Dry Creek

According to Dry Creek, this was an "almost perfect" vintage for zinfandel. That's particularly significant because Dry Creek has demonstrated to my satisfaction that its zinfandels can age brilliantly for decades in top vintages. (Samples of the 1997, 1981 and 1979 Dry Creek zinfandels were exceptional in recent tastings.) This full-bodied red wine, bolstered with 13 percent petite sirah, is superbly flavorful - with generous raspberry and blackberry fruit and hints or anise, chocolate, black pepper and herbs.

According to Dry Creek, this was an "almost perfect" vintage for zinfandel. That's particularly significant because Dry Creek has demonstrated to my satisfaction that its zinfandels can age brilliantly for decades in top vintages. (Samples of the 1997, 1981 and 1979 Dry Creek zinfandels were exceptional in recent tastings.) This full-bodied red wine, bolstered with 13 percent petite sirah, is superbly flavorful - with generous raspberry and blackberry fruit and hints or anise, chocolate, black pepper and herbs.

Year in and year out, this is one of California's best values. It's crisp, clean and dry, with none of the tutti-frutti quality of many California chenin blancs. It would be even better if Dry Creek could get this wine to market in time for summer, which is when you can really use a refreshing wine such as this one.

This voluptuous, ripe, full-bodied red wine displays a smooth, silky texture and intense flavors of plums, blackberries and chocolate. It's a good amalgam of traditional Rhone Valley style and California ripeness. While good now, it will certainly develop over five to seven years. Serve with beef, lamb, chili.

2001 Preston of Dry Creek "Hartsock" Sauvignon Blanc, Dry Creek Valley ($18). This well-crafted Sonoma County white wine grabs hold of the palate with penetrating flavors of sweet peas, herbs, pears and juniper. It shows excellent balance and, while it is definitely an herbal wine, it doesn't push that quality to extremes. Serve it with highly spiced seafood dishes or Cajun cuisine. Apart from this wine, readers should be aware that Preston is one of the most consistent performers in its price category in California.

2002 Dry Creek Vineyard Fume Blanc, Sonoma County ($13). Another vintage, another Dry Creek fume blanc to recommend. Year after year, Dry Creek produces exceptional wine from this grape, also known as sauvignon blanc, at a very reasonable price. This year's version is bone-dry and complex, with fresh and intense flavors of gooseberry, herbs, pears and minerals. A little severe to drink by itself, it cried out to be served with seafood -- especially grilled salmon.

2005 Dry Creek Vineyard Dry Chenin Blanc, Clarksburg ($10.50) Spring is a-coming and it's time to load up on Dry Creek chenin blanc -- consistently one of California's best deals in a dry white wine. It's good to see Dry Creek getting this wine out to market while it's still young and fresh. It's a vibrant wine with a smorgasbord of flavors -- pear, minerals, mint, melon, cherry, lime -- and a crisp, crackling feel. It's best if consumed between now and Labor Day. Serve with soft-shell crabs, spicy Asian food.

1998 Dry Creek Vineyard Old Vines Zinfandel, Sonoma County ($18). The 1998 vintage in northern California was not a kind one for zinfandel, and many respected producers turned in subpar performances. Not so with Dry Creek, whose Old Vines bottling is a rich, balanced, chunky and satisfying red wine with no obvious flaws. It's a meaty, earthy wine with plenty of blackberry and pepper flavor. Dry Creek manages to deliver impressive power without going over the top. Serve with grilled steak, venison or a hearty stew or pasta dish.

1998 Dry Creek Sonoma County Fume Blanc ($11.50).This crisp, clean, cutting, herbal sauvignon blanc (also known as fume blanc) is a return to the slashing, grassy style of Dry Creek's early days. It's not for everyone, but it's a delicious, bone-dry white wine with great Loire-style flavors and not a hint of oak. Serve this beauty with shellfish or other seafood.

1997 Dry Creek Fume Blanc, Sonoma County ($12).This dry sauvignon blanc from one of California's best producers of that varietal displays fresh flavors of minerals, herbs and pear. More full-bodied than most sauvignon blancs that aren't steeped in oak, the Dry Creek nevertheless is racy enough to refresh the palate. It is a natural with lightly seasoned salmon dishes.Pub Date: 5/27/98@

2005 Dry Creek Vineyard Dry Chenin Blanc, Clarksburg ($10.50) Spring is a-coming and it's time to load up on Dry Creek chenin blanc -- consistently one of California's best deals in a dry white wine. It's good to see Dry Creek getting this wine out to market while it's still young and fresh. It's a vibrant wine with a smorgasbord of flavors -- pear, minerals, mint, melon, cherry, lime -- and a crisp, crackling feel. It's best if consumed between now and Labor Day. Serve with soft-shell crabs, spicy Asian food.

If you're a fan of no-holds-barred zinfandel, this is a sterling example of the breed - with true "old vines" character and intense blackberry, spice and black-pepper flavors. Made from vines older than 80 years old, it's not for the faint of palate. For all its power, its texture is smooth and there's no sign of alcoholic heat in the finish. Serve with - - pizza, pasta, red meat

2003 Preston of Dry Creek Vin Gris, Rose Table Wine, Dry Creek Valley ($10). Summer is the time of year to enjoy dry, crisp rose wines - and California is now producing some of the finest pink wines in the world. They may lack snob appeal, but roses such as this one deliver plenty of flavor without the cloying sweetness that has given the category a bad name. This wine exudes gripping flavors of strawberry, cherry and herbs and finishes clean and long. It would be a fine companion to grilled seafood or can stand on its own as an aperitif.

2001 Preston of Dry Creek "Hartsock" Sauvignon Blanc, Dry Creek Valley ($18). This well-crafted Sonoma County white wine grabs hold of the palate with penetrating flavors of sweet peas, herbs, pears and juniper. It shows excellent balance and, while it is definitely an herbal wine, it doesn't push that quality to extremes. Serve it with highly spiced seafood dishes or Cajun cuisine. Apart from this wine, readers should be aware that Preston is one of the most consistent performers in its price category in California.

2000 Dry Creek Vineyard Dry Chenin Blanc, Clarksburg ($8.75). If only more California wineries knew what to do with chenin blanc, a classic but underappreciated white-wine grape from the Loire Valley of France. Too few make chenin blanc at all, and too many of those make it syrupy-sweet. Not Dry Creek. Its chenin blanc is bone-dry, fresh, crisp, delightful and sensationally priced. It offers subtle flavors of apple, melon, minerals and sweet peas -- with maybe just a hint of cherry. It's an exceptional summer wine to serve with seafood or Asian cuisine or to enjoy by itself.