The best Zinfandel wineries
Dry Creek Valley is one of the best places on earth for Zinfandel. If you taste one grape on your trip, taste this one, and taste it here.
Zinfandel gets unfairly dismissed by people who have only had the cheap jammy version. The old-vine Zins of Dry Creek Valley are a different thing: structured, spicy, and balanced, with decades-old vines giving real depth. These are the producers we send Zin lovers to. Book the seated tastings ahead, especially on weekends.
Ridge Lytton Springs
The benchmarkThe reference point for California field-blend Zinfandel, made hands-off from old vines, with a terrace that looks over the exact ground the wine comes from. If you taste one serious Zin on your trip, make it here. Reserve ahead.
A. Rafanelli Winery
Old-school cultA fourth-generation family winery making some of the most sought-after Zin in the valley, sold mostly to a loyal mailing list. The tasting is low-key and personal, on a hillside above the valley. Appointment only and it books out, so plan early. This is the insider's Zinfandel stop.
Mauritson Wines
Single-vineyard depthSix generations of farming, and a modern room pouring single-vineyard Zinfandels from the high-elevation Rockpile area above Lake Sonoma. Tasting these side by side is the best lesson in how much site changes Zin. Polished without being stuffy.
Bella Vineyards
View & a caveCave tastings and a hilltop view at the north end of the valley, focused tightly on Zinfandel from century-old estate vines and small growers. Atmospheric and easy to love, and a cool refuge on a hot day.
Seghesio Family Vineyards
History & convenienceItalian-family Zin with more than a century of history, right in town so it is easy to add to any day. Bocce, an arbored picnic grove, and Zins alongside Sangiovese and other Italian grapes. The friendly, accessible end of serious Zinfandel.
Mazzocco, up the valley, pours an almost comical number of single-vineyard Zinfandels each year if you want to go truly deep. And Limerick Lane, just south of town on the Russian River edge, makes exceptional old-vine Zin and Syrah and is worth the short detour.