So why is Mill Creek in the lower Dry Creek Valley a favorite of ours?  Well, three reasons. One is the always warm and inviting personality at the tasting bar. The other is that we like their flavorful wines. A third reason is that their picnic area next to the water wheel or up on the hill are some of the best in California.  And the fourth of the three reasons are their favorable prices.

Mill Creek Vineyards and Winery in Dry Creek Valley

Dry Creek Valley is famous for Zinfandel so let’s discuss Mill Creek’s Zin.   We recently finished off a bottle of Mill Creek’s 2006 DCV Zin.  It is everything you would expect from a DCV Zin but their prices are lower than most of the wineries.  It is of course the deep, dark full bodied Zin of yore with lots of nose and finish to explore.

Their label says “Since 1914″. Really? I thought I only saw prunes and ‘cots when I traveled there around that time.  OK, BS, but that valley wasn’t much into grapes back then.

Picnicking at Mill Creek is a treat. For seclusion and view hike up the hill to the overlook deck. Lots of picnic tables up there and more seclusion.  However, since we are more social  and love being next to water we prefer a small table next to the mill pond.

- Jim

We intended to ride out last weekend at home working, as usual.  However, on Wednesday I noticed that the Sonoma County tourism guy posted a real bargain on Twitter.com.  Rooms at 50% off at the stunningly beautiful Victorian-era Madrona Manor in Dry Creek Valley.  Rooms there are normally $350 a night on average and not the investment we need right now.  However, for $350 for the weekend …

Katya took Friday off and we made a lazy trip north up Highway 101 from San Jose, through San Francisco, and on to Healdsburg.  We dropped by the new Winery Collective tasting room near Fisherman’s Wharf for a visit and a little tasting.  This is a winery tasting room, actually owned by wineries, but is like a tasting bar in that you can taste from dozens of wineries from all over California.  Great ambiance in an old historic building with huge timbers, a nautical theme hotel, and one of my favorite restaurants – Blue Mermaid.

Later that afternoon we arrived at the Madrona Manor and checked into our Victorian style room with a wood fireplace – which we used often.  We had a little view of the surrounding gardens which are just starting to bloom.  LOTS of oranges on the orange trees and Katya picked a few with permission.  The landscaping there is famous in the area.  Spring and summer would be better but still beautiful.

It was strange that they had rooms available as this was the Russian River Wine Road Barrel Tasting weekend #2, one of the biggest local events of the year.  We avoided the event and tasting rooms so we could relax and enjoy the room and gardens for the weekend.  For us to avoid tasting rooms is a real adjustment.

We dined at our favorites, Santi in Geyserville on Friday evening and Ralph’s on the Healdsburg Square Saturday.  While we avoided tasting rooms we did meet up with wine bloggers in Healdsburg on Saturday afternoon and helped deplete their large collection of wines.  Rowdy bunch!

On Sunday Katya wanted oysters for lunch so we we packed up and drove along the Russian River to the coast and then south on Highway 1 to Tomales Bay.  Oysters are everywhere along the bay, in cafes, restaurants, stores, and many oyster plants. While I’m not into oysters at all I love to drive through the dark redwood forest along the Russian River and the expansive views and rocky Sonoma and Marin coast.

We love to stop at the little cafes for apple pie, rock cod tacos, hearty clam chowder, and of course oysters.  We bought whole milk from a dairy store in a real glass bottle and a variety of local cheeses are available.  Munching your way down or up the coast is a great way to get to or from wine country!

- jim

Winter Wineland is a Russian River Wineroad event for the Alexander, Dry Creek, and Russian River regions in Sonoma County, California.  There are well over 100 winery tasting rooms in these regions and the ambiance, and wine, is some of the best in the world.

Katya and I moved right along during the 5 hours a day open for event tasting and hit 16 wineries on January 17 – 18, 2009!  This was only a week after tasting at 7 San Francisco urban wineries.  What wonderful adventures to start the year.  We LOVE 2009 already!

There were about a hundred wineries participating. It was impossible to try them all of course so we narrowed it down to 16 over two days. That is a lot of wineries but we sipped and poured out the wines.  Most of the wineries were serving food with their wines so we were able to stay full the whole day.

The weather was sunny and in the low 70′s!  We were in short sleeve shirts before noon, in January!

This was the first trip for using our new breath analyzer, AlcoHawk from Amazon.com.  My highest blood alcohol level was .05 before a long dinner, well below drunk driving, but for driving I was at .03 or less. I’ve always suspected I was careful and it is comforting to have some proof.

