Production is small at Garden Creek Ranch, which accounts for the Alexander Valley winery’s exclusivity. Proprietors and winemakers Karin and Justin Warnelius-Miller craft approximately 1,800 cases of Garden Creek Tesserae, a classic Cabernet Sauvignon blend, and 400 cases of Garden Creek Chardonnay, all of which is sold directly from the winery by allocation to mailing list members and visitors. And those on that mailing list might not appreciate this heralding of the winery, lest their favorites sell-out. But the wines are simply too stellar to stay under wraps, and after 55 years of winegrowing and 24 years of winemaking, it’s time that Garden Creek claim a bit of the Sonoma winemaking spotlight.
A recent 98 point score from Decanter for their 2004 flagship Tesserae red wine provided the winery and the Warnelius-Millers with validation for their process and philosophy. That philosophy is steeped in soil specificity. The Garden Creek vineyards are managed block by block and by soil selection. The vineyard features thirteen soil types. Justin and Karin closely monitor soil moisture, air temperatures and barometric pressures. Any supplements are purely organic. The results yield elegant wines of purity, typicity and balance.
For the Estate Chardonnay, 11 individual clones are grown, from which a range of three to eight are utilized in the varying vintages. Aged one year in French barriques with an additional three years in cellar upon release, this wine is luscious and sophisticated with noble wine depth. The winery’s flagship wine, Tesserae, is a Cabernet Sauvignon aged two years in French barriques with an additional six years in bottle upon release. A quiet luxury, this sophisticated wine exudes grace and power. Karin and Justin will also soon launch a second label, WarneliusMiller, featuring a Pinot Noir of depth and ageability, made from their newly acquired seven-acre Golden Fleece vineyard that sits above the fog line in the Anderson Valley.
Located in the eastern hills of the Mayacamas Mountains, near the town of Geyserville, Garden Creek Ranch was founded in 1963 by Justin’s father, who planted the first vineyard in 1969. He believed in Alexander Valley’s potential to grow and produce world-class wines and that conviction led him to petition for the establishment of the Alexander Valley AVA. He was a founding member of the Alexander Valley Winegrowers organization in 1984. Justin took the reins in 1995 when he was just 19 years old, immediately instituting a higher standard of winegrowing with sustainable viticulture methodologies—regenerative farming, before it was even a term. His foresight was monumental for the future of their vineyards.
All the while, just a few miles away, Karin was tending to her own family’s 200 acre vineyard, the grapes of which they sold to Gallo. Having known each other their entire lives, Justin and Karin eventually fell in love when Karin returned to the region after working abroad. Their mutual passion for winegrowing paired with their shared youth bloomed into a commitment not just to each other but to building upon their families’ generational farming legacies. The two share winemaking duties as well a fervent vision of finely articulated winegrowing and a belief in the intimate relationship of a farmer’s hand with the vine. “Justin and I were born into winegrowing,” says Karin. “When we were children, we were expected to work in the vineyards each day alongside our parents. This is how we came to respect the meaning of seasons in the vineyards, the sensitive physiology of the vine and the meaning of hard work. We are the land; the land is us. Our hearts beat as one.”
Today, Garden Creek is 100% solar-powered and in 2005 became the first winery to gain approval from the State of California to recycle gray water for compost. In 2018, it was chosen as one of eleven landmark vineyards to set the standards for the Sonoma County Sustainability Certification Program. In 2019, Garden Creek Ranch became one of the first vineyards to study its carbon footprint as a vineyard operation in Sonoma County. The 100-acre property has 72 acres under vine; the average vine age is 45 years. 60% of their grapes are sold to Sonoma County wineries for their ultra-premium bottlings.
Karin and Justin take great pride in personally hosting guests at Garden Creek. Their commitment to winegrowing and producing handcrafted, limited-production wines, extends to their purposeful sharing of the wines. Hence, Garden Creek is open by advance appointment and to mailing list members. “When we tell a wine’s story, we share the human side of the story,” says Karin. “Our wines are deeply personal, and our members often develop an emotional connection to our family and the estate. Winegrowing is more than wine, a vineyard or culture – it’s our family. Deep connections and lifelong friendships are made.”
Photos courtesy of Garden Creek Ranch Vineyards Winery