Sheila & Bennet Bodens
Dry Creek Vineyards
We guess that the hardest thing in the world is going into a store and slapping down twenty or thirty dollars for a bottle and most of the time not even knowing what you are getting. One cannot even go by the vintage years. All too often the vintages are declare good for an entire district or country and there can be nothing further from the truth. Vintage not only depends on the weather but the weather at the particular altitude where a vineyard lies. There can be dramatic differences within just a few hundred feet. The great French vineyard La Tache abuts the rather mediocre vineyard La Grand Rue which abuts another monumental vineyard, La Romanee, on the opposite side; a lump of coal sandwiched between two diamonds.
This is where the wine critic comes in. In most cases we, the wine critics, are the only source of decent wine information. Some use numbers, some use letters but most just tell it like it is. We believe that there are very, very few really bad wines in the marketplace; some are just better that others, regardless of the price. Now that we have mentioned price, please do not use price as a criterion of a wines quality. We have had some magnificent $7 wines and some $6o stinkers.
Dry Creek Vineyards is one of those producers that you can count on year after year after year. You can easily spot their wine by the sailing ship painting on the label. Sorry, no owls, deer or flying squirrels, just a sail boat and some very trustworthy wines.
Dry Creek 2004 Russian River Chardonnay ($18). Chardonnays come and chardonnays go and to tell the truth, most of them are boring. There is however, nothing boring about Dry Creek 2004 Russian River Chardonnay. Here is a wine that displays all of the character and elegance of the fabled chardonnay wines of old. Citrus, hazelnut, pear, spice and soft oak mark the aroma with just the faintest hint of citrus. There is oak to be found in this wine, but in delectate and very pleasing amounts. The flavor is rich and features a buttery smooth sensation on the palate with an added mineral effect. This is a good chardonnay; a very good chardonnay and it will restore your faith in the variety.
Dry Creek 2003 Russian River Merlot ($18). This an excellent wine that incorporates all of the elements that make for a great merlot. The Aroma is dominated by ripe cherry and black plum with suggestions of herbs, chocolate and black pepper. The flavor is mostly cherry with a hint of vanilla and oak. There is a bit of the areas signature earthiness to be found as an added extra. This too is an excellent wine of great character and refinement. It was a pleasure to drink.
Dry Creek 2003 Russian River Cabernet Sauvignon ($21). This particular wine is produced from grapes grown in the Dry Creek Valley, an area that produces some of the best cabernet sauvignon grapes in California. A side effect of growing grapes in the Dry Creek Valley is the dusty, mineral element that is imparted to the wine. This wine displays a berry and black cherry aroma all wrapped in the haunting mineral sensation of the Dry Creek Valley. As the aroma opens, one can detect vanilla, oak and spice. The flavor concentrates on a mineral laced black cherry, black plums, cocoa, and oak. The tannins are restrained and are soft, but not too soft. The finish too is cherry based with the signature Dry Creek Valley minerals still in evidence. This is a grand wine and truly a treat.
Dry Creek 2004 Russian River Fume Blanc ($25). Fume Blanc is the name given to a dry but full flavored sauvignon blanc wine. The Dry Creek 2003 Russian River Fume Blanc wine displays the traditional flavors and aromas of citrus and grass with a hint of ripe melon, nectarine and peach in the background. While sauvignon blanc wines usually accompanies shell fish, the abundance of fruit and flavor allow it to also go along with salads, mild cheese dishes and modestly seasoned chicken dishes as well as a stand alone aperitif.
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