Worth the Drive: Fritz Underground Winery
As a local, it’s rare that I get excited about winery tours. I feel like I’ve seen it all.
Once you’ve done the epic biodynamic tour of Benziger Family Winery and the absolutely delightful horse drawn carriage tour of Landmark Vineyards, I’m often left asking myself…what more is there? (Not counting the Disneyland aspects of some wineries in Napa… Italian castles and gondolas, anyone?)
Well, thanks to Fritz Winery in Dry Creek Valley, you can get down and dirty – get out your hiking boots and trekking poles folks, we’re going hiking.
Founded in 1979, Fritz Underground Winery was built into the side of a hill in Dry Creek Valley in Cloverdale. Inspired by the modernistic works of Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, the facility is built around the landscape of the hills and vineyards it resides within.
The tasting room is tucked, literally, into a hill and wines are prepared, aged, and bottled in the cave located next to the tasting room. The lush landscaping adds to the surreal nature of the facility, making it appear as if it just naturally occurred in the hillside, with mother nature crafting it, not human hands.
Through the 1990s, Fritz was home to legendary women winemakers such as Helen Turley and Merry Edwards, who worked within the estate vineyards to create fine Zinfandels and Sauvignon Blancs, two varietals Fritz is best known for today.
Clay Fritz, son of winery founder Jay Fritz, took over operations in 2000 and the winery portfolio expanded to other reaches of Sonoma County, beyond estate wines.
In 2014, the winery celebrated it’s 35th anniversary. Earlier this year, tastings were moved to the caves and the original tasting room was closed for much needed renovations, both architecturally and interior design wise. It re-opened in early June, with new releases to taste and a more contemporary feel.
With a new tasting room vibe, Fritz introduced new tasting experiences. We headed up to Fritz to experience their new offering: a vineyard hike.
It’s an easy to moderate hike, about an hour long, on and off trail, with potential viewing opportunities for turkeys, birds, and deer. Oh, and wine, of course.
Upon arrival, we were greeted with a glass of their delicious 2014 Rosé. With only 130 cases produced, it received 92 points from Wine & Spirits Magazine, making it one of the top ranked rosé wines in the USA.
After enjoying our wine, we grabbed our water bottles and went on an easy to moderate hike of the 112-acre Fritz Estate.
Winery founders lived here, now staff and vineyard managers hold down the fort when the family is offsite. We were led past the fully stocked winery lake, where the Fritz children fish during hot summer days, and old homes and historic bridges.
Next, week hiked past the winery entrance to a block of Fritz Sauvignon Blanc. We learned about the different clones of Sauvignon Blanc and how the clones and the trellising of the grapes influence the final product in the bottle.
It made tasting the Sauv Blanc more interesting and enjoyable after the hike – the more we learned about the process of how the grapes are grafted, maintained, and processed, the more interesting the tasting was post-hike. As they say…”the more you know…the more you grow,” or learn to enjoy your wine more.
After hanging out in the vineyards, we visited the estate’s organic garden, where veggies of all sorts are grown by winery staff and used in food and wine pairings. Next, we hiked past old vine Zin vineyards and up a trail.
The trail, the most rough part of the hike, led us past protected redwood groves and to a naturally occurring spring. The spring has been a part of the winery since its inception, and is the main water source for winery operations.
Finally, we made our way to the caves and tasting room. We hiked down another hill, with spectacular views of the hilly region. It turned out we were standing on top of the tasting room. The roof is landscaped with beautiful flowers and has one of the most lovely views in Dry Creek Valley.
We headed into the chilly wine cave before taking a brief trip through the processing and bottling facilities. Afterwards, we were welcomed back to the tasting room.
We sat outside, under red umbrellas, over looking the property, enjoying the Sauv Blanc we wandered through and the tasty old vine Zin we wandered past en route to the redwood grove. Their most delicious and accessible wines have a good price point, starting at $25.
Vineyard hikes start at 10:30AM and are available by appointment for $45. 800-418-9463. 24691 Dutcher Creek Rd., Cloverdale. fritzwinery.com
