Dry Creek Valley has some amazing wineries. Some of the wineries are pretty large and offer multiple experiences with winery staff. But if you are looking for something more personal, there is nothing more personal than Frick Winery.
Bill Frick’s wine journey started at the ripe old age of 7. Yes, you read that right – S-E-V-E-N. On a family trip from his Southern California home to Northern California, his parents stopped in at Italian Swiss Colony Winery in Sonoma County. While of course he couldn’t taste the wines, he was captivated by the aromas, the grapevines and the entire experience.
Fast forward a couple of decades…In 1976, Bill and his wife Judith Gannon put everything they had (including the proceeds from the sale of their ’57 Chevy) into starting Frick Winery. Sadly, Judith passed away in 2002 and Bill has continued the winery operation pretty much doing everything himself, with just some help with harvest.
As one would expect, the Frick property is fairly small, at only 7.77 acres divided into three estate vineyards. The Owl Hill Vineyard, named after the barn owls that live there, consists of four acres of Syrah, Counoise, Mourvedre and Cinsaut. The Gannon Vineyard, named after Judith Gannon, is the front yard of Bill’s house and is planted to Viognier and Carignane. Finally, the Garibaldi Vineyard is a true heritage property with vines going back 105 years and is an old-style field blend of Mission, Burger, Palomino, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, White Muscat, Grenache and a few others. Producing only one barrel of wine each year, the vineyard is named after Babe Garibaldi-Gannon, Bill’s mother-in-law.
When visiting Frick, you’ll notice a few things. First, make an appointment! Bill does everything, including hosting you. Also, Bill specializes in Rhone varietals. Whether you are familiar with Rhones or not, you will love these wines. With 7.77 acres, production is only about 700 cases, with thirteen different bottlings, some single varietal and some blends. Wines sell out frequently so the tasting lineup changes.
Here’s what we tasted on our visit…
2021 Counoise, Estate Owl Hill Vineyard – 100% Counoise. Luminous garnet color and ripe raspberry notes on the nose. Juicy on the finish with light tannins and medium acidity and body.
2019 Cinsaut, Estate Owl Hill Vineyard and Red Bench Vineyard (which is in the west Dry Creek Valley) – 100% Cinsaut. Crimson in color. A lively nose with aromas of red fruits with mixed berry on the mouth with a tinge of a savory note. Medium body and finish.
2020 Syrah, Estate Owl Hill Vineyard – 100% Syrah. Dark violet, inky in color. Bouquet of berry fruit and plum/raisin on the tongue. Lengthy, lovely finish with full mouthfeel.
2021 7.7 Acres Red Blend, Estate Owl Hill and Estate Gannon Vineyards – 60% Syrah, 40% Carignane. Concentrated maroon in tint. Cranberry notes with a wisp of smokiness. Elegant, luscious finish.
One more thing. We don’t usually discuss prices as they don’t impact our reviews of the wines. But all the Frick wines are $29 per bottle. Try finding wines anywhere else of this quality at this price point. UnFrickingBelievable! [Sorry, couldn’t help it.]
Frick Winery
23072 Walling Rd, Geyserville, CA 95441
Michael and Karen Perlis have been pursuing their passion for wine for more than 30 years. They have had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show them the way and after a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as they possibly could, they had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Michael and Karen do their best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers.
