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Open 10:30am-4:30pm
Appt required? No.
Last barlinwine.com visit: 2012
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Tasting:
It had probably been four or five years since my last trip to Dry Creek Vineyard. I still have a hefty bottle of Endeavour Cabernet in my cellar, and I remembered liking some of their other wines as well made and reasonably priced. Meredith and I rolled in around 11:45am, thinking we’d do a quick tasting and then enjoy our "coppa and turkey" sandwiches from the Dry Creek General Store in Dry Creek Vineyard’s expansive picnic area.
We bellied up to the bar and got started on a tasting. DCV keeps it simple – a $5.00 Signature Series tasting of four widely distributed wines, or a $10.00 “Wine Club Selections” tasting of four wines typically only sold from the winery or distributed to club members. Naturally we did the Wine Club Selections tasting.
We started off with the 2011 Petite Zin Rosé, a bright and fruity offering which was the perfect cure on a hot summer day. We then tried the 2009 DCV10 Pinot Noir, a so-so wine and one that we quickly moved on from. We targeted Zinfandel next (the 2009 Somers Ranch), but our host stopped us and had us flip over the tasting sheet for the Signature Series wines. He poured us two bonus wines, the 2009 Heritage Zinfandel and 2008 Old Vine Zinfandel. The Heritage was light and fruity with some structure, but I preferred the Old Vine with its fuller body and earthier tones.
After the brief detour, we returned to our “four” wines with the 2009 Somers Ranch Zinfandel. This is a wine I remembered enjoying and purchasing in the past, and I liked it again on this visit. We finished the tasting with the 2006 Endeavour Cabernet, the flagship wine of Dry Creek Vineyards. This one is built to last, and as expected this was the best wine we tried at DCV. I’m typically not a fan of Sonoma Cabs, preferring to stick to Napa when it comes to the classic big red grape, but the Endeavour can at least hold its own when compared to Napa Cabs in its price range.
When we arrived at 11:45am at Dry Creek Vineyards, there were 4 other people in the tasting room. By the time we finished our tasting at 12:15pm, there were 25 other people. Dry Creek Vineyard has, in a way, become the “V Sattui of Dry Creek Valley”, with an ever-expanding selection of souvenirs and a penchant for attracting a lunch crowd (and busloads of people) to populate their picnic lawn. As we prepared to join the masses on the lawn, we decided to do what I haven’t done since my early days of wine tasting: buy wine to have with lunch! Our tasting was $10, but it was fully refundable with purchase. With temperatures rising, and nice glass of the Petite Zin Rosé sounded mighty fine to me, and at a net $8 for the entire bottle, we didn't feel obligated to finish the entire thing.
With our tasting wrapped up, our bottle of rosé secured, and our Dry Creek General Store sandwiches in tow, we lucked out by snagging one of the last remaining picnic tables and wrapped up our visit to DCV with lunch on a perfect Spring day. Overall, the wines are pretty good for the area, the atmosphere friendly (although at times extremely busy), and the prices fair. Dry Creek Vineyard will likely be on your list if you’re visiting Dry Creek Valley, and it should be. Definitely recommended mid-week or during slower parts of the year, but an enjoyable experience despite how busy it can get.
It had probably been four or five years since my last trip to Dry Creek Vineyard. I still have a hefty bottle of Endeavour Cabernet in my cellar, and I remembered liking some of their other wines as well made and reasonably priced. Meredith and I rolled in around 11:45am, thinking we’d do a quick tasting and then enjoy our "coppa and turkey" sandwiches from the Dry Creek General Store in Dry Creek Vineyard’s expansive picnic area.We bellied up to the bar and got started on a tasting. DCV keeps it simple – a $5.00 Signature Series tasting of four widely distributed wines, or a $10.00 “Wine Club Selections” tasting of four wines typically only sold from the winery or distributed to club members. Naturally we did the Wine Club Selections tasting.
We started off with the 2011 Petite Zin Rosé, a bright and fruity offering which was the perfect cure on a hot summer day. We then tried the 2009 DCV10 Pinot Noir, a so-so wine and one that we quickly moved on from. We targeted Zinfandel next (the 2009 Somers Ranch), but our host stopped us and had us flip over the tasting sheet for the Signature Series wines. He poured us two bonus wines, the 2009 Heritage Zinfandel and 2008 Old Vine Zinfandel. The Heritage was light and fruity with some structure, but I preferred the Old Vine with its fuller body and earthier tones.
After the brief detour, we returned to our “four” wines with the 2009 Somers Ranch Zinfandel. This is a wine I remembered enjoying and purchasing in the past, and I liked it again on this visit. We finished the tasting with the 2006 Endeavour Cabernet, the flagship wine of Dry Creek Vineyards. This one is built to last, and as expected this was the best wine we tried at DCV. I’m typically not a fan of Sonoma Cabs, preferring to stick to Napa when it comes to the classic big red grape, but the Endeavour can at least hold its own when compared to Napa Cabs in its price range.When we arrived at 11:45am at Dry Creek Vineyards, there were 4 other people in the tasting room. By the time we finished our tasting at 12:15pm, there were 25 other people. Dry Creek Vineyard has, in a way, become the “V Sattui of Dry Creek Valley”, with an ever-expanding selection of souvenirs and a penchant for attracting a lunch crowd (and busloads of people) to populate their picnic lawn. As we prepared to join the masses on the lawn, we decided to do what I haven’t done since my early days of wine tasting: buy wine to have with lunch! Our tasting was $10, but it was fully refundable with purchase. With temperatures rising, and nice glass of the Petite Zin Rosé sounded mighty fine to me, and at a net $8 for the entire bottle, we didn't feel obligated to finish the entire thing.
With our tasting wrapped up, our bottle of rosé secured, and our Dry Creek General Store sandwiches in tow, we lucked out by snagging one of the last remaining picnic tables and wrapped up our visit to DCV with lunch on a perfect Spring day. Overall, the wines are pretty good for the area, the atmosphere friendly (although at times extremely busy), and the prices fair. Dry Creek Vineyard will likely be on your list if you’re visiting Dry Creek Valley, and it should be. Definitely recommended mid-week or during slower parts of the year, but an enjoyable experience despite how busy it can get.
Recommended wine: The Endeavour is a solid wine, as are both limited release Zinfandels (Somers Ranch and Beeson Ranch).
Ratings (out of 5):
 WINE | 4.00 |  TASTING ROOM | 4.00 |
 ATMOSPHERE | 4.25 |  VALUE | 4.50 |
 OVERALL | 4.19 | ||
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