Dry Creek Vineyard/ Healdsburg California/Don Wallace/Cabernet and Meritage

I recently traveled into the beautiful town of Healdsburg and stayed at the Dry Creek Best western Inn.A perfect location to explore the great wineries from the dry Creek area.Today we will visit one of the great wineries of this region.Dry Creek Vineyard has been producing great wines for a very long time and today we will open two of their best.First we will look at their website and tasting notes on these amazing wines. Matching vineyard to varietal in order to grow and produce world class wines is at the heart of our philosophy. Being appellation minded and seeking growing sites that fit our winemaking approach aligns with the future vision of our family winery. Vineyard diversity forms the cornerstone of our winemaking philosophy. Sonoma County’s has a vast array of growing conditions that allow us to satisfy our desire to define varietal type by discovering varietal-specific growing conditions. To ensure a measure of control in this regard, we farm multiple vineyards within ten separate estate-owned properties in the heart of wine country that total approximately 185 vine acres. For example, the Dry Creek Valley is the keeper of our hearts for several types of wine, including Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel and, more recently, the Bordeaux varieties. Our passion for wine, though, often causes us to connect with the Russian River Valley for cool-loving grapes like Chardonnay. For our Chenin Blanc, Clarksburg, in the Sacramento Delta, satisfies us with precisely balanced fruit. Our family-owned vineyards provide approximately 65% of the overall production at Dry Creek Vineyard. Additional fruit is sourced from other Dry Creek Valley vineyards managed by long-term contract growers. In addition to vineyard diversity and the use of varied appellations to produce our different types of wine, there is also the lesser-known, more complex, notion of terroir. Climate, soil and “that special something” all come together to form an ideal backdrop for grape growing. And it’s not just grapes that flourish in Sonoma County wine country – plants, flowers, fruits and vegetables all enjoy the dramatic and varied topography of our region. From the incredible farmers’ markets to the use of fresh ingredients by our local restaurants, it’s no wonder why wine grapes enjoy such great success in Sonoma County and the Dry Creek Valley. Our first wine today is the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Dry Creek Valley. This impeccable Cabernet Sauvignon displays lively aromatics of black cherry, black currant and dried blueberry. Additional airing reveals nuances of dried Herbes de Provence, cola, leather and black olive. The palate is full-bodied and rich with elegant flavors of black currant and dried cranberry with notes of cocoa powder, espresso, nutmeg and cedar. The wine is fruit-forward and youthful, with fine tannins and a finish of black and white pepper. This Cabernet is very characteristic of a Dry Creek Valley Bordeaux-style wine. It offers intensity and richness and reflects the terroir beautifully. We also have the 2014 The Mariner Dry Creek Valley . The grapes for this delicious Bordeaux-inspired blend come from several of our most prized estate and hillside vineyards in the Dry Creek Valley. At first swirl, the wine displays aromas of blueberry, vanilla and cherries. Several more minutes reveal hints of clove, cinnamon, black licorice and mocha characters. The palate has dark berry flavors along with cedar sweetness and cassis. It finishes with black pepper, boysenberry and a hint of barrel spice. Good acidity will help this wine to age beautifully for years to come.These are very special wines and we will have to offer you a glass of each wine as we sit down to relax and listen to our audio feature.Click on the link below and join us! We saved you a seat and poured you two glasses of these great wines from Dry Creek Vineyard!Cheers! Click here and join us as we enjoy the wines of Dry Creek Vineyard with Mr. Don Wallace .