Don’t tell David Stare he can’t do something because if he has it in his mind, we will find a way to do it and become very successful at it. He is not the type to jump on the bandwagon simply because a trend is popular; instead, he is the one that created that trend and is driving the wagon that everyone else jumps on.

‘I Had To Stick To What I Knew Was Right,’ Says David Stare, founder Dry Creek Vineyard, American Wine Legend | Wine Enthusiast’s 2021 Wine Star Awards

Dave was originally a Boston Boy, raised in Needham, went to Fessenden School for the intellectually gifted, an MIT graduate, and earned an MBA at Northwestern University. He moved to Baltimore, where he worked for the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad till he was 30. While in Baltimore, Stare planted 50 French-American hybrid vines around his house, which led him down that rabbit hole that started him toward a career in winemaking. After a few years of living in Baltimore, he and his then-wife Gail wanted to live abroad. He secured a marketing job with a German steel company, and they moved to Germany, beginning a two-year journey living on the Rhine River, where wine became more than a passing hobby. When Dave returned to Boston, he enrolled in wine appreciation classes before returning to Europe on a trip to Burgundy, Loire Valley, and Bordeaux regions of France with the notion of entering the wine industry there. “I came up with the scatterbrain idea that what I wanted to do for the rest of my life was to move to France and to get into the wine business,” he said. “Fortunately for me and France, an article appeared in The Wall Street Journal about what a great future California had for becoming a world-class wine producing area. ... As a result, I forgot about France and turned my eyes to California.” In the summer of 1971, Dave, at the age of 30, packed his wife and two daughters up in their mint-green station wagon and moved to California to pursue his newfound career.

While spending a year at the University of California, Davis studying winemaking, Dave and his family spent their weekends exploring Napa and Sonoma for a property to buy for their dream winery. Stare honed in on the Healdsburg area for its 100-year history of grape growing. It helped, too, that land prices were reasonable. By March 1972, he had found his chosen spot, 70 acres of land with rundown prune orchards, and he was primed to make his vision a reality. Dave bought that piece of land with a handshake deal after a chat with a man ‘on a tractor’ across the street from the historic Dry Creek General Store and was the first new winery in Dry Creek Valley after Prohibition.

The first harvest in 1972 was quickly approaching, but the winery had yet to be built. David Stare purchased four tanks and a press and set them up at Cuvaison Winery in Calistoga, which at that time was owned by some good friends. Dave first purchased 6.5 tons of Chardonnay from Robert Young, which was delivered to Cuvaison since Dry Creek Vineyard hadn't purchased its own truck yet. About halfway over to Calistoga, the truck radiator overheated, started leaking and eventually came to a stop. The fellow working for Dave at the time didn’t know what to do, but he loved to chew bubblegum, so he filled the radiator with cool water, shoved his wad of gum in the hole to stop the leak, and the truck was able to limp over the hill and deliver the grapes. In a turn of irony, Dave later bought that same truck – after the radiator was fixed. A stick of gum saved Dry Creek Vineyard’s first harvest.

Settling in the area with his young family in 1972, Stare began his dream in earnest in 1973 by going against conventional wisdom. He started by planting Sauvignon Blanc on that old orchard, despite being told not to by the local ‘experts.’ “They told me Sauvignon Blanc would never grow in the Dry Creek Valley,” says Stare. “I knew I had to stick to what I knew was right. I was going to plant this variety come hell or high water.” He was the first to plant Sauvignon Blanc, and many have jumped on his wagon since. Sauvignon Blanc is now the dominant white variety in Dry Creek. In 1979 he was the first to label his wine coming from Dry Creek. The problem was the BATF informed him that there was no Dry Creek appellation and ordered him to take the wording off his label. So by 1983, he was responsible for helping to create the Dry Creek Valley appellation, and in 1983 it was the first winery to label its wine as such. He was also the first to use and promote the Meritage concept labeling his 1985 Bordeaux-style blend a “Meritage,” the same year he was the first to coin the term “old vines” for his 50-year-old vine Zinfandel. (Now they average 100 years old)

Another varietal that Dave Stare was ahead of the curve was Chenin Blanc—his time exploring Germany and the Loire Valley made him appreciate aromatic wines. Dry Creek Vineyard has produced a Dry Chenin Blanc every year since the winery was founded in 1972, way before Loire Valley Vouvrays or South African Chenin Blancs, Steen, were popular in the US. The 1973 Dry Chenin Blanc was served by President Ford and Carter at eight state dinners with visiting dignitaries. Today, aromatic wines are all the rage with the rise in demand for Riesling, Sauvignon Blancs, Muscats, Pinot Gris, and the like. These wines have fruity floral aromas caused by a component called monoterpenes, a telltale of aromatic wines. Chenin Blanc definitely falls into the aromatic category and, like the whole category, is becoming very popular. 

Dry Creek Vineyard produces the most highly awarded Chenin Blanc in the nation and remains the only American winery to produce this varietal for over 50 consecutive vintages of Chenin Blanc. It’s hard not to love Chenin Blanc; with gobs of clean fruit balanced by crisp, vibrant acidity, it is a party waiting to happen. If you haven’t already, it is time to jump on Dry Creek Vineyards, Dry Chenin bandwagon. This Chenin Blanc is a complex grape that is exciting and interesting, and I guarantee that you won’t be sorry.

On a side note, Dave Stare retired in 2006, and winery control was handed down to his daughter, Kim Stare Wallace, and her husband, Don. Dave is still involved in the winery, but now he has time for his other passions in life; he plays the trombone in the New Horizons Band of Sonoma County, the banjo in a separate Dixieland combo, and the ukulele on the side for fun. Dave also travels back to the East Coast frequently, whether to sail in Maine during the summer or to visit his sister and watch the New England Patriots. Dry Creek Vineyard’s pursuit of winemaking excellence has led to many international awards and accolades. Kim Stare Wallace was acknowledged by Wine Enthusiast’s Wine Executive ‘Wine Star” of the Year in 2019 and numerous other awards. The one that caught my eye was Kim and her dog Holly’s feature on the cover of Wine Spectator’s tribute to the dogs of California Wine Country. I’m a sap for dog stories.

Fermented in 100% stainless steel barrels, this beautiful wine is wonderfully bright and consistent vintage after vintage. At first swirl, aromatics of honeydew, watermelon, and mango spring forward from the glass with floral notes of jasmine and orange blossom. On the palate, the wine has refreshing flavors of peach, Meyer lemon, and cucumber with hints of geranium, white tea, and white pepper. The mouthfeel is soft but inviting, with a voluptuous texture. This classic Loire Valley-style wine is excellent when paired with fresh oysters, seafood, or just about anything.

The Dry Creek Vineyard Dry Chenin Blanc is always a star in this category. The 2021 vintage is bright and crisp. This wine offers aromas and flavors of mineral notes, pleasing chalkiness, and dried citrus peel. Wine.com 91 pts

Dry Creek Dry Chenin Blanc 2021  

I can’t tell you how delightful it was to taste this wine. Tim, who is good enough to taste these wines with me, is a big Riesling fan, and we both thought this was a great wine to enjoy the day with. Ripe fruit on the nose and palate, tropical fruit with some Pineapple, Quince, Lychee, and peach notes with a steely mineral component. Great acids make the fruit clean and really stand up. Perfect as a porch wine or a picnic basket wine. If you are a dry Riesling wine lover, then this wine is for you. Even if you are not, and looking for that cool wine to take the edge off on a hot afternoon, this wine will be your go-to wine.  

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John Hannum,

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