Celebrating Our 30th Anniversary
This year, Christopher Creek Winery will be celebrating its 30th
Anniversary. Established in 1974 by the Chaikin Family, the original
name of the winery was Sotoyome, after the original land grant in the
area. The winery used redwood fermentation tanks and produced a variety
of wines including Syrah and Petite Sirah. The redwood staves from the
tanks now serve as paneling on the walls in the Tasting Room.
In 1989, the winery was sold to Susan and John Mitchell who changed the
name to Christopher Creek, after their son Christopher, and the creek
that runs through the property. The Mitchells won many awards for the
Petite Sirah and Syrah they produced.
In 1997, the current owners, Pam and Fred Wasserman purchased the winery. During this
period, a number of new wines were introduced including Viognier, Port,
Zinfandel, Cabernet and Reserve Syrah. The Wine Club was started as
well and now has 1,600 members.
During the 30 years that this
family winery has been in business, the wines produced have been
consistent award winners with many Best of Class and Gold Medals. The
red wines have aged well. We are pleased this year to celebrate our
30th Anniversary at “Syrah Stampede” on Saturday, August 14th.
Annual Syrah Fiesta
Join us for our annual Syrah Fiesta
on Saturday, May 15th from 11 am to 4 pm. We will pair our Syrah with
Mexican food. Syrah compliments spicy food very well. Barrel sample our
2003 Russian River Estate Bottled Reserve Syrah and enjoy tasting a
vertical of older vintages of Syrah from our cellar. You will also be
able to purchase “Futures” of the Reserve Syrah. As a special offering,
taste our limited release 2000 Deux Barrique, 50% Petite Sirah and 50%
Russian River Zinfandel. There is no charge for this event. Cellar Club
Members can pick up their Spring shipment at this event. We hope to see
you there.
Petite Sirah Released
A Spring Cellar Club Selection, our Petite Sirah was released at Barrel Weekend in
March. It is available for purchase in the winery or by phone, fax or e-mail. Our estate grown Petite
Sirah grapes, as always, receive very special care during the 2002 growing season. We are fortunate to
have several blocks of Petite Sirah each with varying age, elevation and sun exposure. We hand-thinned
the crop and did extensive deleafing to expose the fruit which maximizes pigment in the berry’s skin.
All this work paid off and allowed us to get concentrated and healthy fruit. This perfectly balanced
wine is rich in tannins and has fully developed, complex flavors of cassis, blackberry, coffee and spice.
As with past vintages, the wine should age over 7-to-10 years. We would recommend bottle aging at least
a year before drinking, so that the tannins will soften and the fruit shine. Should you want to drink
earlier, we suggest decanting 1/2 hour before serving.
Petite can be enjoyed with many foods and can make a meal more memorable. Our suggestions
for pairing are: Game birds, (especially duck, goose and quail), turkey, venison, lamb and beef. If you
are preparing gravy, try adding a tablespoon of wine to each cup of gravy to integrate the food and wine.
Harvested September 2002
Released March 2004
2 tons/acre
Aged in American oak barrels
582 cases produced
Bottle Price $29.00
Past Newsletters
Winter 2003 2001 Dry
Creek Cabernet, 2002 Russian River Chardonnay
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Release of the Russian River Estate Bottled Syrah
Produced from grapes grown at the winery site, our 2002 Estate Bottled Syrah displays black
plum and black cherry fruit, with tastes of cocoa, spice, mineral and subtle smoky notes. On the palate,
the texture is smooth and ample with a very long complex finish created by the rich, yet soft tannins. We
would recommend bottle aging this wine for at least a year before drinking to let the tannins soften and the
fruit fully develop. We would expect this wine to age well for 5 years. Try our Syrah with BBQ tri-tip roast,
game, lamb, beef stew or spicy food. Syrah is also a great food companion to chocolate.
Harvested September 2002
Released Spring 2004
3.2 tons/acre
Aged 13 months in French oak barrels
448 cases produced
Bottle price $22.00
Gift Packs
Thinking about a giving a special gift? Well, think about giving a Christopher Creek Wine Gift Pack or a
lead free Ravenscroft Crystal Wine Decanter. Some of our options for gift packs are:
- Red and White Rhone, which includes a bottle of our 2001 Estate Bottled Syrah
and 2002 Catie’s Corner Viognier for
$47.00 (Cellar Club price $37.60), plus shipping and tax.
- Our 2000 Deux Barrique (50% Petite Sirah and 50% Russian River Zin) plus a lead free
Ravenscroft Crystal Doric Decanter for $82.00 (Cellar Club price $ 65.60,) plus shipping and tax.
We can also customize any gift pack to meet your specific needs. Call us at 707- 431-243 to
place an order or to find out more about what wines are available. Mother’s Day is not far off! Our 2002 Late
Harvest Viognier is sure to please!
Upcoming Events
Syrah Fiesta, Saturday, May 15, 11 am-4 pm
At the Winery, enjoy Mexican food paired with Syrahs and Barrel Tasting of our 2003 Reserve Syrah.
Syrah Stampede, Saturday, August 14, 11 am-4 pm
Join us at our “7th Annual Syrah Stampede.” We will also be celebrating our 30th anniversary at this
event. Come try our BBQ Ranch food and barrel samples of Reserve Syrah and Cabernet. So saddle up partner and we’ll
see you at the Stampede.
Fall for Zin, Saturday, October 23, 11 am- pm
This is our second annual event celebrating Zinfandel. We will again have our dueling Zins—the Russian River versus
Dry Creek—as well as a hearty “Fall Fare” on a beautiful Fall day in the wine country.
More Awards—From Just Three Competitions
- 2002 Estate Bottled Petite Sirah—Silver Medal (only 1 competition tasting so far)
- 2002 Catie’s Corner Viognier—Gold Medal, 2 Silver Medals
- 2002 Dry Creek Zinfandel—Gold Medal, 2 Silver Medals
- 2002 Estate Bottled Russian River Syrah—Silver Medal (only 1 competition tasting so far)
- 2001 Estate Bottled Russian River Reserve Syrah—Gold Medal, Silver Medal
- 2001 Russian River Zinfandel–2 Silver Medals
- 2001 Dry Creek Cabernet—Silver Medal (only 1 competition tasting so far)
- 2002 Chardonnay—Silver Medal (only 1 competition tasting so far)
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Spring
2004