Handley Anderson Valley Estate Chardonnay

RECOGNITION

Accolades

THE PEOPLE & THE PLACE

Handley Cellars

Handley Cellars was founded by Milla Handley, the first female owner and winemaker to establish a winery under her own name. When Handley founded her winery in 1982, it was the same year Anderson Valley was granted AVA status and she was dubbed the "Pioneer Queen" of Anderson Valley AVA. Captivated by the valley's potential, Handley was drawn to the northwest corner of the region, or what the locals call the "deep end," where the valley narrows and follows the Navarro River to the Pacific Ocean. In 1986 she began planting her first vineyard, now 28 acres. The cool locale proved ideal for growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Anderson Valley

Hidden within California's coastal range 100 miles North of San Francisco lies this top Pinot producing region of Mendocino County. The west part of this AVA, known as the 'deep end' is only a few miles from the Pacific Ocean whereas the town of Boonville is 20 miles east. The unique geography creates a wide diurnal range allowing grapes to keep balance between sugar and acid during the long warm Indian summers.