During our October trip to California, we visited three vineyards in the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma County. The valley is a relatively narrow valley bordered by a low range of hills. The valley is filled with vineyards. There appear to be over thirty.
Winery Signs at Dry Creek Valley Entrance
Before our trip to California, I did not appreciate the very different microclimates in different areas of Sonoma County. The Dry Creek Valley has a unique microclimate. It's great for zinfandel grapes because of its unique blend of soils, warm days and cool nights, and drainage. (See: http://www.gstraveladvice.com/index.php?location=205)
Dry Creek Valley is very easy to reach. The entrance is just outside Healdsburg. Take US Highway 101 to the Dry Creek Rd exit at Healdsburg and turn west. You're there!
The first was winery we visited was Dry Creek Vineyard (http://www.drycreekvineyard.com/index.html). We liked three of the five wines we tasted and by another I tried after our return home. We did not care for two, including a cab which sells for $60.
The winery is on Lambert Bridge Rd. - just off Dry Creek Rd. and about 3 miles from US 101.
The winery was founded in 1972 by David Stare, and is still operated by the Stare family.
In front of the entrance to the tasting room was a nicely landscaped area with a lawn, flowers, large trees, and several picnic tables.
The tasting room had a very pleasant atmosphere.
Normally, the winery charges $5 for a tasting, but refunds the $5 with the purchase of one bottle. The winery has discount coupons on its web site.
Because the Stare family loves sailing, the names of some of their wines are related to that sport.
We tasted five of their red wines. They ranged in taste from very nice to just drinkable. The prices below do not reflect significant Wine Club discounts:
- 2007 Old Vine Zinfandel, 82% Zinfandel, 18% Petite Sirah - Very nice - $28
- 2007 Meritage, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 14% Malbec, 13% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot - very nice
- 2007 The Mariner Meritage, 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 7% Malbec, 4% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot - Very nice - $40
- 2006 Endeavour Cabernet Sauvignon, 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot - drinkable - $60
- 2008 Spencer’s Hill Zinfandel, 97% Zinfandel, 3% Petite Sirah - decent - $34
In writing this part of my journal, I ran across an example of how wine purchased directly from a winery can be more expensive than the same wine purchased from a local wine store. Our local wine store sells the Dry Creek 2008 Heritage Zinfandel for $14.99. On the Dry Creek web site, the 2009 Heritage Zinfandel sells for $19. There is a 20% discount for club members buying 1-2 bottles. So that would bring the bottle price down to $15.20 - plus shipping costs. I realize that it's not fair to compare prices for different vintages, so at some point in the future, I'll take a closer look at price differences between winery direct sales and store prices.
After our visit, I sent an email to the winery asking if they could provide me with a couple of photos to use in a Photo Story DVD I was creating to capture our trip. The photos I had taken at the winery did not turn out well. Dry Creek did not bother to respond to my email. That seems typical of California wineries. I sent at least five emails to wineries before and after our trip. I did not receive a single response. In contrast, Italian and French wineries have always responded to my emails.
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