Dry Creek Wines Tasting Notes: A Date Night, a Fumé Blanc, and Hijacking a Baby

There are exactly two kinds of date nights I respond to: the one where someone hands me a glass of wine, and the one where someone hands me several glasses of amazing wines.

Last night was the second kind. So obviously, I’m still riding the high.

Mr. W&D…who, for the record, is the mayor of everywhere we go, got us invited to a Dry Creek Wines tasting at our local wine and liquor shop.

Our guy B has been inviting us for what feels like a calendar year. Our schedules had been allergic to each other. Last night, finally, the stars and the spit buckets aligned.

Six wines. Three whites, three reds. A raffle. Tiny appetizers I would describe as “engineered to make you drink more.” Yes, please.

And one slightly tipsy conversation with a woman who claims there’s an $8 glass of Caymus at a burger place on Tuesday nights, which I do not believe but desperately want to investigate. (More on her later.)

Before I get into the wines, one thing worth knowing: Dry Creek Vineyard is a woman-led winery (slow clap).

Here’s the full rundown.

A Quick Note on Who’s Behind Dry Creek Wines

Founded in 1972 by David Stare, the winery has since passed to the second generation. Dave’s daughter, Kim Stare Wallace, now runs it as President, overseeing 185 acres of sustainably farmed vineyards alongside her husband. They’ve kept it family-owned, family-operated, and notably one of the last truly private wineries of its size in California still being run by the family that founded it.

I didn’t know this until Emme leading our tasting walked us through it. She knew the vineyard. She knew the wines. She knew the history.

And she did the thing the very best wine people do, she taught us something without making us feel like we should have already known it. (She also explained the left bank / right bank Bordeaux distinction, which is going to become relevant in approximately a couple of minutes. Stay with me.)

But it matters to me, and I suspect it matters to a lot of you, that the wine we’re drinking and the brand we’re supporting is run by a woman who grew up inside it, who knows every vine on the property, and who’s still committed to making the wines her father built the place to make.

A woman-led winery, walked through by a woman who clearly loves the wines, poured for a woman writing about them on her own brand.

That’s a story I’ll happily drink to.

The Dry Creek White Wines

1. Dry Creek Vineyard Fumé Blanc: The One I Will Defend in Court

This is the one. The hero. The reason I’m writing this post at all. The 2019 Fumé Blanc was the 48th vintage of this wine, which is the flagship of Dry Creek Vineyard.

If you’ve been living on New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (and I have, for years, like a woman who has chosen a single seat on a long train), the Fumé Blanc is what happens when somebody gently turns your head and says, “There is more out here.”

It’s still Sauvignon Blanc. But it’s modeled on Pouilly-Fumé from the Loire Valley, not the grassy, asparagus-forward New Zealand style. Which means no aggressive lawn-clippings energy on the nose. Instead, you get this softer, more perfumed opening: aromas of lemon, jasmine, lemon verbena and lemongrass, with notes of nectarine and passionfruit.

On the palate it’s light- to medium-bodied with bright acidity and a creamy texture, with notes of pineapple, lychee and a flinty, river-stone minerality.

Translation: it’s crisp, it’s clean, it’s faintly floral, and it tastes like someone took a Sauvignon Blanc and gave it a charm-school finishing year in France. Mr. W&D took one sip, raised an eyebrow at me, and we both knew the whites portion of the evening was already over.

Pair it with: Oysters. Crab cakes. A roast chicken with lemon. Grilled white fish. Anything that would also look at home on a Loire Valley patio.

2. Dry Creek Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc: The Reliable Sister

This is the Fumé’s slightly more straightforward sister. Less perfume, more zest. A zippy, floral Sauvignon Blanc with white flowers, lime pith and lemon balm on the nose, and bright, lemony acidity on the palate.

If the Fumé Blanc wears a silk dress, the Sauvignon Blanc shows up in a clean white t-shirt and good jeans. Which I respect. Some nights you want the silk. Some nights you want the t-shirt.

I liked it. I didn’t fall in love with it. But it’s the kind of bottle I’d happily put on a Tuesday night porch rotation when the budget is feeling shy.

Pair it with: Goat cheese. A spring salad. Grilled shrimp. Anything with a squeeze of lemon at the end.

3. Dry Creek Vineyard Dry Chenin Blanc: The Surprise

If you’ve been writing off Chenin Blanc because some sweet version of it ruined a dinner party for you in 2014, I need you to come back to the table.

Dry Creek’s Dry Chenin Blanc opens with aromatics of honeydew, watermelon and mango, with floral notes of jasmine and orange blossom, then delivers flavors of peach, Meyer lemon and cucumber on the palate.

It’s soft. It’s a little bit creamy. The mouthfeel is voluptuous, and yes, “voluptuous” is a winemaker word I usually side-eye, but in this case I’ll allow it.

