October Wine Trip-Winery #3 #MauritsonWinery

Our driver continued on the trail of wineries that I had researched before coming to California. The next stop was Mauritson located at 2859 Dry Creek Road. This was where we had lunch out under the red umbrellas with yummy foods from the Dry Creek General Store just right down the road. It's one of our favorite places to stop along the wine trail in Dry Creek. 

Mauritson Wines are out of this world! We ended up joining their wine club and that says volumes for their wines. With so many years of winemaking in the family, which is a very interesting story, their wines can't help being award-winning, outstanding wines! Check out the family history of wine making at their website.

One of the first wines we tasted was a 2012 Sauvignon Blanc ($21). This wine was fermented and aged in stainless steel, so it comes out clean and smooth. They fondly refer to it as their porch wine. This wine is light and to be paired with light appetizers, salads, or seafood dishes. I especially love it in the hot summers in Dallas!

The next wine we tasted was the 2012 Chardonnay ($27). This wine was barrel fermented in only 10% oak and is amazing. It's everything you would expect a great Chardonnay to be.

We tasted a well-balanced 2011 Zinfandel ($29) that was aged primarily in French Oak barrels. Although Don prefers big red wines, we thought this one was excellent.

A 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon ($37) was outstanding. We both loved it! Click on the name for the winemaker's tasting notes. But wait, there's more Cab!

We also tasted a 2010 Rockpile Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon ($47) was is currently sold out! This wine was a winemaker's dream come true working with five Bordeaux varieties. It too was amazing. You must read the story about the Rockpile.

We also had 2010 Rockpile "Buck Pasture" Red Wine ($41) which is also sold out. Why such an unusual name? Back in the old days, when you wanted to find a big buck, this is the part of their ranch that you would go to. It's described as very steep with plenty of feed for the deer. It also has the best views on the property. This blended wine has the traditional Cabernet flavors complimented with Merlot and Petit Verdot. So good! Yum!

The last wine we tasted and bought was an amazing 2011 Charlie Clay Pinot Noir ($40). The famous Chef Charlie Palmer collaborated with Clay Mauritson and came up with the Charlie Clay Pinot Noir. Read the story here-very short, but sweet!

You must visit Mauritson Winery when in Healdsburg. It is WELL worth your time and money for this amazing wine and wonderful staff in their tasting room.

A fun picnic outside of the tasting room!

October Wine Trip-Winery #2 Mill Creek Vineyards and Winery

Mill Creek Vineyards and Winery is located in the Dry Creek Valley on Westside Road in Healdsburg, CA. It's a small estate winery established in 1965 and still owned and operated by the Kreck family. There are two large picnic areas with a working water wheel and millpond. 

The tasting room/sales room is in the building shown above. There we tasted several wonderful wines. The first two were a 2012 Reserve Chardonnay ($32), and a 2012 Chardonnay UnOaked ($23) which was absolutely superior. We both preferred the unoaked, so we bought two of them. Flavors are of melon, quince, and lime with a spicy, crisp finish.

We also tasted two different Merlots and two different Zinfandels.

One Merlot was a 2009 Alexander Valley Merlot ($28) and the other was a 2006 Reserve Merlot ($38) from the same valley. The later was definitely superior to the first. We bought two reserve Merlots.

The two Zinfandels-(I liked them) were good (2008 and a 2009), but Don prefers a big red wine, so we tasted and bought two 2009 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($38.50) from the Alexander Valley.

Here are the Zinfandels in case you love that varietal and want to try some!

That was our second tasting room for the day! On to the next one!