Went to Porter Creek during the Wine Road Barrel Tastings weekend in Sonoma. We were greeted at the parking lot by their two friendly dogs Poppy and Paco. We followed the little hosts (dogs) up the road to where they had set up the tent for the barrel tasting. It was rainy and cold but there were heaters to keep us warm. The barrel tasting of pinot noirs were pretty good. After that we went into the tasting room and tried the current pinot noirs. So good! We bought a few bottles to go. read more

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In an area where you have unlimited options, choose here. Jonathan was absolutely amazing and super knowledgeable. he took his time explaining not only the wines but the process of each and the differences that made them unique. They have some dogs on the property that are SO friendly and fun. One of my favorite things about here was the multiple Pinot Noir tastings we could compare based on vine age, soil types, aging process, etc - very cool to see how different they all were! read more

Great winery in Sonoma County. Go learn a lot about wine making and revel in the fact that from the tasting site, you can actually view most of the grapes that'll eventually be turned into your drink. The staff are super helpful and friendly and even gave us recommendations on where to go next. Their wines are also delicious! read more

***3.5 Stars*** First of all, the SERVICE is really top notch here. Jonathan was absolutely amazing, and you can tell that he truly takes pride in what he does. But as far as the wine goes; my group and I weren't blown away by anything that we tried here. Came here for a tasting last year with a few friends, and we enjoyed the laid back and country feel of their tasting room. Definitely a lot more casual than what we're used to, but it was a pleasant experience. They actually have a cute little barnyard with livestock that's located right next to the tasting room. This winery is located off the beaten path along Westside Rd. I loved that the tasting room was literally surrounded by their vineyards. There's actually a gorgeous view of their vineyards from a window that's right behind their indoor wine counter. It's actually pretty dope to see. They have a pretty diverse wine list which features Carignane. This is typically a blending grape that you don't normally see on its' own, but I was surprised to see it on their menu. We tried several of their wines, and my favorite of the bunch was their Rosé. I also liked their Zinfandel too. I think what threw me for a loop was the fact that I didn't like anything else. I'm a Pinot and Chardonnay gal 'til the day I die, and I really didn't care for any of their Pinots and didn't enjoy their Chardonnay at all. Also wasn't a fan of their Viognier, and this is one of my favorite white wines (outside of Chardonnay). Maybe it's just my palate, but I was pretty disappointed in the majority of what we tasted. My friends also shared my same sentiments on this. I really wanted to enjoy it because Jonathan was knocking it out of the park with the service piece, but we all just felt like the wine was lacking. We all just ended up paying for the tastings since we weren't blown away by anything. The tastings here are $30 per person. Now look; I'm not opposed to paying the tasting fees if it's truly worth it. But we really didn't feel like the quality of the wine and the atmosphere warranted that high of a fee. That's pretty steep, especially in this part of town. In any event, we still had a nice time. I would like to visit again to give them another try. Sometimes different years bring new and different tastes to the wines. Maybe next time I'll find more wines from here that can truly appease my palate. read more

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This is not your average winery - and I mean that in a good way. The ambiance is super laid back, almost like you're hanging out at a friends house. Unfortunately I cannot recall the girl's name who served us, but she was awesome. We assumed we'd be seated at a table, but it was much more entertaining to hang out at the bar and chat with her. Well, that and she was more than willing to give us as many tastings as we wanted. Oh, and the wine was fantastic. Will definitely be back. read more

We found this gem by accident today. Mike was very helpful and informative on the wines and the various vineyards. The wines are very good and the winery is beautiful. read more

Had a great experience with the tasting. My sate and I enjoyed the views and the beautiful landscape. The wine was good, and I even purchased a bottle of Viognier. The staff was very kind, warm, and welcoming. read more

Environmentally-conscious delicious wines with a great personal hospitality experience. A best of the area experience I've enjoyed for over 30-years. read more