The kicker: it’s dry. Almost off-dry. Not the sweet Vouvray your aunt brought to Easter. This is grown-up Chenin. The kind that pairs with ramen in light chicken stock topped with grilled prawns, which is a sentence I had to sit with for a moment before accepting how correct it sounds.

Pair it with: Anything spicy. Thai food. Honey-glazed ham. A Sunday roast chicken. That weird hour at 4pm when you’re not sure if it’s still lunch.

This one walks into the room dressed for dinner. Aromas of black cherry, black currant and dried cranberry on the nose, with nuances of dried flowers, nutmeg, white pepper and cedar. The palate is full-bodied with flavors of ripe raspberry, black currant and fresh boysenberry, with notes of cocoa powder, bay leaf, sage and sweet pipe tobacco.

The Dry Creek Red Wines

4. Dry Creek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: The Workhorse with Polish

It’s a Cabernet that knows it’s a Cabernet. No identity crisis. No trying to be Pinot Noir on weekends. It’s structured, it’s polished, and it has that classic Dry Creek Valley signature: bright fruit pulled into focus by a firm spine of tannin and a long, savory finish.

I liked it. Mr. W&D liked it more. He gave it the slow, ceremonial second sip he reserves for wines he plans to “investigate further” later.

Pair it with: Grilled ribeye. Lamb chops. Anything off a smoker. A burger with proper cheese on it.

5. The Mariner Meritage: The Best Red of the Night

Now we’re at the table.

The Mariner is Dry Creek’s flagship Left-Bank Bordeaux-style blend, and it has been since Dry Creek Vineyard was the first winery to use the term “Meritage” with the 1985 vintage. They essentially named the category. So when they make a Meritage, they bring receipts.

Here’s where the left bank / right bank thing our wine lady taught us comes in. In Bordeaux, the left bank of the Gironde river is Cabernet country: Cab-led blends, structured, age-worthy, the heavyweights.

The right bank is Merlot country: rounder, softer, plusher, more about velvet than oak. The Mariner is Dry Creek’s left-bank wine. It’s built on 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec rounding it out.

Translation: every Bordeaux grape walks into the bottle and they all get along, with the Cabernet running the meeting.

Aromas of black currant, plum, black cherry and blackberry, with hints of tobacco, toffee and cinnamon. The palate has dark berry flavors with earthy complexity and savory tones, finishing with notes of mocha, herbes de Provence and violet.

It’s a grown person wine. It has structure, depth, and that elusive quality where every sip seems to reveal a different note. The first sip is fruit. The second sip is earth. The third sip is somewhere between leather and dessert. By sip four you’ve forgotten what you were arguing with your husband about earlier.

This is a bottle you serve to people you actually like, with food you actually thought about. It’s a “stop the small talk, the wine is here” wine.

Pair it with: A ribeye, marbled and rare. Slow-cooked short ribs. Roast lamb with rosemary. A cheese course that includes something aged and slightly aggressive. Screw the rules and discover how to pair food and wine >>

6. The Sea Quelle: The Mariner’s Right-Bank Sister

If The Mariner is the left-bank Bordeaux of the Dry Creek lineup (Cabernet-led, structured, captain at the wheel), the Sea Quelle is the right-bank answer. And yes, the name is a pun. Sea Quelle = sequel. It’s literally the sequel to The Mariner, continuing Dry Creek’s sailing theme. They’ve been the official wine of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series since 2016.

I appreciate a winery that commits to a theme. I appreciate a winery that enjoys a good pun. I appreciate both even more when the wine inside the bottle backs them up.

The Sea Quelle is a Merlot-based Meritage: 63% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Malbec, and 4% Petit Verdot. So instead of the Cab-forward muscle of The Mariner, you get something rounder, plusher, more velvet-curtain than oak-paneled-library.

Aromas of black and blueberries dominate the nose, with traces of violets and chocolate. The palate is smooth with bold brushstrokes of blueberries, blackberries, plums, and cherries, with secondary notes of rich soil, leather, dark chocolate, and a hint of spice on the finish.

Mr. W&D’s read on it was generous. Mine was: “Yes. I see what you did there. Well played.” The Mariner is the wine you bring out for the in-laws. The Sea Quelle is the wine you open with a friend who’s been there for you.

Pair it with: Roast duck. Mushroom risotto. A beef tenderloin with a red wine reduction. Aged Gouda. Or, honestly, just a friend or loved one who shows up and actually listens to you.

The Best Part of the Evening

Look. The wine was excellent. That’s why we’re here. But let me tell you what happened between the pours, because that’s the part I’ll remember.

First: a slightly buzzed couple wandered over and started talking to us about (and I cannot stress this enough) an $8 glass of Caymus at a burger place on Tuesday nights. I do not know if this is real. 

The woman telling me about it and I were both four glasses deep into the Fumé Blanc, which is the precise volume at which all wine deals sound credible. I turned to Mr. W&D and said, “We have to go on Tuesday.”

He looked at me with the calm, ancient patience of a man who has been married to me for several years and said, “You know YOU are not going anywhere on Tuesday night.”  True, but rude.