Follow me on Twitter.com/winequester for live tasting room reports during our road trips.

We can not possible buy everything we like so we hit a few highlights.  Also, I rarely tell you what you will taste, just the wines that I think are unusual and interesting.  Everything about your context and physiology will be different than mine and affect the taste.

And the winners are:

Trentadue was a hit because I won a 1.5 liter bottle of 06 Alex Valley Zin as I walked in. Their polenta was nice but rather small. We purchased 05 Old Patch Red, 05 Cote del Leone, a blend of Petite Sirah, Syrah, Zin, and a dash of Carignane, and Chocolate Amore.  I wanted a barrel of Chocolate Amore but …

Truett-Hurst in Dry Creek Valley are the new kids in that area but producing top wines.  They are remodeling the old Martin Family property with big and very exciting plans for a biodynamic farming exposition and a picnic area by the creek that will be one of  the top winery picnic areas in the state.  They served BBQ tri-tip, a hit with Katya.  Purchased: 06 Old Vine Rattler Rock Zin and Stonegate Napa Valley 02 Cab.  (They purchased the iconic old Stonegate name and inventory.)

Alexander Valley Vineyards had a diverse tapas bar with some of the best food we found.  Nice prices at AVV.  Purchased: 05 Alex Valley Syrah, 07 Dry Rose’ of Sangiovese.

White Oak offered to-die-for pork sliders to pair with their Napa Valley 04 Syrah. This is such a beautiful Tuscan style winery!  Purchased: 04 Napa Valley Cab Sauv, 07 Russian River Valley Sauv Blanc.

Forchini is a tiny Italian family winery with a wonderful picnic area and view on the east side of Dry Creek Valley.  Purchased: 06 Papa Nonno Tuscan red estate grapes, 05 estate Cab Sauv Reserve.

Route 128 is a new little tasting room in Geyserville and VERY FRIENDLY. Vintner’s pour for you.  Purchased: 05 Syrah.  Their vineyard is in the Yorkville Highlands north of Cloverdale in Mendocino County on Route 128.

Mill Creek is an ALWAYS FRIENDLY (get it, that’s important, and unusual) family winery and served a killer chili (recipe on their Web site).  They have a picnic site beside a pond and a water wheel and another up the hill with a fantastic view toward Healdsburg.  Purchased: 99 Cab Sauv, 06 Dry Creek Valley Zin.

Everett Ridge was baking various pizzas in an outside stone oven to taste with their reds. They also baked a flat bread to dip in Dry Creek Olive Oil Company’s olive oil. Great view from their elevated view bar and deck!  Purchased: 05 Diablita red wine and 05 Diablita Zin.

Hawkes is a newish tasting room next to the Jimtown store in Alexander Valley. They served a nice macaroni and cheese.  Purchased: 04 AV Cab Sauv, 06 AV Chard.

Preston (no relation) was serving homemade pizza from a stone oven.  Purchased 07 organic Barbera.  I thought we had two bottles but the other must be lost in action.  Happens.

Hanna has one of the best views in the Alexander Valley and served a tasty chicken apricot stew.  Purchased: 99 Bismark Ranch Noir, a red blend from mountain grapes.

Bella has one of the few cave tasting rooms in Sonoma County.  They served a stunning Paella.  Their wines are a bit soft for us but most tasters would love them.  Great place to visit and picnic!!  Purchased: 06 Syrah.

Trione is new to the Geyserville area of Alexander Valley.  We’ve watched the construction of the new winery and remodeling of an old stone building for well over a year.  They served oysters, not my thing, but Katya went crazy for them and now loves Trione.  Purchased: 06 Russian River Valley Sauv Blanc and their Syrah.

We also tasted in Meeker’s tasting room in little Geyserville but it was too choatic to purchase wine.  We love to hang out in Geyserville so we’ll be back soon anyway.  When Chuck Meeker is in his tasting room it is always lively, and sometimes more.  This is California’s premiere tasting room for frivolity.

We tasted the very old vine Zins at Sausal but they seemed too soft and mellow for our tastes.  We expected more robust aromas and flavors.  Maybe it was just us. 

We arrived at Amista late on Saturday and didn’t have a chance to taste about half their wines.  I know I want their Cab.  We expected to return on Sunday but never made it.

Such TREASURES!  I think I found all the wines we bought but Katya may have put some away that I didn’t spot.

What do I regret from the weekend?  That we couldn’t buy one of EVERYTHING we tasted.  I hate limits.  Try all or some of the above for a wonderful adventure!

- jim