At the south end of Westside Drive's Winery Row is Porter Creek Vineyards, the least pretentious, most personable venue for wine tasting we experienced in Sonoma County. Dotting the hills along the West bank of the Russian River in Healdsburg are a dozen or so Wineries all a conveniently close distance from one another along Westside Drive. If you want to go wine tasting in tour-fashion, this is an excellent area to do so. Starting at the south end of the row and driving north towards 101 will take you through some beautiful country with lots of wine to try and drop you not far from fine eateries in not-far-away Santa Rosa. Porter Creek is the first stop on Westside Dr heading north from River Road. The tasting room is a small cottage, with a single counter, staffed by a highly hospitable and patient sommelier. Porter Creek was our first wine-tasting experience. I expected to open the door and be invisible until I felt like diving in. But, the interior was so cozy we were immediately engaged by our host. I said something like "I have no idea what I'm doing, how does it work?" He offered to let us split a glass for $15, with which we could taste seven wines, a perfect amount for us. They waive the $15 if you buy a bottle, which we did. The flavors, histories, and production processes for each were explained in engaging detail and we fell in love with our first Rose ever. Porter Creek set the bar for the rest of our experiences, which were much more like visiting a resort, or packaged experience. Nothing wrong with that per se, but it seemed less and less like the wine and more like an ad for wine country you might see on Pinterest. We also left Porter Creek with a buzz, and since you have to drive to each winery, we did very little tasting at the others! read more

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Amazing first experience at Porter Creek Vineyards! We went early for our hour long tasting on a Sunday, when we entered all of the tables are very spread out and we were told we could pick any one that we wanted! Jonathan (I believe that was his name and I misplaced his card) was incredible! So kind and told us of how the tables, glasses, and his hands were being sanitized. We felt very safe especially because of being very distanced from other tables and all outdoors of course! We tried all 7 wines on the menu and if you want more you just ask! We took home a couple bottles of the Viognier as it was so yummy and unique! Would definitely come back again for the atmosphere and service!! read more

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Casual, hospitable tasting. We are always looking for a new winery to try. Porter Creek was welcoming. We enjoyed a generous tasting, getting to know all 3 of the servers. The wine was excellent and we got a nice balance of tasting notes and time to enjoy the wine. The tasting was un-rushed and we will definitely return. read more

Great wines & service. We came after seeing the beauty of the setting and were treated to some great wines in their barn like tasting room. We will definitely return and soon. read more

I rarely give bad reviews but the outrageously poor experience we had elicits this review. I had high expectations for this place after a recommendation from porter bass (which was a great small vineyard). We didn't have a reservation, so we understood that we wouldn't get good seats but if you don't make reservations...guess what NO HEATER FOR YOU! They treat people without reservations with no respect, waiting ages for the next pour and we had to ask for a heater in 40 degree weather. When I asked for one of the six heaters I saw (3 of which were not in use) the server said, "Yeah, we can take it from the guests with reservations." I have no words. I understand we didn't have reservations but it was a rainy Tuesday, I would have rather they denied us service rather than the lack of thought we received. It was not worth the $30 tasting per person. 2 stars for the chickens that kept us company. read more

Porter Creek Vineyards - a glass of red wine - Wineries Near Me - Healdsburg, California

Great winery! Jonathan is the best! He took great care of us, was extremely friendly, and knowledgeable too! Wonderful experience! read more

Porter Creek Vineyards - Beautiful roses at the winery form a heart - Wineries Near Me - Healdsburg, California

This place is lovely! Wonderful wines and excellent service. This is a smaller, less imposing winery and definitely worth a visit. We enjoyed our tasting in the open area, with a clear view of the vines. Our host was welcoming, warm, knowledgeable and down to earth. Highly recommend! read more

