Walling Road in Geyserville wine county – Views of Dry Creek Valley AVA vineyards
Walling Road, a secret wine road in Sonoma County
Walling Road is a secret wine road in Sonoma County, very near the town of Geyserville. There is only one winery open to visitors at the end of Walling Road, but it is the sheer beauty of this road that is attractive to wine country purists. Hardly any wine country travelers venture down this road. It is lined with vineyards and has expansive views of the Dry Creek Valley. Many of the vineyards are said to be owned by the Gallo Family. Walling Road is only a couple of miles long, and it’s worth the short drive down this road to visit the Frick Winery. It is a one-person show at Frick Winery. Bill Frick is the winemaker and handcrafts an array of Rhone-style wines in tiny lots. These wines include ones made with Syrah, Viognier, Cinsault, Grenache, Counoise, Carignane, Grenache Blanc, and Mourvèdre. The tasting room is open on weekends only. Consult the Frick Winery Website for current tasting room hours. To get to Walling Road, take the Canyon Road exit from Highway 101 and head west until you see Pedroncelli Winery. You should see the sign for Walling Road and Frick winery on the right.
Pedroncelli winery is also worth a visit. The Pedroncelli winery is one of the oldest in the area (founding date of 1927) and is family-owned. The Pedroncelli Winery is open daily and makes terrific wines at reasonable prices. We love the Friends White and the Friends Red. These are blended wines and are very tasty for around $10. The best wine at Pedroncelli is the Mother Clone Zinfandel. For $18, it is about the best “Bang for the Buck” wine in Sonoma County. If you are adventurous, you can also visit the J Rickards Winery and the Silver Oak Cellars, both near each other on Chianti Road. Chianti Road is the first right as you exit Highway 101 to Canyon Road. For more wineries and wine tasting, after visiting Frick and Pedroncelli, continue along Canyon Drive until it ends at Dry Creek Road. Dry Creek Road has many exciting wineries and tasting rooms.