Mauritson Wines

Great and informative tasting experience. They were very generous in pouring and attentive. Loved learning about the Mauritson family, their history in the Dry Creek Valley and their influence in the Rockpile AVA. Their Zins are incredible and we especially enjoyed tasting the differences from different vineyards. And, we were especially surprised to find a Cab Franc! I would definitely return on future trips.

Best of DryCreek! Another 5 star experience. And I’m not even a member. I have been here about 10 times now and I’m shocked by others unfortunate experiences. The staff is excellent and the wine amazing. BEWARE This place CAN get busy because their huge parking area and building size looks like this is a great place to park a bus… so be prepared to have a flood of bachelorettes unexpectedly waltz in and change the dynamic of your tasting experience. But then again that happens everywhere in dry creek wineries. So I just relax and enjoy the quiet days, and meet new people on the busy days… But then again, I’m a glass half full (of wine) type person.
I like to trade wine referrals with people and this is usually on the top of everyone’s list. Industry people also love Mauritson and THAT’S saying something. NICK is my go-​to guy. He knows our preferences, he always remembers our favorite wines, and he has great local recommendations for other wineries and restaurants! We’ve LOVE the rest of the staff too; Lee, Anthony, and Tom are amazing. I’m not great with names so everyone else there will just have to settle for a big thank you!
Another great thing about Mauritson is that they’re always pouring a ton of wines. You get to explore sooo many wines in one place that you don’t need to go anywhere else. Everyone I bring here or recommend has all loved it.
If I could give 10 stars I would

We had setup a private tasting ahead of time for this past Sunday. When we arrived they were super busy and put us at a table in with the storage tanks (not a big deal as there were other tables in there too). What made this experience so poor was the lack of customer service. We didn’t have anybody from the winery to walk us thru their wines while we tasted. We just had random workers come by every 20 minutes to give us the next wine. It was like we were in a restaurant with poor service. Just not a very good experience at all. And when we complained, they said sorry that they were busier than normal and had a worker call out. So I can understand getting busier than normal, but when you have pre-​booked a private tasting you should be taken care of and we were not. Even at the end when we spoke to them about our experience and wanted to take advantage of the Visa Signature deal (BOGO on tastings) they refused saying it was a «private tasting» and not eligible for the Visa deal. Believe me our experience was far from a private tasting. Thus we will never go back, which is unfortunate for the wine maker and owner that they lose customers due to how they are treated in the tasting room.

Simply amazing wines at a reasonable price point (especially if you join their club). Everyone in the tasting room is extremely helpful, especially Tom and Nick. They’re known for their Rockpile Zins, but the Cabernet Franc and Charlie Clay Pinots are outstanding as well.

Great wines — especially their variety of Rockpile zin. Their property is great for picnics and the staff is amazing! Very friendly and welcoming.

Anthony, our sommelier for the afternoon, was great. He also resembles Jason Clarke (feel free to look that up to confirm). He has a pretty eclectic background, and shared a ton of information with us. And that was not just about the wines we were tasting (since my girlfriend joined the wine club, and bought a bunch of the Black Sheeps, I think he was more generous in offering us other tastings not on the standard menu), but the environment and chemistry too. I felt like I was hearing a talk from a professor, it was very interesting. His brother Tom helped us out initially, but took lunch soon after we arrived. The brothers, along with the othre staff member Nick, were all really chill and kept the mood light. The place does resemble a bar inside, and has the same type of hometown, come here after work to chat atmosphere. It was really busy at one point on Sunday afternoon, but tailed out after awhile to where we were the only two inside. Definitely recommended, as the staff is great and the wines are stellar.

Not much of a view to look at here. Kind of has a bar feel with bar stools at the counter. This is a no frills vineyard, but the wines and service are great. I was able to get a customized zin tasting that was off the menu. Actually ended up joining their wine club, and I’ve never joined a wine club before. The black sheep zin is amazing. If I didn’t get a taste of that, I probably wouldn’t have joined their wine club. Our sommelier started with Tom and while he went on break, his brother Anthony took over. They were both informative and friendly. We were able to try a lot of wines and ended getting a year’s worth of the black sheep and a few other zins/​cabs. Would recommend this place for zin lovers.

Knowing that our visitors like juicy red wines, we made sure to stop at Mauritson who are known for their zins and other red wines. It was a busy and crowded tasting room but the people behind the bar handled the crowd perfectly, not an easy job on a busy Saturday.
All the wines were tasty especially the Rockpile zins which combine juicy flavor, good acidity and smooth texture. The Rockpile AVA is not huge but you can taste the difference in the zins based on location within the vineyard. It is a great area for Zinfandel, overlooking Lake Sonoma.
As good as the zins were, I really liked the Cabernet Franc and bought a bottle for our next steak dinner! Mauritson is well worth a visit, located toward the beginning of Dry Creek Valley, a short distance from highway 101.

