Dry Creek Vineyard

David S. Stare completed a degree in Civil Engineering at MIT and an MBA at Northwestern before moving to Germany, where visits to local wineries sparked his interest in wine. Back in Boston by spring 1969, he enrolled in a wine appreciation class, and in June 1970 he and his family spent two weeks touring the Loire Valley, Bordeaux and Burgundy. After reading a Wall Street Journal article on California's prospects as a world-class wine region, Stare enrolled as a graduate student in winemaking at UC Davis and spent weekends scouting vineyard land from Monterey to Mendocino. On one of those trips he found a rundown 55-acre prune orchard across the street from the Dry Creek General Store in Healdsburg. He purchased the property and began planting in 1972, becoming the first new winery built in Dry Creek Valley since Prohibition. Inspired by the Loire Valley, Stare planted Sauvignon Blanc despite advice from agricultural experts who considered the varietal unsuited to the region.

• David Stare earned a Civil Engineering degree at MIT and an MBA at Northwestern before turning to wine after visiting Rhine and Mosel wineries while living in Germany
• A June 1970 trip to the Loire Valley, Bordeaux and Burgundy, followed by a Wall Street Journal article on California's wine prospects, set Stare on the path to Sonoma County
• While a UC Davis graduate student in winemaking, Stare found and purchased a 55-acre rundown prune orchard across from the Dry Creek General Store in Healdsburg
• Founded in 1972 as the first new winery in Dry Creek Valley after Prohibition; Stare planted Sauvignon Blanc against the advice of agricultural advisors

David Stare compiled a list of industry firsts that shaped Dry Creek Valley and California wine more broadly. He was first to plant Sauvignon Blanc in the valley and first to produce a Fumé Blanc in Sonoma County, both in 1972. He initiated the Dry Creek Valley AVA designation in 1983 and was first to label a wine with the appellation. He was also first to release a wine under the "Meritage" classification and first to coin the term "Old Vines" Zinfandel, both beginning with the 1985 vintage, according to the winery's own family history page and a June 2023 press release; an earlier winery news post from 2015 instead credits the Old Vine Zinfandel term to the 1987 vintage. In recognition of his career, Wine Enthusiast named Stare an "American Wine Legend" at its 2021 Wine Star Awards, and the California State Fair honored him with its Wine Lifetime Achievement Award, announced in June 2023 for the 2022 award year alongside wine writer Bob Thompson.

• First to plant Sauvignon Blanc in Dry Creek Valley and first to produce a Fumé Blanc in Sonoma County (1972)
• Initiated Dry Creek Valley's AVA status in 1983 and was first to label a wine with the appellation
• First to release a "Meritage" labeled wine and first to coin "Old Vines" Zinfandel, both beginning with the 1985 vintage per current winery materials; a 2015 winery news post instead cites the 1987 vintage for the Old Vine Zinfandel term
• Wine Enthusiast "American Wine Legend," 2021 Wine Star Awards
• California State Fair Wine Lifetime Achievement Award, announced June 2023 for the 2022 award year, shared with wine writer Bob Thompson

David Stare led the winery until his retirement in 2006. His daughter, Kim Stare Wallace, joined in 1987 as Director of Marketing, took on the role of Vice President in the mid-1990s, and has served as President since 2011. Her husband, Don Wallace, joined the winery in 1990 to manage ranch operations, became General Manager in 1999, and was appointed President in April 2006 before taking a sabbatical in 2012; he is now a Partner in the business. Tim Bell joined the winemaking team in 2011 and graduated with honors in winemaking from UC Davis; earlier in his career he worked at Freemark Abbey and then served as Director of Winemaking at Kunde. The North Bay Business Journal reported in May 2024 that Bell was promoted to Director of Winemaking as Brian Pruett moved up to take his place. Pruett, a Cal Poly San Luis Obispo graduate in Agricultural Business with a minor in Wine and Viticulture, joined Dry Creek Vineyard in March 2017 as Assistant Winemaker and was later promoted to Associate Winemaker and then Winemaker; he previously worked at Justin Vineyards and Winery, Peachy Canyon Winery and Ledson Winery and Vineyards.

