Philosophy

Located in the heart of Sonoma County's Bennett Valley, Matanzas Creek Winery was founded over two decades ago during a time when only a handful of California wineries focused on crafting superior, premium wine. Guided by a simple, but profound, commitment to quality above all else, the Estate has, in the years since its establishment, emerged as one of the most consistent and influential quality leaders in the global wine industry.

Our team at Matanzas Creek Winery builds on our quarter-century heritage as we continue to develop the Bennett Valley as the preeminent source of Merlot in North America.

Estate History

Over 25 years ago Matanzas Creek Winery established a lasting tradition – a commitment to crafting exceptional wines sourced from the finest Sonoma County vineyards. This commitment, coupled with the beauty of the Estate's home in Sonoma County's Bennett Valley, has produced a Northern California treasure.

Founded in 1977, Matanzas Creek Winery is located on the site of a retired dairy farm in Sonoma County's newest American Viticultural Appellation (AVA), Bennett Valley. The Estate takes its moniker from the natural creek running through the area, which was named by Spanish settlers for the Pomo Indian deer hunts once common in the area. In 1985 the original winery, a converted dairy barn, gave way to a modern winemaking facility. The most recent addition to the winemaking facility is a new barrel chai built in 2000.

Over the past quarter-century our Estate's vineyard holdings have doubled in size. New plantings of Merlot and Syrah added in the late 1990's increase the total Estate plantings to over 80 acres. The development of the 120-acre Jackson Park Vineyard (located across Bennett Valley Road from the winery) in 1996 established Matanzas Creek Winery's leadership role in Bennett Valley winegrowing community. In 2004, 40 acres of Chardonnay (located along Bennett Valley Road in the Estates ‘front yard') was replanted to ensure the quality of our Chardonnay fruit maintained the rigid standards of our winemaking team.

This is an especially exciting time in our Estate's history as Bennett Valley was formally recognized as an American Viticultural Appellation (AVA) in December 2003. The recognition of Bennett Valley as an official appellation formally acknowledges the unique climate, soil profile, topography and aspects of this prestigious wine growing region. Specifically, Bennett Valley is unique as its three mountains – Sonoma, Bennett and Taylor – capture a direct cool air stream from the ocean. This air stream, called the Petaluma Wind Gap, promotes a cooler, longer growing season that results in intense, more complex wines.

Also exciting is the addition of our new Winemaker, Francois Cordesse. Celebrating his fifth harvest at Matanzas Creek Winery with the 2005 harvest. Francois was promoted to Winemaker in early 2005. Partnering with Vineyard Manager Brandon Axell, Francois continues the pursuit of crafting Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah from Sonoma County's grandest mountain vineyards.