Porter Creek Vineyards - Wineries Near Me - Healdsburg, California

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We stopped at Porter Creek to do some tasting. We had never been to this winery before. It is a small boutique winery along Westside Road. Everything looks to be done organic style. Even though it was a busy day, the staff was very friendly and accommodating. We tasted their red and white wines. The wines were very good and the prices were reasonable. Because I was expecting that we would have warm weather soon, I ended up getting the Chardonay and the Rose wines. They would be perfect chilled and served on a warm Spring or Summer day. I recommend that that you make an appointment and taste the wines at Porter Creek, you will be pleasantly surprised. read more

What a great vineyard. The wine was amazing and Jonathan was amazing. Definitely make a reservation but doing the tasting inside was nice because we were able to talk with Jonathan and other guests and learn more about the area. Will definitely be back. read more

The entrance to this winery is lovely and you would think the tasting room is in a big elaborate tasting room, but nope, it's actually very boutique and the tasting room is in a small ass shack. It was very tiny and intimate. The staff (I think family owned) was really friendly. It was the son and the mother working along with their wine dog chilling in the room. The small tasting room kept the cool air in so it wasn't stuffy. Sometimes it'll be super full but it didn't feel so bad. There's no picnic tables to enjoying some food but they sell some home grown pears. We bought some pears and it was delicious. As for the wines, it was really good and I ended up buying a bottle of Zinfandel for my BFs mom because to was really good. We didn't really get to talk wine with the guy because it was pretty busy but he seemed very knowledgeable and nice. His mom was really helpful too. Their dog was the cutest thing ever, he was just chilling in the cool room avoiding the heat. read more

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Can't recommend this amazing place enough! Aside from the incredible atmosphere - beautiful views of sunny vineyards, friendly pups roaming around, and the cutest chickens and ducks - the staff is always great and attentive and the wines are exceptional. We were helped by Jonathan & Greg who were both very friendly and knowledgeable. read more

We visited last Saturday and would give our experience 10 stars if we could. Our table was private and close to the vines with beautiful views. The wine was good, especially the zinfandel. Also loved the rosella parrots and chickens :-) But what really made this experience a 10 was Jonathan. He is such a warm and friendly person! Super knowledgeable, never rushed us, and provided impeccable service (and a special treat when we told him how much we loved the syrah - thanks Jonathan - you will be represented on our Thanksgiving table)! All-around wonderful winery - highly recommend!!! read more

What a wonderful experience! We highly recommend this winery for their wine and tastings. The wines are varied and superb. Jonathan's service was excellent - very informative and very personable. It's a really lovely informal setting. We keep going back! read more

We loved our wine tasting at Porter Creek! Jonathan was great and super welcoming. The wine was delicious and relatively affordable (by Sonoma/Napa standards). Highly recommend walking around the vineyard too. We went during the first couple days after they reopened during COVID and felt very comfortable and safe the entire time. They had appropriate cleaning, PPE, and social distancing. It actually felt more intimate and special being outside in the vineyard so I'm optimistic that Sonoma ends up improving for the better after all of this! read more

After researching Biodynamic wineries in California, I was very excited to visit a few on my recent trip to the west coast. Porter Creek initially didn't make the cut (even though it's Demeter-certified Biodynamic, swoon!) because it was further from the other wineries we were planning to visit. However, we added it on at the last minute and I'm SO glad we did! The wines were delicious, and we got to meet the winemaker, Alex - apparently we have the same 'favorite' grape! But the highlight of our visit was Jonathan, who poured for us. He did a phenomenal job managing a packed tasting room (there was a "Winter Winelands" event going on throughout Sonoma) and shared some interesting facts about the wine and the winery. If you visit just one Sonoma winery, visit here! read more