• David Stare, Founder, retired in 2006
• Kim Stare Wallace joined in 1987 as Director of Marketing, became Vice President in the mid-1990s, and has been President since 2011
• Don Wallace joined in 1990 managing ranch operations, was General Manager from 1999, and served as President from April 2006 until a 2012 sabbatical; now a Partner
• Tim Bell joined the winemaking team in 2011 (UC Davis, with honors; previously Freemark Abbey and Director of Winemaking at Kunde) and was promoted to Director of Winemaking, reported May 2024
• Brian Pruett joined in March 2017 as Assistant Winemaker (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo; previously Justin Vineyards and Winery, Peachy Canyon and Ledson) and was promoted to Associate Winemaker, then Winemaker

Dry Creek Vineyard farms 185 acres of estate vineyards that are 100% Certified Sustainable, spanning named blocks in Dry Creek Valley and the Russian River Valley. DCV3, "The Original," is the site of Stare's first Sauvignon Blanc planting in Dry Creek Valley. DCV2, Four Clones Vineyard, is a dry-farmed, head-pruned Zinfandel block planted in 2009 with four clones on St. George rootstock: Bradford Mountain, St. Peter's Church, Primitivo and DuPratt. DCV7, Wallace Ranch, on the Wallace family's home property, was first planted with the Heritage Clone in 1994, using budwood grafted from a pre-Prohibition-era vineyard onto phylloxera-resistant rootstock; it is now the centerpiece of the estate Zinfandel program. DCV6, Bullock House, was replanted to Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 2009 and 2010. DCV9, Endeavour Vineyard, is a Cabernet Sauvignon-focused block in the Dry Creek Valley's Alluvial Gap terroir, developed by Don Wallace in the Lytton Springs area with a closed-loop rainwater system. DCV8, Farmhouse Vineyard, and DCV10, Block 10, lie in the Russian River Valley; Block 10 supplies Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The Dry Chenin Blanc is sourced outside these estate blocks, from Wilson Ranch in the Clarksburg AVA, a grower partnership of more than 40 years.

• 185 acres of estate vineyards, 100% Certified Sustainable, across Dry Creek Valley and Russian River Valley blocks
• DCV3, "The Original": site of David Stare's first Sauvignon Blanc planting in Dry Creek Valley
• DCV7, Wallace Ranch: first planted with the Heritage Clone in 1994, using budwood grafted from a pre-Prohibition vineyard onto phylloxera-resistant rootstock; now the centerpiece of the estate Zinfandel program
• DCV2, Four Clones Vineyard: dry-farmed, head-pruned Zinfandel planted 2009 with Bradford Mountain, St. Peter's Church, Primitivo and DuPratt clones
• Dry Chenin Blanc is sourced from Wilson Ranch in the Clarksburg AVA, a partnership of more than 40 years

Fumé Blanc has been produced since 1972, modeled after the Loire Valley whites that inspired Stare; it is fermented in stainless steel, made without animal-based fining agents, and bottled as a vegan wine. Sauvignon Blanc draws on the estate's Sauvignon Musqué and Sauvignon Gris clones, with stainless steel fermentation supplemented by small amounts of chestnut, acacia and neutral French oak. The Mariner, the winery's flagship Meritage blend of the five noble Bordeaux varietals, launched with the 2007 vintage. Old Vine Zinfandel traces to pre-Prohibition vineyards; the 2013 vintage was repackaged in 2015 with a laser-printed cork carrying sustainability information about the cork forest. Heritage Vines Zinfandel and Dry Chenin Blanc round out the winery's current signature lineup, the latter having been named to Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2025.

