52 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM JENNER The following day, drive north, taking in the majestic coastline as you make your way toward Jenner. In the tiny town, located where the mouth of the Russian River meets the Pacific, local gathering spot Café Aquatica makes a good pitstop for breakfast or lunch. Serving up house-made pastries, sandwiches and fair-trade, single-origin coffee, Café Aquatica hosts live music acts during the weekends in the summer on its outdoor deck overlooking the river. Leaving Jenner, the grassy hills paralleling the coast quickly give way to steep, wooded slopes thick with stands of Bishop pine, redwood, Douglas fir and tan oak. Take in 360-degree views of both {due west} the Coast Ranges and the mighty Pacific from the Vista Trail, an easy one-mile loop trail located about five miles north of Jenner. A few miles up a side road from Highway 1, Fort Ross Vineyard & Winery produces estate-grown chardonnay, pinot noir and pinotage wines from its Fort Ross-Seaview American Viticultural Area (AVA) vineyard located a mile from the sea—the closest to the Pacific Ocean in the entire state of California. The seated wine and food tasting experience (available by appointment) features locally sourced small bites prepared by the winery’s in-house chef served on the tasting room’s expansive deck overlooking the ocean or inside by a roaring fire. Back at the coast, Fort Ross State Historic Park offers an intriguing glimpse into what life was like when the site was a RussianAmerican Company settlement from 1812 to 1841, the southernmost settlement in the Russian colonization of North America. Several reconstructed buildings, and one original, have been furnished with artifacts that are representative of the era. Check out the visitor center for informative exhibits that also cover the area’s natural history, native Kashia Pomo people PHOTOGRAPHY: LOTUS ABRAMS / COURTESY OF FORT ROSS STATE HISTORIC PARK / COURTESY OF FORT ROSS VINEYARD & WINERY - MELISSA ZINK
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