Enjoyable Dry Creek AVA Wines

2012 Dry Creek Vineyards Somers Ranch Zinfandel
Lovely earthy/savory/plummy/cherry zinfandel. Balanced alcohol. Nice earthy style.,

2012 Dry Creek Vineyards Petit Sirah
from a vineyard near ridge on Lytton Springs. This was a wow wine for me. Brilliant blue fruit with again balanced alcohol, earthy notes and PS herbs. Blazing acidity says "big meat" to me! Lovely wine. I am a new fan of DCV, even though I know they have been around for 40+ years.

2012 Pech Merle Zinfandel.
New tasting room in "downtown' Geyserville. Really nice space, with a cool ancient Harley Davidson motorized bicycle hanging in pride of place on the wall. Anyway, the wine was from a mixed blacks vineyard from Canyon Road above Geyserville proper. With zins like this, I am reevaluating my dislike of the varietal! Brambly zin fruit with black plumskin. Earthyness is right up my alley. As is the refreshing acidity (in Zinfandel!) No alcohol burn at all! John Pepe is apparently their winemaker. Is he well known? The Russian River Valley Pinot Noir was also a very nice discovery to me...forest floor, dark fruits, bracing mouthwatering acidity...a lovely RRV pinot.

2011 Michel Schlumberger Le Sage Merlot.
It is less common for DCV to feature Bordeaux varietals, but it must be the slightly cooler side canyon off the lovely repaved West Dry Creek Road that enables them to produce such a lovely wine. Brilliant black cherry and plum fruit, some lovely herbal notes. Alcohol in balance. Delicious stuff.

2011 Michel Schlumberger Malbec Dry Creek Valley
As was this wine! Earthier, less primary fruit. Black plum. Went extremely well with tri tip!

2012 Dry Creek Vineyards Petit Sirah
from a vineyard near ridge on Lytton Springs. This was a wow wine for me. Brilliant blue fruit with again balanced alcohol, earthy notes and PS herbs. Blazing acidity says "big meat" to me! Lovely wine. I am a new fan of DCV, even though I know they have been around for 40+ years.

Well, Brian........just so happens I followed 'em from the very start...the '72 Gamay. And still hang w/ them.

2012 Pech Merle Zinfandel.
New tasting room in "downtown' Geyserville. Really nice space, with a cool ancient Harley Davidson motorized bicycle hanging in pride of place on the wall. Anyway, the wine was from a mixed blacks vineyard from Canyon Road above Geyserville proper. With zins like this, I am reevaluating my dislike of the varietal! Brambly zin fruit with black plumskin. Earthyness is right up my alley. As is the refreshing acidity (in Zinfandel!) No alcohol burn at all! John Pepe is apparently their winemaker. [b]Is he well known? The Russian River Valley Pinot Noir was also a very nice discovery to me...forest floor, dark fruits, bracing mouthwatering acidity...a lovely RRV pinot.

I just know the name...but that's about it. I tasted some of their wines when I was last out there at DiavolaPizzeria and rather liked them. Their style is sorta restrained, much like DCV's. John has worked in the trenches at a number of larger wineries over the yrs, but I've never met him.

You haven't tried the new DCV WallaceVnyd Zin, have you?? That's a new Zin for them.

Tom

I will check out the Wallace Vineyard, Tom.

DCV is a very low key place. It reminds me in its vibe of an other old time family-run establishment, Alexander Valley Vineyards (whose 2006 Cyrus Bordeaux blend might reawaken your interest in Cabernet-based wines!)

Brian: when did they repave West Dry Creek Road? Last time we were out there was 2012 to run the Wine Country half marathon(Geyserville to downtown Healdsburg) and do some wine tasting..

Brian: when did they repave West Dry Creek Road? Last time we were out there was 2012 to run the Wine Country half marathon(Geyserville to downtown Healdsburg) and do some wine tasting..

Last fall. Class A pavement all the way to Yoakam Bridge!

Still a lane and a half, narrow road with plenty of blind curves and little hills, but nice asphalt.

If I had to pick a single favorite northern California bicycle route (that doesn;t require a grueling hill assault) this is it!

Brian: when did they repave West Dry Creek Road? Last time we were out there was 2012 to run the Wine Country half marathon(Geyserville to downtown Healdsburg) and do some wine tasting..

Last fall. Class A pavement all the way to Yoakam Bridge!

Still a lane and a half, narrow road with plenty of blind curves and little hills, but nice asphalt.

If I had to pick a single favorite northern California bicycle route (that doesn;t require a grueling hill assault) this is it!

And just what's the matter w/ the ride up to MonteBelloRidge????
I did it once...a fair number of yrs ago. But...man...was the ride back to Steven'sCreekResevoir a hoot!!!
Tom

Well...I am not that young anymore.....I like food too much....and my current bicycle setup is pretty...stiffly geared. (A mechanic ribbed me about "riding with those gears around here (Napa County)".