 165.00

Dinner, Boonville Hotel -- 66.71

Gas -- 25.00

FINAL TAB -- $824.42

* The Apple Farm, 18501 Greenwood Road, Philo, CA 95466; (707) 895-2461.

* The Boonville Hotel, California Highway 128 at Lambert Lane (P.O. Box 326), Boonville, CA 95415; (707) 895-2210, https://www.boonvillehotel.com.

* Anderson Valley Winegrowers, P.O. Box 63, Philo, CA 95466; tel./fax (707) 895-WINE (9463), https://www.avwines.com.

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Michael Shapiro is based in Sonoma County and author of “Internet Travel Planner.”