Dry Creek Vineyard

The story of Dry Creek Vineyard and the Stare Wallace family isn’t one of fairy tales. The story is one of a dedicated family working day and night for five decades to turn what many considered an idealistic pipedream into a reality that revolutionized the California wine industry.

Founder David S. Stare always had a dream to live overseas, so after graduate school, he moved to Germany. He visited many wineries and started to develop an interest. He returned to Boston in 1969 firmly bitten by the wine bug. In 1970, Dave and family spent two weeks in France, where he fell in love with French wines, specifically the wines of the Loire Valley and Bordeaux. He shortly read an article in the Wall Street Journal about what a great future California had for making world-class wines. After a trip there, he packed up his wife and kids in a mint green station wagon to carve out his path in the wine industry.

While taking winemaking classes at UC Davis, Dave spent time looking at vineyard land from Monterey to Mendocino. Fate drew Dave to Dry Creek Valley area of Sonoma County, and he realized he had found his dream location.

He began planting the region’s first vines since Prohibition. Captivated by memories of Loire Valley wines, Dave was determined to plant Sauvignon Blanc. Several famed vineyard specialists advised him against planting the varietal, which they deemed “inappropriate” for the region. Always looking to push the envelope, Dave planted the varietal anyway and the rest is history. This bold and pioneering step triggered a viticultural reawakening in northern Sonoma County.

Today Dry Creek Vineyard is one of the last truly private, family-owned, iconic wineries consistently producing 90+ point wines. The second generation is firmly committed to a “no compromises” philosophy producing world class, appellation-focused, varietal-defining wines.