Dry Creek Valley - Top Wineries

This drive is an easy loop trail. To begin this tour, head out from the Healdsburg Plaza and go south on Healdsburg Ave. Turn right on Mill St. Take Mill St. under Highway 101. In just a very short distance turn right at West Dry Creek Road. You should see a set of arrows pointing to the wineries. Turn right and travel on West Dry Creek Road, one of the prettiest and quietest roads you will find in wine country. This is the perfect spot for a wine country picnic. Be sure to pack your lunch from the great deli's in the area. See our list of places to picnic on this trail. There are many interesting wineries on this wine trail. You might consider spending two days along this trail.

Mauritson Winery
on Dry Creek Road

Top Wineries to Visit on the Dry Creek Wine Trail

• Lambert Bridge – Best picnic spot, quiet and peaceful
• Quivira Vineyards – Family owned, qaulity estate Dry Creek Valley wines
• Preston Winery – Coziest tasting room, wines, baked breads and olive oils
• Bella Vineyards – Quality Zinfandel wines, great caves
• Ferrari Carrano – Best gift shop, elegant setting, fabulous gardens
• Dutcher Crossing – The tasting room and view of the Dry Creek Valley
• Mauritson – Sauvignon Blanc and Rockpile Zin

Following your visit, vote for your favorite tasting room. See survey on the right column.

View all 2007 Russian River Wine Trail Survey Results

Dining and Lodging Recommendations

• See restaurants • See lodging

Winery Descriptions, Driving directions, Tasting Room Hours

Lambert Bridge Winery
About four miles into your drive on West Dry Creek Road, you will come to the first winery on our list, Lambert Bridge. It’s on the left side of the road in a quiet and very peaceful setting. Lambert Bridge is a great place for your picnic lunch or to just sit for a while and take in the serenity of this spot. The gardens, surrounding vineyards, and quiet country road make this a must stop. It is especially attractive in the fall when you can see the various colors displayed by the surrounding vineyards and trees. Merlot is Lambert Bridge’s specialty, accounting for 50% of its production of 22,000 cases of wine per year. All the wines are quite good and the tasting room has a warm and comfortable atmosphere. The Sauvignon Blanc is delicious and is a perfect match for picnic your lunch.

Tasting room open daily from 10:30 to 4:30 pm., (800) 975-0555, e-mail: wines@lambertbridge.com, Lambert Bridge Winery

Quivira Vineyards
From Lambert Bridge continue along West Dry Road. After passing the turn off for Lambert Bridge Road continue on West Dry Crek Road for another one third of a mile to Quivira Vineyards. This winery is also family owned. You immediately get a sense of the families passion and dedication for producing fine wines from the fabulous wine growing area. Quivira’s Dry Creek Zinfandel and the Fig Tree Sauvignon Blanc have been among our favorites. There are several good wines to taste here and many of these are sold only at the winery. The winery recently remolded a portion of the winery into a very welcoming and warm tasting room.

Tasting room open daily, 11:00 to 5 pm.
(800)-292-8339, e-mail:quivira@quivirawine.com Quivira Vineyards

Preston Vineyards
From Quivira, drive to the end of West Dry Creek Road. Follow the signs to Preston Vineyards. Preston Vineyards is a very unique and enjoyable winery to visit. Once you enter the tasting room you’ll sense a very different atmosphere from most wineries. Besides great wines at Preston you will be able to buy some delicious breads and fabulous olive oil, both made on the premises. The owners, Lou and Susan Preston recently changed their winemaking strategy and did the unusual. They cut back wine production from 25,000 cases to 8000 cases. They are concentrating on making fewer and better varietals and farming their vineyards organically.

Tasting room open daily 11 to 4:30 pm
(800) 305 9707, e-mail: mail@prestonvineyards.com, Preston Vineyards

Bella Vineyards
This is the very last winery on West Dry Creek Road. As you near the end of the West Dry Creek Rd. you will see the signs for the winery. Bella Vineyards recently constructed a cave system for storing and aging its wine. The tasting room is located within the cave system. The winery specializes in Zinfandel producing three Zinfandels from its small estate vineyards. Two of these vineyards are located in the Dry Creek Region and the third is located in the nearby Alexander Valley. Since the emphasis is on quality wine, production is very small and the wines sell out quickly. Our favorite is the Belle Canyon Estate 2001 from the Dry Creek Valley. A few other varieties are also produced but the Zinfandels are their flagship wines.

Tasting room open daily 11:30 to 4:30
Phone: (707) 473-9171, e-mail:info@bellawinery.com, Bella Vineyards

Ferrari-Carano Vineyards & Winery
Ferrari Carano is located on the north side of the Russian River. It’s big, beautiful, and definitely worth a visit. The gardens, the view, and the winery are spectacular. To reach Ferrari-Carano from Bella, head back up West Dry Creek Road and turn left on to Yoakim Bridge. Cross to the other side of the Russian River and turn left. The Ferrari-Carano tasting room is large and busy with activity. Take a walk down the stairs and catch a peek of the wine cellar. All the wines are good here and we particularly like the whites. The Fume Blanc is a great value.

The tasting room open daily 10-5. Tours by appointment.
Phone: (707) 433-6700, e-mail: fcwinery @wco.com, Ferrari-Carano Vineyards

Dutcher Crossing Winery
From Ferrari Carrano head east on Dry Creek Road for only about a quarter of a mile. Watch for the signs to Dutcher Crossing Winery and turn right into the driveway. This winery is a recent addition to Dry Creek Road and boasts one of the most beautiful tasting rooms in any wine country. The picnic area provides some very fantastic vineyard views of the Dry Creek Valley. The Chardonnays are delicious.

The tasting room open daily 11-5.
Phone: (707) 431-2700, e-mail: info@dutchercrossingwinery.com, Dutcher Crossing

Mauritson Winery
From Yoakim Bridge the Mauritson Winery is 4.5 miles east on Dry Creek Road towards Highway 101. It’s the big olive green winery building at the corner of Dry Creek Road and Lytton Springs Road. For over a 100 years the Mauritson family has been tending to the vineyards in the Dry Creek Valley. In the late 1990’s they began producing wine from their finest vineyards. Clay Mauritson is the owner and winemaker of this upcoming winery. The Sauvignon Blanc is terrific and our favorite of the delicious Dry Creek Sauvignon Blancs. The winery produces two lush reds from their Rockpile Vineyards, a Zinfandel and Petite Syrah. There are both made in small amounts and usually go within a few days of release.

The tasting room open daily 10-5.
Phone: (707) 431-0804, e-mail: info@MauritsonWines.com, Mauritson Winery