Dry Creek Valley Wine Country Getaway - July 2007

We spent two days exploring wineries in the Dry Creek Valley. The Dry Creek Valley is located very near the wine destination town of Healdsburg in Sonoma County. This country is a wine lover's delight. From the valley floor to the rugged hillsides of the Rockpile region, the Dry Creek Valley has spectacular vineyards and beautiful wineries. Zinfandel is the flagship wine of this region but Syrah, Petit Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sauvignon Blanc are just as splendid.

Rockpile Vineyards of Dry Creek

Our recommendations should you go to Healdsburg Wine Country:

Where to stay: Visit our lodging page for the top places to stay in Healdsburg. Reserve your room way ahead of time otherwise you won't find a place to stay anywhere near Healdsburg. The historic Madrona Manor hosted five weddings on our weekend visit. You can imagine what impact that has on local lodging. Stay close to the downtown Plaza. This is where all the action is. No driving is necessary. In peak season, even the budget motels are pricey. We stayed at the Dry Creek Inn for $175 a weekend night. Two years ago, we stayed there for $99 per weekend night. Lodging is tight in this popular wine country region. The Hotel Healdsburg and the Grapeleaf Inn are two popular spots

Where to eat: Zin Restaurant & Wine Bar, Barndiva, Dry Creek Kitchen, and Ravenous Cafe are our favorites. Then there is the upscale and Michelin rated Cyrus. See Restaurants

Where to deli: Big John's Market is the Whole Foods of Healdsburg but better and more reasonable. They have a great selection of anything you need for the gourmet wine picnic. Or, try the historic Dry Creek General Store on Dry Creek Road. This is a popular spot among boaters on the way to Lake Sonoma.

Where to Picnic: One fabulous choice in the Dry Creek Valley is the Lambert Bridge Winery hidden on West Dry Creek Road. The other great picnic spot is Armida Winery, just at the edge of the Dry Creek Valley on Westside Road.

Where to Breakfast: Costeaux French Bakery & Cafe

We visited these wineries:

Mauritson - The Rockpile AVA wine king Armida Winery - Great picnic area, Bocce Raymond Burr - Nice view, unfriendly hostess Montemaggiore - Awesome Syrahs Unti Vineyards - Small and family owned Lambert Bridge Winery - Great Picnic spot Our favorites and ones we'll visit again are Mauritson, Montemaggiore, Unti, and Armida.

Montemaggiore Grape Press

Winery Reviews

Mauritson Winery

We joined the Mauritson wine club simply to make sure we were on the list to be able to purchase their fabulous wines made from the Rockpile AVA in Dry Creek. More about these wines later. For wine club members only, Mauritson Winery held a dinner among the vineyards of the Rockpile region. We met at the winery and then took a bus ride deep into the Dry Creek area on a road that parallels Lake Sonoma. The Mauritson Family has been growing grapes in the Dry Creek region since 1884 but it was not until 1998 that the Mauritsons, under winemaker Clay Mauritson, began producing their own wines. The Mauritsons own vineyards throughout the Dry Creek Valley but the Rockpile AVA is the source of their signature wines. The Rockpile region is marked by rocky hillsides and little moisture. The vines are stressed and struggle for survival. The roots grow deep into the ground in search of water and nutrients. The result are grapes that are small with tough, thick skins and concentrated flavors.

Clay Mauritson leads the Rockpile tour

The rockpile wines are big wines, high in alcohol but they are definitely smooth and complex. There are no rough edges to these wines. There are only 160 acres of vineyards in the Rockpile AVA and the Mauritson winery owns 60 acres. Because the yields are small, case production is small and the wines sell out quickly.

Clay Mauritson led us through the vineyards for an interesting look at the history of the vineyards and how the vineyards are being farmed today. At each vineyard plot, we got to taste barrel samples and current releases from that vineyard. What a treat!

Montemaggiore

Montemaggiore is not open to the public but tasting and tours can be arranged. The winery is about 2 miles deep into the hills above the Dry Creek Valley. It is totally hidden from the roads. Vince and Lise Ciolino own this winery. Lise is the winemaker and Vince is the vineyard manager. There are many good things to say about this winery, the first of which are the wines. At Montemaggiore Syrah is king, producing two specific vineyard Syrah wines, and one blend that is a mix of Syrah and Cabernet. The word is spreading quickly about the quality of these wines. Case production is 1500 cases per year with hopes to eventually get to 2000 cases per year.

Vince Ciolino - Vineyard Manager

Vince and Lise purchased the property in 2001 and have nurtured the vineyards along by using organic and biodynamic farming methods. The winemaking facility is new and equipped with the latest winemaking gear. We have been in hundreds of winery facilities but when Vince brought us into the Montemaggiore winery we were stunned at the immaculate condition of the facility. It is so clean you cannot smell a drop of wine. Lise claims she is still learning the vineyard nuances and honing her winemaking skills. You would never know this once you tasted the Montemaggiore wines. They are finished wines and smooth as silk. The texture floats over the tongue. The wines are big but have that soft feel to them. Delicious! We capped the day off by enjoying lunch on the Ciolino deck enjoying the terrific view of Dry Creek Valley and the delicious Syrah wines.

For more details about the Dry Creek Wineries, visit our Dry Creek Wine Trail