Monthly Archives: February 2015

Winery Spotlight: Preston of Dry Creek

Winery Spotlight: Preston of Dry Creek

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While studying at UC Davis in the ‘60s, Lou Preston was “bitten by the grape bug.” What began as a casual curiosity blossomed into a passion. Heeding the advice of instructor James Cook, and his friend/mentor, David Stare, Lou planted nearly 50% of his vineyards with sauvignon blanc in Dry Creek Valley. He was the second person in the region to commit himself to what was, at the time, an unappreciated grape mostly used in California for bulk sweet wines.

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Zinfandel Experience 2015 Photo Recap

Zinfandel Experience 2015 Photo Recap

We love heading over to San Francisco every year to show off Dry Creek Valley’s lovely zins at Zinfandel Advocates and Producers (ZAP) event Zinfandel Experience! Check out some photos from this year’s celebration of our beloved grape!

 

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Our table, featuring seven fine Dry Creek Valley zinfandels: Kokomo, Talty, Dry Creek Vineyard, Cast, Del Carlo, Rued, and soon-to-be opened Comstock wineries.

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There were more than 800 people tasting hundreds of zins in five different rooms on Saturday’s Grand Tasting!

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Wilson Winery pouring a range of their fine zinfandels

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Erik Miller (right), winemaker at Kokomo Winery made friends with these zin lovers who hail from Kokomo, Indiana–the winery’s namesake!

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Simonchini Vineyards wines were well-loved. If you visit them in Dry Creek Valley, you can taste the wines with their tasty cicchetti menu!

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Cast Wines–Dry Creek Valley’s youngest winery!

If you can’t get enough Dry Creek Valley wines, make sure to get tickets to Passport to Dry Creek Valley and Prelude to Passport!

 

 


Grower Spotlight: Dane Petersen of Fall Creek Vineyard

Grower Spotlight: Dane Petersen of Fall Creek Vineyard

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Dane Petersen (L) and his son Brad Petersen – Photo courtesy of George Rose

Dane Petersen, owner of Fall Creek Vineyard, sits on the tailgate of his pickup truck, looking out at his field of mustard. “It’s solid yellow,” he says. “In Autumn, we try to coat the ground with a cover crop to prevent erosion. I quit buying commercial seed two years ago, because the wild mustard does a better job of it! The bees just love it.”

Fall Creek Vineyard, located at the northernmost end of West Dry Creek Road, sits on a long, narrow piece of land that borders both Dry Creek and its namesake, Fall Creek. Just half a mile from Lake Sonoma, “It’s just a hair warmer than the rest of Dry Creek Valley, so frost is not really an issue,” says Dane. Of the 37 acres of land; 30 acres are planted with zinfandel, 5 acres are merlot, and 2 acres are cabernet sauvignon. The oldest vines in the vineyard are about 50 years old, and were planted by Dane’s father, Hereward Petersen. The soil in the vineyard is red and rocky alluvial soil that has come down from the hills above over millenia. Seghesio Vineyards purchases Fall Creek Vineyard’s oldest vines.

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