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Solitude at Mill Creek Winery

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Here is a winery that is easy to miss among the big names near Healdsburg in Sonoma County. Mill Creek Vineyards and Winery is a small family-owned winery on Westside Road. The second and third generations of the family are at the helm with a production of 7000 cases from 45 acres of vineyards. We have been visiting for many years, but hadn’t since the COVID Pandemic. Mill Creek Vineyards and Winery is just around the bend on Westside Road as you pass the famous Madrona Manor. Like most wineries in the popular wine regions of the post-Pandemic era, reservations are required.

Visit Mill Creek Winery and see the water mill

Water Mill at Mill Creek Winer
The Water Mill at Mill Creek Winery

A visit to Mill Creek Vineyards and Winery was just the right medicine for us. Tastings are held outdoors on a beautiful patio. The coolest feature at the winery is the water mill. There is something so peaceful about watching the water mill and listening to the pleasant sounds of water spilling into the pond. The glorious Redwoods are scattered around the area, adding to the setting of solitude. What a great place to relax! This might not be the case on weekends, but we had the place all to ourselves. It was a Thursday, and we’d booked the reservation the day before. Mill Creek is definitely one of the off-the-radar wineries.

Tasting is $25 a person, and one tasting fee is waived if you purchase one of the wines on the tasting menu. Five wines were on the menu. Our tasting started with a Rosé that is 96% Merlot. It is not too often we see a Rosé from Merlot grapes. This wine is delicate, yet has a great mouthfeel. A Chardonnay followed; this version is crisp, with apple and pear flavors. It is aged in neutral oak, so no heaviness to this Chardonnay. They do have a more oaky Chardonnay available in their lineup of wines.

Mill creek rosé
The Mill Creek Rosé

The third white was a dry Gewürztraminer. Mill Creek has been making this wine since 1979. The 2019 vintage is very flowery, a bouquet of garden flowers in a glass. Next came two reds, a Zinfandel and a Cabernet Sauvignon. Both are lovely wines, but the Rosé and the two white wines were much more enjoyable in the warm weather.

We capped off the visit by enjoying a picnic lunch. The winery gave us the okay because Mill Creek had only one other party scheduled for a tasting. A great place to buy your picnic goodies, salads and sandwiches is at the Big John’s deli in Healdsburg.

view from Mill Creek winery
View from Mill Creek – Dry Creek Valley AVA with Fitch Mountain in the background

Travel information on the Healdsburg area

Wine Fun in the Alexander Valley

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January and February is an excellent time of the year to visit the Alexander Valley and the surrounding communities. Why now? This is a particularly beautiful time of the year in these parts. The air is clean and clear. The traffic is less on the roads and in the tasting rooms. Most of all, the communities of Geyserville, Healdsburg and the Alexander Valley need your business.

Alexander Valley post-Kincade Fire – View of Geyser Peak

The Kincade Fire and the evacuations are having a substantial financial impact on businesses and wineries. You probably know that the historic Jimtown Store on Highway 128 closed its doors on December 31, 2019. Soda Rock Winery down the road from the Jimtown Store felt the wrath of the Kincade fire, with the cellar and winery burning to the ground. This is still a beautiful area, far from the media images of the fire that we’ve seen.

It is time to spend a few days in the Alexander Valley, as we did a few weeks ago. Here are some ideas for your trip to the Alexander Valley.

Things to Do in the Alexander Valley

Geyserville – where to stay, dine, and taste wine

Geyserville is a terrific little wine town, living in the shadow of Healdsburg. Geyserville is just a few minutes north of Healdsburg. Currently, and through the end of March, the Geyserville Inn has a special for returning guests. A standard room midweek is less than $100. The Geyserville Inn was recently remodeled. It is a fantastic deal.

Geyserville Inn

For dining in Geyserville, there are three options. We list them in the order of our preference.

  • Diavola Pizzeria – locals love this place
  • Catelli’s – an old family-run restaurant with an outdoor garden
  • Geyserville Grill – next door to the Inn, serving breakfast and lunch. The Grill is also open for dinner Thursday through Monday.
Catelli’s in Geyserville

Wine Tasting

There are many excellent wineries in and around Geyserville. In Geyserville, there are four tasting rooms to enjoy. Meeker Vineyard serves wine in a very old, former bank building. It is a lot of fun to visit. Locals Tasting Room is more a wine bar serving up “Local” wines. Checkout the Geyserville Wine Trail for the best wineries to visit.

Alexander Valley

Take a ride along Highway 128. We like the southern end of the Alexander Valley beginning at Healdsburg Avenue and running to the Hanna Winery to the south. You must visit the Soda Rock temporary tasting room. The old barn at Soda Rock survived the fire, and the owners, Ken and Diane Wilson, have set up a cozy and fun tasting room. Wine tasting at the barn is an excellent way to help bring the winery back to life.