We had been up the road at Twomay and had a lovely time and as we were heading back to our lodging we saw Porter Creek. Our traveling companions had been regaling us with their fond memories of the Sonoma area, most notably their encounter at Porter Creek, so driving by and seeing an open sign felt almost like kismet. We should have known it was too good to be true. We pulled in and parked, passed two more open signs and started to go inside to find out the tasting room was closed, not a problem, we can understand that the signs were out after closing, however, the mustached individual who "greeted" us did so in such a rude and condescending manner that I would encourage management to review any on site recordings of the encounter. The individual sarcastically noted, when asked if open, "yeah sure because I would love to serve you an hour after closing", we noted that the open signs were still out accounting for our confusion and that he could have been a tad more polite when pointing out they were closed. He then began to threaten us, as we were leaving, yelling that if we didn't go, he would make us go. We had immediately turned around upon finding out they were closed, there was no need to get aggressive or to threaten us. When we were at the car he continued to harass us by saying, "yeah go ahead and leave a yelp review, my name is Jonathan". His aggressive behavior was worrisome and I would caution those considering visiting to think twice about doing so. To have an employee trailing you and yelling at you just for driving up to a place with open signs when in fact they were closed is astonishing. Frankly, his behavior was appalling and this encounter will be shared with everyone I know. if I could give 0 stars I would have. I would like to add that since posting this experience the property has aggressively attempted to remove any negative review, and when unsuccessful, discredit your review by claiming you were drunk and showed up hours after closing, neither of which were true. We had been to one winery prior and had at most one full glass of wine over a 3 hour tasting, we were sober and as noted in my original review the property was displaying more than one open sign. While I understand trying to protect your image but reaching out to discuss the occurrence is a less shady way of trying to ensure you maintain a 5 star rating when you are a 1 star experience. I am glad for everyone who had a pleasant experience, I however, had an awful experience and frankly am disgusted that the property will not take responsibility but chooses instead to attempt to discredit someone's legitimate experience. Awfully petty people. read more

Have to unfortunately agree with the other reviewers here: lack of respect for customers who show up without reservations. Staff was passive aggressive and unprofessional. Will not be back. read more

Probably our favorite winery in Sonoma. We love the ambiance and every time we've gone, we've had a lovely guide through the wine. Generous pours and an awesome variety. We go back every time and purchase a bottle or two. Love this place! read more

Stumbled upon this winery on a steelhead fishing trip to the Russian River last week. The Steelhead were being eaten at the river mouth by "Fur Bags" (aka seals) so little or no fish in the river. So we took an afternoon off fishing and looked for an open winery. Jonathan provided a great experience on our visit explaining each wine in understandable detail. We spent several hours enjoying the sunny day with Jonathan, the dogs, Poppy, Paco and snuck off on special trip to see the pigs! Super cute wiener pigs just a few months old. Cant wait for our next trip so someone else can be designated driver! David and Debbie read more

Jonathan and the staff are super friendly, knowledgeable, and fun to talk to. All the wine samples we had were delicious. Beautiful view to enjoy the wines too. Both the reds and whites were phenomenal! read more

Porter Creek Vineyards - Wineries Near Me - Healdsburg, California

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What a fun place! Cute it's inside of an old tractor garage. The entire farm is organic, they garden and have chickens!! Very unpretentious and easy, relaxed, with great wines! Highly recommend if you are in napa/ Sonoma and want to go along the Russian river. read more

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The service from Johnathan was incredible. As was the cool, laid back vibe. Johnathan's knowledge and love of the vineyard are evident! I could not have had a better experience anywhere. Perfect 2 hours spent. read more

A true hidden gem in the Healdsburg area. Delicious wines and friendly, informative staff. Greg and John were both in the tasting room when we arrived on a Monday afternoon. Wonderful Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs and Zinfandel wines were some of our tastings. Don't forget to lookout for the friendly vineyard dog, Luca. You can find him behind the counter or smoozing the customers. This tiny tasting room over looks hills of grape vines and has a lovely outdoor sitting area. It's well worth the stop if you are touring the area and want a great experience. read more

This is a true gem! Johnathan was wonderful and very descriptive of all the wines he introduced us too, even helping us with pronunciation with visuals! I was constantly finding awesome new things to appreciate in this beautiful place. They also have a chicken chicken coop with other beautiful birds too!! read more

