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To give you a sense of the vibe at the winery, nearly every Lula Cellars review mentions how friendly and welcoming the staff is to both wine lovers and their dogs! If you’re traveling through California wine country with your dog and want to try some fantastic pinot noir along the way, Lula is one of the most dog-friendly wineries in Anderson Valley and one that won’t disappoint.
Lula Cellars’ founder, Jeff Hansen, began his career at Napa Valley’s historic Spring Mountain Vineyard in 1987 as a tasting room attendant. It seems that Jeff caught the winemaking bug quickly because that same year, he tried making a cabernet at home with grapes from the Spring Mountain vineyard.
Spring Mountain eventually led to a 20-year stint as head winemaker at Amici Cellars, where he would work until 2009, when, after thirty years in the wine business, he was able to take his knowledge, drive, and talent and create his own wines, from his own vineyards and introduce them to the public. In 2010, Lula Cellars was born.
Jeff Hansen had a robust career in Napa Valley, but it wasn’t Napa that intrigued him; it was the rugged charm of Anderson Valley, a place that had a wildness Napa lacked. Ken Avery, Jeff’s close friend and current owner of Lula Cellars, was enlisted to help get the project off the ground.
In the 12 years, Lula Cellars has been producing wine, the brand has won countless gold medals, just as many 90+ point wines, and legions of fans who appreciate the down-to-earth approach that has defined the brand. In 2017, Jeff retired from winemaking and passed the torch to celebrated New Zealand winemaker Matt Parish, who continues the tradition of crafting outstanding pinot noirs.
Lula Cellars is known for producing some of the most elegant pinot noirs in California’s Anderson Valley. The vineyard’s 22-acre property, which is located in the northwestern corner of Anderson Valley, a place known as the “Deep End”, is as thick with fog as it is with redwoods. The maritime climate here is like catnip for pinot noir grapes.
Broadly speaking, Anderson Valley produces pinot noirs with focused red fruit, floral aromas, and a nuanced minerality that ties the palate together. As an example, the Lula Cellars’ 2019 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir, which we’ll dig into in a moment, has a hefty 14.5% alcohol, but you’d never know it because winemaker Parish has so deftly balanced the wine.
We scored just about every wine we tried 91 points and above. The standout was the 2019 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir we just mentioned. Wow. This wine had a refined, silky palate with a great length and finish. Red and black cherry, and what some critics have called a seductive toasty oak, and the slightest hint of clean mint mixed with warm clove make for one memorable wine.
Wine Enthusiast scored this a 94; we think it deserves a 95.
Besides the fabulous Anderson Valley pinot, the Lula Cellars’ tasting includes two other pinots:
Not included in the tasting, but worth noting, are a few highly regarded pinot noirs available to purchase by the bottle:
Some wineries do one thing, and one thing only, really well. Lula Cellars is not one of those wineries.
Owner Ken Avery and winemaker Matt Parish know that most of the people who stop by their Philo tasting room come for the pinot noir. They’re also aware that American palates are evolving. Today’s wine drinker, especially one seeking out fine Anderson Valley pinot noir, would love to be ‘wowed’ by well-made wines like sauvignon blanc, gewurztraminer, and zinfandel.
The winery includes so many little touches to give its visitors an unforgettable experience, like a seasonal food pairing and a recipe for each wine you sample. The shrimp tacos with avocado cream are recommended with the Lula Cellars’ rosé. And the 2021 sauvignon blanc, a delicate wine with terrific citrus aromas and flavors, which was excellent, by the way, is recommended with a Summer Corn Chowder with Red Pepper Cream.
Lula Cellars is a small production winery with a big demand – around 4,000 cases are produced a year. To ensure their faithful following can secure bottles of their favorite Lula Cellars wines, the company operates on a direct-to-consumer model. Wines are currently not sold via bottle shops or restaurants. Instead, pinot noir lovers can only purchase these wines at the tasting room, on the website, or via the Lula Cellars’ wine club.