Joe and Janelle at the barn at Soda Rock Winery

We also like Medlock Ames, the Alexander Vineyard Winery, and Hanna Winery. If you are excited about Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, try Jordan Winery. Make a reservation for a tasting there. Check out our Alexander Valley Wine Trail for more information on the local wineries.

Healdsburg

There are plenty of excellent restaurants and boutique shops in Healdsburg. It is always fun to spend an afternoon walking around the Plaza. There are enough tasting rooms in downtown Healdsburg to make your head spin. There are many options for accommodations in Healdsburg.

One novel way to taste wine in Healdsburg is Bike Healdsburg. We have not done this as yet, but it looks like fantastic fun for a group of wine travelers. Peddle around the Plaza and stop off at various tasting rooms.

Bike Healdsburg – Fun

More Information on the Alexander Valley

Sonoma or Sonoma Valley, what’s the difference

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what is sonoma wine country

Santa Rosa is to the north, the town of Sonoma is to the south. Both are in Sonoma County

This very confusing for wine country travelers.  We recently met a couple in a tasting room on Westside Road in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County. They mentioned they were staying in a B&B in the town of Sonoma. When they decided to visit this tasting room from their B&B, they had no idea that it was an hour’s drive away. When people say Sonoma wine country, what does that mean: Sonoma, Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, and what’s the difference? Let’s clear up where is Sonoma wine country.

Where is Sonoma Wine Country?

Let’s start from the largest to the smallest of Sonomas

The County of Sonoma

Sonoma County is a large geographic area, almost double the size of Napa County. The southern portion of Sonoma County begins at the San Pablo Bay near Highway 37. To the north, Sonoma County stretches to the town of Cloverdale. From Highway 37 to Cloverdale (south to north), the distance is about 60 miles. The County stretches west to the Pacific Ocean and east to the Mayacamas Mountains and the town of Sonoma. There are several distinct geologic areas of Sonoma County. On the west side of Sonoma County, the Pacific Ocean means very cool temperatures, wind, and fog. On the east side of Sonoma County to the south, you have warm temperatures in the Sonoma Valley formed by the Mayacamas Mountains on the east side of the Valley and the Sonoma Mountains on the west side of the Valley. Along the San Pablo Bay, we have the cooling temperatures. The wine region here is the Carneros area of Sonoma County. To the north, it is the influence of the Russian River. The Russian River begins in Mendocino County to Healdsburg, and then west to empty into the Pacific Ocean at Jenner. In addition to the famous Sonoma Valley, other famous valleys in Sonoma County are the Dry Creek Valley, the Alexander Valley, and Russian River Valley.

Sonoma wine country

Dry Creek Valley, one of several valleys in Sonoma County

Sonoma Wine Country

Let’s keep this simple: Any winery or tasting room that operates within the boundaries of Sonoma County is in Sonoma wine country. There is a Sonoma wine country association that lists all its winery members. SonomaWine.com

Sonoma Valley

Sonoma Valley is a small valley in Sonoma County that runs along Highway 12. On the east side are the Mayacamas Mountains. On the other side of the Mayacamas Mountains is the Napa Valley. There are many beautiful wineries to visit along Highway 12 in Sonoma Valley. Sonoma Valley is 15 miles long and includes the wine towns of Glen Ellen and Kenwood.

sonoma or sonoma valley

View of the Sonoma Valley looking to the west.

The town of Sonoma

The town of Sonoma is historic. It is famous for the Mission San Francisco Solano (21st Mission), the Sonoma Plaza, and three of the oldest wineries in California. Some wine historians claim that the city of Sonoma is where the California wine industry began. In the city of Sonoma there are numerous excellent restaurants and accommodations.

Sonoma wine country or Sonoma Valley

Sonoma City Hall on the Plaza

How to travel the Sonoma Wine Country

We treat the Sonoma wine country as two distinct wine venues: 1. Sonoma Valley and the town of Sonoma. 2. Healdsburg and the Russian River wine area. Within each of those, there are several wine routes that we suggest so you can get the most fun from your wine country vacation. We suggest that you try not to do both of these areas unless you’re taking an entire week to travel. If you only have two days, you could quickly visit each area for a day.  Ideally, you should take a separate vacation to each of these two fantastic wine regions.

healdsburg tasting rooms
This is the Healdsburg Plaza. Around and nearby the Plaza are several wine tasting rooms

Sonoma Wine Region Map

Dry Creek Road Wineries

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Dry Creek Wineries

At the intersection of Dry Creek Road and Yoakim Bridge Road

Dry Creek Road Wineries

The Dry Creek Valley AVA in Sonoma is one of the most densely populated wine regions with regard to vineyard acreage and number of wineries. There is a number of Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, Sirah, Chardonnay Vineyards. Most of the wineries are small and family-owned. As you can see from the roadside directions, one can visit many wineries on Dry Creek Road. Make the wine country town of Healdsburg your dining and lodging destination. Take two days to visit wineries in Dry Creek. Don’t forget about a picnic lunch at one of the wineries. Most Dry Creek wineries have picnic areas with excellent vineyard views.