Porter Creek Vineyards - Beautiful farmlife - Wineries Near Me - Healdsburg, California

I love the staff here. All of a similar mindset which is very relaxed and focused on enjoying their wine. We usually wrap up our tasting days here. read more

One of the best places in Sonoma County. Wine is phenomenal and very well priced. Staff is very friendly and accommodating. They have done a great job with their outdoor tasting are as well. Wine is awesome. Such a great spot. read more

This is HANDS DOWN my favorite winery in Healdsburg. Come for the Pinot, but stay for most personable and hospitable tasting experience. Jonathon goes out of his way to share his knowledge of the wine and chat about the history. The tasting room is a warm and unassuming shack with a nice view of a vineyard. The typical tasting includes Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Viognier, and Zin. And often a bonus pour. Family-owned, laid back, and incredible variety of wines to taste... read more

From 2 stars to 0stars... If I can give this place negative stars, I would... Being harassed by JD that states he is the manager here for 10yrs is just not cool after you leave a 2 star review. My visit here was for "Winter Wineland Event" that The Wine Road in Sonoma will host once a year. That event is truly a lot of fun because the wineries that do participate are welcoming! Except this one... It is such a disappointment because they are organic and you can see that their vineyards have these triangle bug traps. It's a different experience to see their organic vineyard. The manager sent me another disturbing private message this morning! Please see attached screen shot from JD. The positive thing is.... "They made my YELP picture famous in their tasting room!!! If you do go... please take a picture of me!!!" Trying to keep it positive here. I will continue to go the the Wine Events that Sonoma will host, but I will make sure to let all my friends know my horrible experience here and the rude messages that management continue to send me. read more

Porter Creek Vineyards - Oh Dear Me! I gave 2 stars and I got a rude comment back from the manager of this winery!?!? - Wineries Near Me - Healdsburg, California

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My favorite winery and the one I remember the most vividly amongst the blur of wineries that we visited. This place is very unassuming and the tasting room literally is a little shed behind the house. We walked into this tiny shed and guy who looks like a lumberjack wearing a flannel shirt rose to greet us. I was not sure what to expect but this gentleman ended up being the most amazing patient host and a really nice guy! I am a novice when it comes to appreciating wine (Scotch is my drink of choice) and he gave me a lesson in wine tasting (and smelling) and quick tutorial on wine/food pairing including some that I had never heard of. Zin with Pizza! I bought their Zin because I had to try this combo. He showed us a copy of NYT which ranked their Zin as the best in the county. Not bad for a tiny unassuming Winery. If you can only visit one winery, make it this one!!! read more

Recently, we received a gift of a case of Porter Creek Wines from a friend. it was a pleasant surprise. The case came damaged. I emailed Porter Creek and it seems like instantly, I received a reply. Porter Creek was sorry that the case arrived damaged and they would immediately send a replacement case to us. It was a pleasure to get such good customer service in today's world. The new case came quickly and we have been enjoying it since. Porter Creek is a good wine and a great company. A company you want to do business with. thank you Porter Creek. Marvin Lehman read more

Hi there, had a great flying visit there with some of my colleagues a few weeks ago. We were in late a bit but got a table. JD and his two new colleagues were great. Lovely wine, great stories. Definitely made us feel at home - and were well looked after. We spoke briefly, to a man that worked there decades ago. He comes to buy the wine. Enough said.... read more

A great, no-nonsense tasting experience. Porter Creek is not flashy, not elegant, but it doesn't have to be. The staff is friendly and down-to-earth and the wines are fantastic. The winery is beautiful and is inhabited by friendly canines. We visited Healdsburg for the week. It was the second time we were there and I wasn't sure if we'd have time to re-visit Porter Creek. I'm glad we did. Another great experience. Their Carignane is something special. You'll love this winery! Make sure to include it on your list if you're in wine country! read more

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