Dry Creek Valley
Dry Creek Valley is Sonoma's narrowest and most characterful wine region — a sun-drenched canyon 8 miles long where century-old Zinfandel vines and exceptional Sauvignon Blanc grow alongside family farms and sheep ranches.
About Dry Creek Valley
Dry Creek Valley stretches north from Healdsburg just 8 miles, sheltered on both sides by steep ridgelines that trap warmth and block coastal influence. The valley floor's alluvial benchland soils — a mix of well-drained gravel, loam, and clay — are perfect for the stress-loving Zinfandel vines that have grown here since the 1880s.
The valley's Italian-immigrant history is stamped on its wines. Families like Rafanelli, Pedroncelli, and Ferrari-Carano have been farming these benchlands for generations, producing Zinfandel of extraordinary authenticity and age-worthiness from vines planted by their grandparents and great-grandparents.
Sauvignon Blanc is Dry Creek Valley's other claim to fame — the valley's slightly cooler mornings and warmer afternoons produce Sauvignon Blanc of unusual aromatic intensity, often compared to the finest examples from Sancerre.