Healdsburg Information – Gateway to Dry Creek

Looking for Zinfandel in all the right places: Dry Creek Valley

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We are big fans of Zinfandel wines, especially from the Dry Creek Valley in the Russian River wine region of Sonoma County. The Dry Creek Valley is one of the prettiest wine country areas in California. This AVA (wine appellation) is small by most standards, only 16 miles long by two miles wide. Yet it is packed with small family-owned wineries, all producing delicious and tasty wines, especially Zinfandel. Nearly 2400 acres in the Dry Creek Valley are planted with Zinfandel grapes.

If you like Zinfandel, you will love this two-day outing we have mapped out for you. If you don’t find Zinfandel wines to your liking here, you won’t find them anywhere else indeed!

image of dry creek valley

Dry Creek Valley

Make your home base the wine country town of Healdsburg. It borders the Dry Creek Valley and has numerous lodging accommodations, dozens of upscale restaurants and lots of boutique shopping.

Day One – In Search of Zinfandel
First stop is Seghesio winery in the town of Healdsburg, 14730 Grove Street. The winery began in 1895 and is famous for three different Zinfandel wines. You can play Bocce here and enjoy a picnic lunch under the Redwoods. After your visit, continue north on Grove, turn left onto Dry Creek Road and head to the Mauritson Family Winery. Mauritson is about three miles away on the right where Lytton Spring Road meets Dry Creek Road. Have you heard of Rockpile Zinfandel? The Mauritson Family winery has 40 acres of vines in the rugged Rockpile region that sits above Lake Sonoma. A portion of the Rockpile AVA falls within the Dry Creek AVA. If you like big and bold Zin, Rockpile is it.

image of Rockpile AVA

Rockpile AVA

Leave Mauritson and head up Lytton Springs Road to Ridge Vineyards. Ridge is another top producer of Zinfandel wines; our favorite is Ridge’s Three Valleys Sonoma Zinfandel, with most of the grapes harvested from the Dry Creek Valley. At this point you can call it a day and continue on Lytton Spring Road to hop onto Highway 101 back to Healdsburg. There are plenty of tasting rooms in Healdsburg just in case you did not get your fill.

Day Two – In Search of Zinfandel
On day two, we head to West Dry Creek Road, perhaps the prettiest backroads in all of wine country. Watch for cyclists, joggers and walkers. This road is popular for outdoor activity because it is quiet, serene, and oh so beautiful. From Healdsburg, take Westside Road to the Madrona Manor Inn and turn right onto West Dry Creek Road. There are many good wineries along this backroad beginning with Everett Ridge. We also like the Lambert Bridge Winery. It’s one of our top spots to enjoy a picnic lunch in wine country. Another favorite spot is Quivira Vineyards, just past Lambert Bridge Road. The winery is certified biodynamic and makes many good wines including a wonderful Zinfandel. Down the road is Zichichi Winery. A former team physician for the New Orleans Saints owns Zichichi. Their Zinfandel is so good that it often sells out the day it’s released. Who knows, you may get lucky and find some of this Zin available to taste and purchase. Finally, we recommend a stop at the Bella Winery at the very end of West Dry Creek Road. It is a fun and busy winery and, best of all, Bella specializes in Zinfandel.

image of zinfandel grapes

Zinfandel grapes to the crusher

After your visit to Bella, we suggest you backtrack along West Dry Creek Road and cross over to Dry Creek Road at Yoakim Bridge. Head back to Healdsburg along Dry Creek Road. I’m sure you will be tempted to stop at one or more of the many intriguing wineries you will pass on your way back to Healdsburg.

On WineCountryGetaways.com you will get a complete list of the best lodging and best restaurants in the Healdsburg area. You can also find a list “Things to Do” should you need a break from your search for Zinfandel wine.

Bistro Ralph – 19 Years of Delicious Dining in Healdsburg

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Note: Bistro Ralph has closed its restaurant.

On the spur of the moment, we decided to take a quick overnight trip to the wine country in the Russian River area. We have a couple of favorite spots in this area that we love to visit during the Fall. The colors are absolutely beautiful in the Dry Creek Valley, the Alexander Valley, and the Russian River Valley.

Besides the Fall colors another good reason to travel at this time of year, and in midweek, is that you can get a better lodging rate and things are much less crowded everywhere you go.

Liquid Amber on West Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg

Liquid Amber on West Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg

We found a room at the Best Western Dry Creek Inn for a measly $69. The room is in the new Tuscan center of the hotel and has a fireplace, large screen TV, and a Jacuzzi tub. We don’t really need those things but why not take them if they come with a room that normally prices well over $200? For you travelers to Healdsburg, this online midweek offer is probably going to continue to run during the winter months.

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CALIFORNIA WINE COUNTRY REGIONS:

Carneros • Livermore • Lodi • Mendocino • Monterey • Napa Valley • Paso Robles • Santa Barbara County • Santa Cruz Mts. • Sierra Foothills • Russian River • Sonoma Valley

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