Charles Creek Vineyard
Encyclopedia
Charles Creek Vineyard is a winery in Sonoma, California
that specializes in Chardonnay
and Cabernet Sauvignon
wine
and dessert wine
.
in 2000. Owning property on Sonoma Mountain
since 1984, the Brinton's had been experimenting with winemaking
since their first planting of Chardonnay in 1992, and after the sale of Wiman they chose to move to Sonoma from SanFrancisco.
After several experiments with Chardonnay and Merlot grapes, the Brinton's decided to focus on working with regional grape growers and made their small vineyard into a solar farm.
In 2002 they founded Charles Creek, which is named after the couple's son Charley and Bill's grandfather, Charles Deere Winman.
including: Merlot and Chardonnay growers Hyde Vineyard and Sangiacomo Vineyards and Cabernet Sauvignon growers Mountain Terraces Vineyard and Stage Coach Vineyard Not owning their own production facility they work with Sonoma Wine Company, a custom winery production facility. Charles Creek maintains their own barrels and inventory at Sonoma Wine, which the Brinton's believe helps keep their costs down and their wine at a reasonable price point.
Working with consulting winemaker Kerry Damskey they released their first commercial wine Patolitas in 2002. Damskey continues to work with the winery up to the present.
- a mascot
of the tasting room, a tribute to Bill's grandmother, who bore the nickname Owl, and a life-sized cow made entirely of wine corks
.
Sonoma, California
Sonoma is a historically significant city in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA, surrounding its historic town plaza, a remnant of the town's Mexican colonial past. It was the capital of the short-lived California Republic...
that specializes in Chardonnay
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...
and Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...
wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
and dessert wine
Dessert wine
Dessert wines are sweet wines typically served with dessert.There is no simple definition of a dessert wine. In the UK, a dessert wine is considered to be any sweet wine drunk with a meal, as opposed to the white fortified wines drunk before the meal, and the red fortified wines drunk after it...
.
History
Charles Creek was founded in January 2002 by husband and wife Bill & Gerry Brinton. A veteran of the beverage industry, Bill owned the Wiman Beverage Company since 1993. They chose to sell Wimans as their interest in winemaking grew, selling it to Naked JuiceNaked Juice
Naked Juice is an American brand of natural fruit juice drinks produced by the Naked Juice Company of Monrovia, California; operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of PepsiCo. The first of these drinks were produced in 1983 and sold in California under the name "Naked Juice", referring to their...
in 2000. Owning property on Sonoma Mountain
Sonoma Mountain
Sonoma Mountain is a prominent landform within the Sonoma Mountains of southern Sonoma County, California. At elevation of , Sonoma Mountain offers expansive views of the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Sonoma Valley to the east...
since 1984, the Brinton's had been experimenting with winemaking
Winemaking
Winemaking, or vinification, is the production of wine, starting with selection of the grapes or other produce and ending with bottling the finished wine. Although most wine is made from grapes, it may also be made from other fruit or non-toxic plant material...
since their first planting of Chardonnay in 1992, and after the sale of Wiman they chose to move to Sonoma from SanFrancisco.
After several experiments with Chardonnay and Merlot grapes, the Brinton's decided to focus on working with regional grape growers and made their small vineyard into a solar farm.
In 2002 they founded Charles Creek, which is named after the couple's son Charley and Bill's grandfather, Charles Deere Winman.
Wine production
Charles Creek works with a number of wine growers throughout Sonoma and NapaNapa Valley AVA
Napa Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Napa County, California, United States. Napa Valley is considered one of the top wine regions in the United States...
including: Merlot and Chardonnay growers Hyde Vineyard and Sangiacomo Vineyards and Cabernet Sauvignon growers Mountain Terraces Vineyard and Stage Coach Vineyard Not owning their own production facility they work with Sonoma Wine Company, a custom winery production facility. Charles Creek maintains their own barrels and inventory at Sonoma Wine, which the Brinton's believe helps keep their costs down and their wine at a reasonable price point.
Working with consulting winemaker Kerry Damskey they released their first commercial wine Patolitas in 2002. Damskey continues to work with the winery up to the present.
Tasting room
Charles Creek maintains a tasting room, art gallery and retail space on the square in downtown Sonoma. Two creatures pay special homage in the tasting room - the owlOwl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
- a mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
of the tasting room, a tribute to Bill's grandmother, who bore the nickname Owl, and a life-sized cow made entirely of wine corks
Bung
A bung is truncated cylindrical or conical closure to seal a container, such as a bottle, tube or barrel. Unlike a lid which encloses a container from the outside without displacing the inner volume, a bung is partially inserted inside the container to act as a seal...
.