Nice setting, and good zin and sauvignon blanc, but my tasting at Mauritson ultimately left me out in the cold. Literally. (And on my birthday, no less.)
Some wineries welcome new fans and strive to create a friendly, inclusive feel. After all, today’s fan may be tomorrows wine club member and futures buyer. Then there are other wineries that seem to cultivate an elite class system where club membership is treated more like a country club, than a wine club. This is the reason we frequent low-​key, friendly Sonoma over Napa. Despite a great starter story of a six-​generation Swedish sheep family turned winemaker, our experience in the tasting room felt more like a classic tale of the haves and the have nots.
While we were there, sports cars pulled up in the parking lot alongside big wine limos with ladies in high heels piling out. This left an impression that Mauritson, despite being a small winery, seemed to be in the country club camp. We started with Jonathan in the tasting room, and enjoyed the education on the terriors and the AVA. It was a nice start. He offered that a tasty zin that we liked that was almost out, for us he could, «scare up a bottle.» Later, he drifted off to help other customers. His offer was soundly rescinded by the next person who helped us, Jonathan’s manager, who let us know unless we were club members and planned to purchase a case and not a bottle, we were out of luck. Jonathan and the tasting room manager ended up in a somewhat intense discussion about it. It was a real sink into the floor situation. Later were quietly told, maybe they’d sell us a magnum, but at that point we were so turned off. When a customer leaves feeling this way, they are probably not a repeat customer. It should go without saying that even if a mistake was made in extending the offer in the first place, a good business doesn’t renege, and certainly doesn’t put valued customers (we were in the process of buying several bottles) into uncomfortable situations.
The whole time we tasted, wine members continued to arrive for a backroom tasting event. As each member walked in, all attention in the room was sucked in their direction. If you like to feel like a VIP and have that confirmed by wine room staff, then by all means join the club. If you want to have a low-​key inclusive-​feeling experience, this is probably not your best option. After the weirdness wore off over the encounter, I decided it was okay. If I have to pick a side, I’m in favor of humble, innovative wineries that appreciate all levels of fan-​dom. Don’t want to be a member of any club that would make a customer feel awkward and uncomfortable.

Recommendation gone good! My wife and I popped in this place during our Valentines Day weekend get away. Her boss said we must pay them a visit, and I am happy to say it was well worth the trip.
We both ran through their wines via the $ 10 tasting option. It said 5 – 6 wines came in the tasting, but I swear we tried at least 10 = value. They poured us everything from their Sauvignon Blanc to their most popular style Zin. The workers were super friendly and knowledgeable.
If you are like us and enjoy places where you can bring snacks and hang out post-​tasting, you are in luck! They have tables with shade and a quaint grass area if you choose to bring a blanket and set up shop for a nice picnic.

We visited about 2 years ago and are going up March 31^st and are super excited. We LOVED their Rockpile Wines, so we can’t wait to taste them again. I also loved the Sauvignon Blanc.

Clay Mauritson, a 6^th generation winemaker, sells the majority of his winery’s fruit to other wineries, and does about 13,000 cases of his own. The wines are distributed to restaurants mostly, and direct from winery sales. The popular Rockpile label is all from that designated area, and one of the wine grape growing areas getting a buzz.
In the bright tasting room many guests had cozied up to bar stools — Clay’s father had brought one in for himself one day and realized how comfy it was so he had to bring in more. Carrie Mauritson, Clay’s wife, shared four different soil samples with us depicting the different areas they had chosen for grape growing. The example drove home the different terroir (earth and conditions) making up their wines.
During the tour we met Clay in his laboratory tasting samples. His energy was palatable for his task at hand, surprising, as they were also knee deep in harvest at the time.
Tasting Mauritson
2012 Sauvignon Blanc, Dry Creek Valley
Allspice, grapefruit, mown grass, dried apples, lemon zest; kiwi, mango, crisp acidity, titillating finish.
2012 Chardonnay, Alexander Valley
Buttery, salted caramel, lightly toasted oak; nice oaky Chardonnay, malolactic acid, mouth-​coating viscosity.
2012 Zinfandel, Dry creek Valley (They make 7 Rockpile zinfandels, this is their signature Zinfandel.)
Smooth chocolaty nose with hints of strawberry, to dark fruit; balanced fruit to pepper to tannin.
2012 Westphall Ridge Rockpile single vineyard (highest elevation)
Smoky, fruit-​forward dark fruits; tannic, dark chocolate finish.
2012 Jack’s Cabin Rockpile single vineyard (lowest elevation)
Sweet dark fruit, slight port qualities, smoke, hay; great fruit and juicy finish.
2011 Rockpile Syrah, Madrone Spring Vineyard
Earthy, leather, violet; biting fruit, eucalyptus, peppery finish.
2010 Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon
Sweet plums, white pepper, bark; dry, tannic yet full-​blown dusty fruit.
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Eve Bushman has been reading, writing, taking coursework and tasting wine for over 20 years. She has obtained a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, has been the subject of a 60-​minute Wine Immersion video, authored «Wine Etiquette for Everyone» and recently served as a guest judge for the L.A. International Wine Competition. You can email
to ask a question about wine or spirits that may be answered in a future column. You can also seek her marketing advice via

