THE BEST TASTING ROOMS

Dry Creek Vineyard
Healdsburg, Sonoma County, California

Founded in 1972 by David Stare, Dry Creek Vineyard has grown from a 1,300 case winery to approximately 125,000 cases today.

Located in the heart of Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, the winery has developed a reputation for producing one of California's finest Fumé Blancs, the "flagship" of Dry Creek Vineyard.

With 138 acres of vineyard land, primarily in Dry Creek Valley, the winery also produces:

• Chardonnay
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Merlot
• Zinfandel
• Chenin Blanc
• Reserve Fumé Blanc
• Reserve Chardonnay
• Meritage
• Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
• Reserve Merlot
• Reserve Zinfandel

Each lot of grapes, regardless of origin, is picked, fermented, and barrel-aged separately. Out of these lots the best are steered toward the winery's "Reserve" program and are given additional aging.

Dry Creek Vineyard has garnered more than 1,000 awards for its entire line of premium varietal wines, including numerous gold medals, Best of Show, Division Sweepstakes, Best of Class, Best of Region, and Chairman's Awards.

Because family pride is the true source of Dry Creek Vineyard's success, winemaking is intensely personal. That is why the Stare family's love of the sea is reflected in the spirited watercolor paintings which grace each bottle of wine from Dry Creek Vineyard.

TASTING ROOM

Dry Creek has a magnificent tasting room. Wines buffs have the opportunity to sample the winery's famous Fumé Blancs, Dry Chenin Blanc, two Chardonnays, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, two Zinfandels, Meritage (a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc), Pinot Noir, and, when available, some unusual limited-production wines.

Along with wine, tasting room visitors can browse through a selection of
out-of-the-ordinary gift ideas. There are wine-related items, books, cards,
a Sonoma County jigsaw puzzle, gourmet food items, socks, tee-shirts, and a
variety of collectibles.

Fresh flowers brighten the Tasting Room, straight from the winery's flower
garden. A favorite of every visitor is the picnic grounds, ready and waiting
for guests to enjoy a leisurely picnic amidst the luxurious setting.

WINE AWARDS

1998 Fumé Blanc
Best of Class & Double Gold - 1999 California State Fair
Gold - 1999 Tasters Guild International Wine Judging
Gold - 1999 National Orange Show
90 Points - Mead on Wine, Jerry D. Mead
1/2 - WineToday.com

1997 Reserve Fumé Blanc
90 Points - Wine Enthusiast Magazine
95 Points - Mead on Wine, Jerry D. Mead

1998 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay
Gold - 1999 Los Angeles County Fair
Beverage Dynamics
"Perfection" - WineToday.com

1997 Reserve Chardonnay
Gold - Los Angeles County Fair
"Exceptional" & 90 Points - Beverage Testing Institute
91 Points - The Insider's Wine Line

1998 Pinot Noir
Gold - Taster's Guild International Wine Judging
Wine Today

1997 Merlot
Gold - Indiana International Wine Competition

1997 Heritage Clone Zinfandel
Grand Champion & Double Gold - California Zinfandel Championships

Return to Tasting Rooms
 

SITE MAP
Home     Our Mission     Ask the Editor     Wine Tasting Rooms     Wine Reviews/Ratings     Wine Tasting News     Wine/Food Pairing    Reader Reviews     Wine Education     Winery Travel    Wine Events     Wine Links    Contact Us    www.The Scotch Report