If you are driving from Los Angeles to Mendocino County, you have a couple of choices: You can hit Interstate 5 and spend about six hours traveling through the interior of the state at 90 miles an hour, looking mostly at drab beige hillsides and cracked four-lane blacktop. Or you can opt to take your time, meandering through seaside towns and spending about 10 hours driving on the nearly 700 miles of Pacific Coast Highway—California’s Highway 1. We suggest you opt for the latter. Cruise through the Central Coast, Sonoma and Mendocino with these top-rated bottles to sip along the way. Central Coast Highway 1’s route through Santa Barbara cuts right through the Funk Zone, a waterfront warehouse neighborhood that’s become a wine lover’s paradise with nearly two dozen tasting rooms. It heads northwest through the suburban stretches of Goleta before veering up, skirting the western edge of the Sta. Rita Hills appellation and landing directly in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto, another urban collection of wineries and tasting rooms. Follow it farther to reach the Santa Maria Valley and then the maritime magic of the San Luis Obispo Coast, one of California’s newest appellations. Along the way, pit stop and bottle shop. —Matt Kettmann, Writer-at-Large, California Wine Reviewer Domaine de la Cote 2021 DDLC Pinot Noir (Sta. Rita Hills) Jaffurs 2021 State Street Syrah (Central Coast) Samsara 2021 Watch Hill Vineyard Clairette (Santa Barbara County) Fess Parker 2021 Pinot Noir (Sta. Rita Hills) Sonoma The adrenaline-pumping drive north from Bodega Bay to Fort Ross on Highway 1 is a roller coaster of hills and hairpin turns overlooking the rocky coast. Turn off to the left and you will find dozens of windy, isolated beaches to explore. Turn east on any county road and you climb quickly into the mountains where some of Sonoma County’s most climatically extreme Pinot Noirs are grown, including these three elegant beauties. —Jim Gordon, Senior Tasting Editor Hartford Court 2019 Land's Edge Vineyards Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast) Boheme 2019 English Hill Estate Grown Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast) Three Sticks 2020 Walala Vineyard Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast) Mendocino If you’re like me, taking a road trip always involves a tangent—in this case, into Anderson Valley. Driving through the AVA—a twisty, turny, hilly operation— there are loads of stops for Pinot Noir. The grape thrives well here, given its proximity to the Pacific and the chilly oceanic winds that swish through the region. Two must-stops are the tiny towns of Boonville and Philo, which are knitted together by scenic rows of vines and are where a cluster of wineries are located—as well as one of the best hotel accommodations (and restos) in the area—The Boonville Hotel and Restaurant. If you’re here for your fix of Pinots, a popular place is Goldeneye. But don’t miss out on the smaller independent producers: A visit to husbandwife winemaking duo Kristy Charles and Joseph Webb of Foursight Wines is always on my to-do list. Reservations highly recommended to sample the great work of Thomas T Thomas, Phillips Hill and Pennyroyal Farm. But the climate and terroir are suited to much more than just Pinot: Cool climate, peppery Syrah; Gewürztraminer that can maintain its acidity while developing those elegant fruit and floral notes; and Pinot Gris that pays respectable homage to Alsatian nobility. All of these—in addition to Pinot Noir—can be found at Handley Cellars. And if you find yourself in need of provisions—or, as I did, a bulky sweatshirt to ward against the brisk morning temps—stop by Lemons Philo Market. —Stacy Briscoe, Senior Editor, Print Goldeneye 2019 Split Rail Pinot Noir (Anderson Valley) Foursight 2020 Paraboll Pinot Noir (Anderson Valley) Pennyroyal Farm 2019 Monty In Pinot Noir (Anderson Valley) Thomas T Thomas 2020 Estate Grown Pinot Noir (Anderson Valley) Handley 2021 Estate Vineyard Gewürztraminer (Anderson Valley) Why You Should Trust Us All products featured here are independently selected by our team, which is comprised of experienced writers and wine tasters and overseen by editorial professionals at Wine Enthusiast headquarters. All ratings and reviews are performed blind in a controlled setting and reflect the parameters of our 100-point scale. Wine Enthusiast does not accept payment to conduct any product review, though we may earn a commission on purchases made through links on this site. Prices were accurate at the time of publication. This article originally appeared in the June/July 2023 issue of Wine Enthusiast magazine. Click here to subscribe today!