Unbelieveable!
Lots of great wine to taste. Beautiful location. Discount if you buy wines.
Gave references for other wineries. Helped us because we were late to our next tour and they called ahead.
Just fantastic!

Very cute and small winery located at the south end of the road of dry creek wineries. Great Zinfandels (of course!) and just a more intimate setting that I enjoyed. The grounds itself seemed smaller (no roaming around here), but the ambiance inside the tasting room was a nice place to get to know the people around you
I’m looki forward to returning here on a day where I can spend more time

We really enjoyed this stop on our Dry Creek tour. Mauritson is known for their Rockpile wines which are from the Rockpile AVA just northwest of Dry Creek. Because the soil there is dry and rocky, the wines have a very old world feel and their cabs are great for cellaring. Their Cab Franc in particular was great and we made sure we left with a bottle.
Overall, the wines are deserving of 4 stars, but I’m giving 5 stars due to the service. The staff was exceedingly friendly and warm and made us feel at home. We ended up staying there for a good while and want to be sure to recommend it as a stop to our friends. The view is amazing (of course) and made for a great memory.

My experience with this winery was less than stellar than most of you guys. The server was Jan I think, A 60 year old woman with a short blonde hair. The pour was not generous, but to be fair, their Zins were okay (just okay because i have had better). What didn’t go with the wine is the the snooty attitude she had and unprofessional answers to some fairly simple question like what makes their wines standout. If you are looking to be pissed and walk away feeling that you are made a total idiot, come to this place. She definitely knows to make the customer feel uncomfortable and ridiculed.
One star to this winery, for the bad server. If I can give them less than one, I would!

We were in Dry Creek for passport weekend and had the pleasure of visiting 14 wineries over two days. Mauritson was clearly everyone’s favorite, both in terms of the food and wine.
We also had a chance to meet the winemaker, Clay Mauritson, who despite the hustle and bustle of the weekend’s festivities, was extremely generous with his time.
Mauritson’s Pinot Noir and Rockpile Zins were my favorite wines from the weekend and among my favorite from Sonoma, period.

We liked Mauritson enough during our last visit to Healdsburg that we decided to pay another visit this year. The tasting room is cool and modern and the employees are knowledgeable and friendly. The surrounding grounds are beautiful, of course. There are also some picnic tables and chairs outside which is a nice touch.
We enjoyed our tasting so much that we left with two bottles — a sauvignon blanc and a pinot noir — though it was hard to narrow down to just two.
The addition of a bike rack would be awesome but I can’t think of anything else I’d change. Great spot and a must-​visit on Dry Creek Road.

Every time I head up to Dry Creek, I confess — I make a beeline for my favorites. I’ve always gone right past Mauritson with their cheery picnic area. On a recent trip, my friend and I were playing hooky on a Tuesday — but some tool in a lifted diesel truck was harshing our mellow by tailgating us (when we were already above the speed limit). We got tired of having to breathe his diesel fumes (he was behind us — how does it work that we could smell it so strongly?) and when we saw the bright red market umbrellas we said «Hey, Let’s Go There!» in unison.
We arrived to an empty tasting room and a cheery, friendly woman who poured us our first tasting of the day. Delicious Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc — I bought a couple of bottles and we were very happy to have discovered a new place to visit on our next trip.

Maybe I am biased because I love the people who work here and they treated us so well while we visited the winery, but their wines are incredible. They are well known for their red varietals and VERY good at it!!!
They do offer a small batch of white so they can balance the options to please all palettes. I personally love red wines more than white but their chardonnay was pretty and crisp. I went home with their zin, sirah and petite syrah. They were each fruit forward, smooth on the finish and still bold.
The winery is located on Dry Creek Road which is incredible right now with fall colors-​so now is the time to get there while you can and enjoy the sunshine on the patio and that incredible view!!!