• Fumé Blanc: stainless steel fermented since 1972, styled after Loire Valley whites, vegan and made without animal-based fining agents
• Sauvignon Blanc: Sauvignon Musqué and Sauvignon Gris clones, stainless steel fermentation with small amounts of chestnut, acacia and neutral French oak
• The Mariner: Meritage blend of the five noble Bordeaux varietals, launched with the 2007 vintage
• Old Vine Zinfandel: rooted in pre-Prohibition vines; the 2013 vintage was repackaged in 2015 with a cork detailing the sustainability of its source forest

Dry Creek Vineyard's 2017 Heritage Vines Zinfandel and 2016 Estate Zinfandel Spencer's Hill were each named by the winery to Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines lists, for 2019 and 2020 respectively; Wine Spectator's own site independently confirms the wine's most recent Top 100 selection, the 2023 Dry Chenin Blanc, which the magazine ranked No. 24 on its Top 100 Wines of 2025. According to the winery's history page, its 1991 Reserve Merlot won the Grand Prix d'Honneur at the Challenge International du Vin in Bordeaux, France, an accolade the winery dates to 1995. Wine & Spirits Magazine named Dry Creek Vineyard a Top 100 Winery in 2015, and the winery says it was voted the Bay Area's Best Winery in SFGATE's Best of the Bay Area Awards in 2026.

• 2017 Heritage Vines Zinfandel: Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2019 (per the winery)
• 2016 Estate Zinfandel Spencer's Hill: Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2020 (per the winery)
• 2023 Dry Chenin Blanc: Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2025, ranked No. 24, independently confirmed on winespectator.com
• 1991 Reserve Merlot: Grand Prix d'Honneur, Challenge International du Vin, Bordeaux, France (per the winery's history page, dated 1995)
• Wine & Spirits Magazine Top 100 Winery, 2015; voted Bay Area's Best Winery in SFGATE's Best of the Bay Area Awards, 2026 (per the winery)

Sailing has been part of the Stare family's identity since before the winery existed; David Stare learned to sail as a child in Massachusetts and bought his first sailboat in the mid-1970s. Sailboat imagery first appeared on a Dry Creek Vineyard label in 1982, an idea Kim Stare Wallace developed with her father and Don Wallace; the winery's own pages describe the first sailboat-labeled wine inconsistently, alternately as a Reserve Fumé Blanc, a Reserve Merlot/Cabernet blend and a "Reserve Red." The winery went on to sponsor sailing programs and regattas for decades, including a nine-year partnership with US SAILING beginning in 2000, status as Official Wine Supplier of Artemis Racing for the 34th America's Cup in 2013, and selection as the Official Wine of the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series in New York and Chicago in 2016. On the sustainability side, Don Wallace pioneered the California Sustainable Winegrowing Program with the Wine Institute in 1998; the winery and its 185 estate acres are now 100% Certified Sustainable, and a solar installation is projected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2,134 tons of CO2 by 2037.

• Sailboat label imagery began in 1982; the winery's own pages give inconsistent accounts of which wine carried the first sailboat label
• Nine-year partnership with US SAILING from 2000; Official Wine Supplier of Artemis Racing for the 34th America's Cup (2013); Official Wine of the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series in New York and Chicago (2016)
• Don Wallace pioneered the California Sustainable Winegrowing Program with the Wine Institute in 1998
• Winery and all 185 estate acres are 100% Certified Sustainable; solar installation projected to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2,134 tons of CO2 by 2037

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://www.drycreekvineyard.com/, https://www.drycreekvineyard.com/history/, https://www.drycreekvineyard.com/our-family/, https://www.drycreekvineyard.com/our-crew/, https://www.drycreekvineyard.com/our-vineyards/, https://www.drycreekvineyard.com/our-story/, https://www.drycreekvineyard.com/philosophy/, https://www.drycreekvineyard.com/sustainability/, https://www.drycreekvineyard.com/visit/, https://www.drycreekvineyard.com/wine-for-sailors/, https://drycreekvineyard.com/dry-chenin-blanc/, https://drycreekvineyard.com/fume-blanc/, https://drycreekvineyard.com/sauvignon-blanc/, https://drycreekvineyard.com/old-vine-zinfandel/, https://drycreekvineyard.com/dry-creek-vineyard-founder-david-s-stare-receives-wine-lifetime-achievement-award-at-california-state-fair/. Secondary sources: The Press Democrat (February 18, 2022; May 30, 2024), Wine Spectator (winespectator.com wine detail page). Last verified 2026-09-08. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs; where the producer's own pages disagree with each other, the most current, actively maintained page governs and the discrepancy is noted above. Spot something off? Submit a correction to cheers@drycreekvineyard.com.