Dry Creek Vineyard

In 1972, David S. Stare founded Dry Creek Vineyard, fulfilling an aspiration to produce a winery in northern Sonoma County in the style of a Loire Valley chateau. Our Dry Creek Vineyard reviews reveal that this wine-making family combines its two passions, sailing and wine, and even features nautical-inspired labels on its the bottles. To this day, the winery remains a family-run operation, producing some of Dry Creek Valley’s best bottlings. While it’s the winery’s Zinfandel that often boasts top accolades, numerous other varieties are also vinified, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc.

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Dry Creek Vineyard 2007 Beeson Ranch Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley)

Editors' Choice

Price $34

The vineyard is on winding, picturesque West Dry Creek Road, and is comprised of very old vines. In the wrong hands these low-yielding grapes might have been mishandled, but Dry Creek Vineyard knows Zinfandel. The result is superb, spectacular, the essence of old vine Sonoma. Rich, dry and pure, it’s enormously complex in briary, peppery wild berries, with a… — S.H. (2/1/2011)

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Dry Creek Vineyard 2005 Beeson Ranch Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley)

Online Exclusive

Price $34

With a splash of Petite Sirah, this Zin is dark and exceedingly powerful in blackberry and cherry fruit, complexed with notes of dark chocolate, licorice, Chinese five-spice and white pepper. A dramatic wine that calls for dramatic food. — S.H. (8/1/2008)

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Dry Creek Vineyard 2003 Endeavor Cabernet Sauvignon (Dry Creek Valley)

Price $55

This is always a drily tannic wine in its youth, but it’s also one of the most ambitious Cabs produced from Dry Creek Valley, and is worth attention. With a drop of Petit Verdot, it’s young and jammy, explosive in black currant and chocolate flavors, with plenty of smoky oak. Although the tannins are big, they’re completely ripe and sweet. Four-plus years of age… — S.H. (4/1/2008)

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Dry Creek Vineyard 2004 Endeavour Cabernet Sauvignon (Dry Creek Valley)

Cellar Selection

Price $55

Bring this one down to the cellar and don’t touch it for a good six years. It’s a big, powerfully tannic wine, old-fashioned in its way, which is definitely not your modern cult style. With its flood of blackberries, black cherries, cassis, anise and cedar, it should purr away beautifully for many years. — S.H. (5/1/2009)

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Dry Creek Vineyard 2003 Old Vine Zinfandel (Sonoma County)

Editors' Choice

Price $25

The primary source of this Zin is from Dry Creek Valley. It’s rare to find this quality and quantity of upfront fruit in a Zin that’s so balanced, but here it is. Massive raspberry, cherry, blackberry, mocha and Asian spice flavors, with buttery, smoky oak notes. Just delicious. Drink now. — S.H. (11/15/2006)

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Dry Creek Vineyard 2004 The Mariner Meritage (Dry Creek Valley)

Cellar Selection

Price $40

One of the best Bordeaux-style reds in memory from this warm Sonoma County appellation, this blend of all 5 Bordeaux varieties shows wild berry, plum, olive tapenade, spice and dried herb flavors, with tough, slightly rustic tannins that need time to melt. Give it until 2009, and should provide pleasure for another 5 or 6 years. — S.H. (3/1/2008)

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Dry Creek Vineyard 2004 Somers Ranch Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley)

Editors' Choice

Price $30

After a couple of off years, this bottling is back on form. The Porty edge is gone, and in its place is a gorgeously ripe wine with full control over the fruit. Raspberries, cherries, cassis, pecan pie, pumpkin pie, cocoa, gingerbread, cola, vanilla, Asian spice; the list goes on and on. Meanwhile the mouthfeel is pure velvet, the finish long-lasting. This is Dry… — S.H. (9/1/2007)

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Dry Creek Vineyard 1999 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (Dry Creek Valley)

Editors' Choice

Price $35

The flavors are classic Dry Creek Cabernet, ranging from blackberries to tobacco and herbs, with a finish that doesn’t let up. The tannic structure suggests time in the cellar, although the wine is fine now with rich foods. — S.H. (10/1/2003)

Most Reviewed Designations

Beeson Ranch Dry Endeavour Heritage Heritage Clone Old Vine Old Vines Reserve Somers Ranch Taylor's Vineyard Musqué The Mariner

Most Reviewed Varietals

Bordeaux-style Red Blend Cabernet Blend Cabernet Sauvignon Chardonnay Chenin Blanc Fumé Blanc Meritage Merlot Petite Sirah Pinot Noir Sauvignon Blanc Zinfandel

2009 W.H. Smith Bronze Label Piedra Hill Vineyard

This Cabernet shows the austerity and dry tannins of a Howell Mountain…

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