I’m still going to dream about it.

Second: Each attendee was asked to enter their names in a raffle. The raffle was for a special gift.  

Mr. W&D, naturally, won.

My prize (see above) Dry Creek Wine Zinfandel and two to-go cups!  The Dry Creek Fumé Blanc was purchased later, because apparently I have free will and poor impulse control.

Mr. W&D wins everything. Raffles. Coin flips. Parking spots. Last bites of dessert. He is the luckiest OG on the planet, and the only reason I’ve stopped resenting it is because I figured out years ago that the smartest move was simply to be in his orbit. I hitched my wagon to a man who wins raffles, and I have not looked back.

Now for the embarrassing part, because although I appear put together for the most part, I am one step away from becoming a cautionary tale in good shoes.

I misjudged the amount of wine I’d had, and as we were leaving, I yelled at Mr. W&D to pull over behind the store.

Reader, I raced out of the car, made it to a bush, and promptly hurled.

Yes. That’s right. You read it correctly.

I felt my soul trying to leave my body.

But alas, no one saw us. After I composed myself, we carried on like nothing had happened.

Because it hadn’t.

Mmmhmmm. I will say it with more conviction if you keep side-eyeing me.

Third, and this is my favorite part:

We got home from the tasting and I spotted our neighbor outside. She was sitting on her porch with her two-month-old baby. I yelled at Mr. W&D, “Stop the car.”

I got out. I walked over. I hijacked the baby.

I held that baby for what felt like ten minutes, completely uninterested in anything happening anywhere else on earth. And still a little tipsy.

Babies are the only humans I trust without reservation. I love them. I will hold a stranger’s baby and immediately consider it mine for the duration of the encounter.

Mr. W&D, watching this entire scene from the driveway, said something I am going to be thinking about for the rest of my life: “The Baroness is having a great time. She does not have a care in the world.”

He’s not wrong. For one shining hour after a Dry Creek tasting, with a borrowed baby on my hip and a raffle prize in hand, I had genuinely forgotten that the world existed.

He then asked, deadpan, “Is the world on fire? Is there a recession? Is there a war? You wouldn’t know, because you’re out being the mayoress.”

I said: “I’m not the mayoress. I’m the Baroness.”

Final Verdict on the Tasting

If you’re going to seek out one bottle from this list, try the Dry Creek Vineyard Fumé Blanc. It’s the wine I’m now going to be unforgivably evangelical about for the foreseeable future.

If you’re choosing a red for dinner with people who matter, the Mariner is the bottle for serious occasions and the Sea Quelle is the bottle for the friends who deserve the right-bank treatment. Decant either. Pour slowly. Let them open up. Watch the table get quieter as people focus on what’s in their glass.

And if your local wine shop has been quietly inviting you to a tasting for months, go. Drink the wines. Eat the tiny appetizers. Buy the raffle tickets. Talk to the slightly tipsy strangers. Come home and hijack a neighbor’s baby if the spirit moves you.

These are the nights that matter. Wine is just the excuse.

P.S. If you want the cheese course version of this, the one you can put on your own table without leaving the house.  Check out my guide Sip, Slice, Repeat →  It makes you look like you know what you’re doing.  

Quick reference: where to find these wines

• Dry Creek Vineyard tasting room: 3770 Lambert Bridge Road, Healdsburg, CA: tastings 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, reservations recommended.

• Online: drycreekvineyard.com

• At your local shop: Ask. If they don’t carry it, ask if they’ll host a tasting. (See above for what can happen if they do.)

FAQS

Is Dry Creek Vineyard a woman-owned winery?

Yes. Kim Stare Wallace, daughter of founder David Stare, runs Dry Creek Vineyard as President. Founded in 1972, it stays family-owned and family-operated, one of the few private wineries of its size in California still run by the family that started it.

Is Dry Creek Fumé Blanc dry or sweet?

Dry. Dry Creek’s Fumé Blanc is a crisp, light to medium bodied Sauvignon Blanc with bright acidity, modeled on the Loire Valley’s Pouilly-Fumé. Expect lemon, jasmine, and a flinty minerality, not sweetness.

What is the difference between Fumé Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc?

They are the same grape. “Fumé Blanc” is a style name for a Loire-inspired Sauvignon Blanc. Dry Creek’s version leans floral, perfumed, and flinty, rather than the grassy, herbaceous profile most people know from New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

What is the difference between Dry Creek’s Mariner and Sea Quelle?

The Mariner is a left-bank style Bordeaux blend, Cabernet-led at 66 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, structured and built to age. The Sea Quelle is the right-bank answer, Merlot-based at 63 percent Merlot, rounder and plusher. The Sea Quelle is, fittingly, the sequel.

What food pairs with Dry Creek Fumé Blanc?

Oysters, crab cakes, roast chicken with lemon, and grilled white fish all pair well with Dry Creek Fumé Blanc. Anything bright, lemony, and a little coastal flatters its crisp acidity.