Matanzas Creek Winery

Matanzas Creek Winery is one of Sonoma County's most historically significant and scenically extraordinary wine estates. Founded in 1977 in the remote, breathtakingly beautiful Bennett Valley — a narrow inland valley hidden between Bennett Mountain and the Sonoma Mountains, accessible via a winding road that rewards visitors with views that feel genuinely far from wine country as they know it — Matanzas Creek not only built its own reputation but helped found the Bennett Valley AVA and launched the careers of several winemakers who went on to shape California wine.

The winery's lavender garden — one of the most spectacular in all of California wine country, with thousands of plants in full bloom from June through August — has made Matanzas Creek one of Sonoma County's most photographed and visited summer destinations in its own right. The combination of lavender fields, remote valley serenity, and the estate's signature Sauvignon Blanc has created a visit that feels entirely different from any other Sonoma County wine experience.

The wine program has been certified sustainable since the program's earliest days — among the first in California to earn the credential — and focuses on Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot that thrive in Bennett Valley's temperate, fog-influenced climate. Current winemaker Marcia Torres Forno brings aromatic mastery to a program that continues to honor the estate's founding reputation.