Winemaker Notes
Blend: 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Endeavour, a more limited cuvée of only 995 cases, is meant to be their top cuvée of Cabernet Sauvignon. It was aged 20 months in French oak prior to bottling. This is a serious, backward, rich, concentrated, firmly structured wine with a top-quality Bordeaux as an inspiration. Rich and deep, the wine has cedary graphite notes intermixed with blackcurrants, cherries and loamy soil notes. Dry Creek certainly seems to give an earthiness to its wines, much like Graves does in Pessac-Léognan. This wine is full-bodied and should not be touched for another 4-5 years, but it is clearly capable of lasting 25-30+ years.
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Wine Enthusiast
The producer does a fine job in this, one of its highest-end offerings, the wine including 10% Petit Verdot. Juicy and grippy in a generosity of black currant, cherry and gunpowder, it also has a leathery component that provides a sinewy edge.
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Wine Spectator
Reminiscent of a fine Bordeaux, this is well-structured and built to cellar, with a tight core of dusty blackberry, wild berry, cedary oak, gravel and road tar flavors, supported by chewy, fine-grained tannins. Drink now through 2030. 995 cases made.
Established in 1972, Dry Creek Vineyard is Dry Creek Valley’s flagship winery located in the heart of Sonoma County, California. As the region’s first new winery following Prohibition, founder David Stare paved the way for a viticultural rebirth in this vibrant winegrowing appellation. Among other industry benchmarks, Dry Creek Vineyard is recognized as the first winery to plant Sauvignon Blanc in the Dry Creek Valley, and was also the first to use the term “Meritage” with the 1985 vintage.
This premier, family-owned winery is now led by the second generation. Dave’s daughter, Kim Stare Wallace, serves as President overseeing a successful family winemaking and grape growing business that includes 185 acres of sustainably farmed vineyards. The second generation is dedicated to all aspects of the business, from vine to shelf, with a goal to remain one of the last truly private, family-owned, iconic wineries consistently producing 90+ point wines.
Dry Creek Vineyard is firmly committed to a “No Compromises” philosophy, producing appellation-focused, terroir-driven, varietal-defining wines, including Heritage Vines Zinfandel, which was selected as a Wine Spectator “Top 100” Wine of 2019. Named one of the Top 100 wineries of 2015 by Wine & Spirits Magazine and a Top 10 Tasting Room by USA TODAY, the winery is also 100% Certified Sustainable. Dry Creek Vineyard proudly produces delicious Dry Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Meritage blends as well as a portfolio of single vineyard selections.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
A multifaceted and highly reputable sub-region of Sonoma, Dry Creek Valley is responsible for a wide range of wine styles—both red and white. One of the smallest AVAs in California, Dry Creek Valley has a winning combination of ideal geography and climate. Fertile, well-drained soils create concentrated varietal character while long, warm days, bookended by cool nights, allow grapes to reach full phenolic ripeness and balance. The warm and welcoming appellation is home to a number of family-owned vineyards and wineries that place a strong emphasis on sustainable farming practices.
Zinfandel reigns supreme here and still produces in a great number of very old vineyards—often 100 years old or older. These old vines create a powerful, voluptuous and sultry wine unlike those of any other region. Sauvignon Blanc, the valley’s signature white grape, also performs exceptionally well. Many other varieties grow comfortably here, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache and Syrah. Petite Sirah is often found in blends with Zinfandel.