If you’ve been reading this series from the beginning about our latest visit to the Dry Creek Valley (and if you haven’t, why not?), you may recall that we added one more winery to our itinerary. When we were visiting with winemaker Antoine Favero at Mazzocco Sonoma, he graciously suggested that we pay a visit to the latest addition to the Wilson Artisan Wineries portfolio.
The legacy of Ken and Diane Wilson is cemented in Sonoma and Mendocino Counties. They started with the acquisition of the Warm Springs Ranch vineyard in the northern Dry Creek Valley AVA and then moved on to purchasing several more vineyards and wineries: Wilson Winery of Dry Creek, Mazzocco Sonoma, DeLorimier, Matrix, Soda Rock, Pezzi King, St. Anne’s Crossing, Jaxon Keys and Greenwood Ridge – winemaking duties are split between Diane Wilson, Antoine Favero and Chris Barrett. There are also two tasting rooms in downtown Healdsburg. The Rockpile Vineyards tasting room showcases the wines they make from the Rockpile AVA and the Coyote Sonoma Tasting Room offers a wide selection of wines under this label and other Wilson labels as well as beer tasting and live entertainment. They also offer lodging at their various B&Bs and vineyard properties.
But, one thing was apparently missing. While all the Wilson owned properties are beautiful, adding a true high-end luxury property to the group would be the icing on the cake. So when the 37-acre winery property that is now known as Kenneth Carl Estate became available, that filled that goal very nicely.
So, for our last winery visit that week we took the drive out on West Dry Creek Road to check out Kenneth Carl Estate. As we arrived at the long driveway that would take us to the tasting room which had only opened a few months earlier, the first thing we noticed was the sign at the entrance with a fish on it. What was that about? What does that have to do with wine? We were soon to find out.
When we arrived at the tasting room, we were warmly greeted by tasting room manager Jahlial. He presented us with glasses of the Wilson Wineries famous Kenneth Carl Brut and invited us to explore the property for as long as we wanted.
The brut is made up of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay, presenting us with tasty notes of lemon zest and orchard fruit. The grapes are sourced from Iron Horse Vineyards in Green Valley in the Russian River Valley AVA near Sebastopol.
We strolled through the vineyards and tasting gardens that extend all the way down to the famous Dry Creek and also checked out the various lodging options the property offers. The property includes two large guest houses as well as a separate King suite.
Arriving back at the tasting room, Jahlial was waiting for us, ready to present the wines for our tasting along with cheese pairings for each. These wines are all made by Antoine Favero and are all Dry Creek Valley AVA wines.
The wines we tasted:
2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot, this wine had earthy notes with a kiss of vanilla and won Gold at the 2025 Sonoma County Harvest Fair. It was paired with Marin French Triple Crème Truffle Cheese.
2022 Red Blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Zinfandel, 10% Syrah and 1% Merlot. This unusual blend was outstanding. We joked with Jahlial that the 1% Merlot must have put it over the top. We noted currant and dark stone fruit with a hint of tobacco on the palate. The pairing was with Point Reyes Gouda Cheese. The wine took Double Gold at the 2025 Sunset International Wine Competition.
2022 Syrah Reserve. 100% Syrah, the wine had tasted of blackberry with bright acidity and a firm tannin structure. The cheese pairing was Cypress Grove Lamb Chopper. It also earned a Gold medal at the 2025 Sonoma County Harvest Fair.
2021 Zinfandel. 95% Zinfandel and 5% Petite Sirah, this wine was fruit forward, deep and rich, with ripe cranberry and blueberry flavors. It had a very full mouthfeel and extended finish and was paired with Aged Cheddar.
We were finished with the official tasting menu. Jahlial did a fantastic job explaining the property and wines. The cheese pairings were expertly selected to enhance the experience. But Jahlial had one more wine for us to taste…
2022 Pocket Highlands Cabernet Sauvignon. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Alexander Valley AVA. A big wine with bing cherry zing, it was young and vibrant. The grapes were grown at a high elevation in the Asti area east of Cloverdale. Pocket Peak is a new proposed AVA. This wine took Gold at the 2025 Sonoma County Harvest Fair.
The tasting experience and the property are so enjoyable. It was a great way to end our week. A big thank you to Antoine for making this happen. Kenneth Carl Estate was worth our time and we know it will be the same for you. One last thing though…the fish on the sign. Jahlial told us that the Wilsons are helping to bring back the endangered fish populations to Dry Creek. The winery’s motto is on their website: Our Mission Is To Restore The Endangered Salmon and Trout Populations By Preserving Habitat Along Dry Creek Which Runs Through Our Vineyards. Just another good reason to support this winery.
7462 West Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg, CA 95448
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.
