Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 43:16 — 19.8MB) | Embed
Kim Stare Wallace from Dry Creek Vineyards joins Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell on California Wine Country. She has been on the show before, the last time was this episode in September of 2025.
Kim has brought four bottles of two varieties, for tasting. One is their dry Chenin Blanc. They have made the same style for 54 years. Dan Berger remembers the first vintage of this wine and it is still as good as ever. Chenin Blanc is having a comeback right now.
Her father, David Stare, founded Dry Creek Vineyards. He loved the Loire Valley wines of France which is why he planted these vines.
Charles Krug made Chenin Blanc since the late 1960s but it was sweet. David Stare at Dry Creek Vineyard made it in an authentic dry Loire Valley style. Dan says this one is as good as any vintage they have ever made. Despite the ups and downs of sales over the years, they continue to produce it the same way, low alcohol and high acidity. It is a single vineyard wine, coming from the Wilson Vineyard nearby in Clarksburg. Dan knows the vineyard and says it has very fertile soil. It is close to Stockton. Their style is “hands-off winemaking.” It is 100% Chenin Blanc, fermented in stainless steel, there is no oak and no blending of other varietals.
Melon Flavors in Chenin Blanc
Dan mentions that the textbooks say to look for melon flavors, but not cantaloupe, he means white melon. He also notices that this wine is dryer than most of the Loire Valley Chenins. Dry Creek Vineyards also makes about 500 cases of a Chenin Blanc crémant style.
Kim remembers a tasting that their friend Jean Baumard organized. He has a winery, Domaine des Baumards, in the Loire Valley. Dan remembers that event, when Jean Baumard brought some very rare dry Chenins called Savennières. One was from 1937. They had hidden some bottles during World War Two and this was a survivor. It was excellent. When Kim was 13 years old, her parents did a house exchange with the Baumards, whose home is in the Loire Valley village of Rochefort sur Loire.
This Chenin Blanc sells for $16-$19, and it is a great value at that price. Dan advises storing some in a cool place for any occasion.
2025 Dry Creek Valley Sauvignon Blanc
Next is a 2025 Dry Creek Valley Sauvignon Blanc. It is a new release. David Stare was the first to plant SV in the region, in the 1970s. People laughed. He was told it was a dumb variety. He turned out to be right about it. It’s 100% Dry Creek Valley, so it reflects the warmer climate. They planted unusual clones of Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Musqué and Sauvignon Gris. Dan says you can taste the subtle differences between these clones and their signature Fumé Blanc. Sauvignon Gris is very rare. Dan compares the flavors to an heirloom grapefruit. He thinks it will improve with ten years in the cellar. The New Zealand SVs are softer and sweeter.
Kim reads the tasting notes, “Floral notes of jasmine, geranium and hibiscus; fresh herbal hints of cilantro stem; tomato leaf and white pepper mingle with wet gravel minerality.” The herbal notes won’t come out for this wine until about ten more years, says Dan. In this case, the fruit is right up front. Daedalus detects a whiff of dried tarragon.
2026 Best Winery in the 2026 SF Gate
Dry Creek Vineyard won the title Best Winery in the SF Gate’s 2026 Best of the Bay issue. Dan remembers they showed Field of Dreams on a portable screen in the vineyard. They have a concert this Saturday afternoon, from 12-4 pm, two days from the day the show is recorded live. Visit the Dry Creek Vineyard website Events page for their full schedule.