Charles Creek Tasting Room & Gallery

Show your “Day Trips” guide and receive complimentary tasting (up to 4 persons) and a special discount: 10% off 3 bottles or 20% off any case of 12. Does not combine with other discount offers.

The wholesome, unpretentious charm of the Sonoma Plaza is undeniable. Fortunately for the Charles Creek Vineyard Tasting Room, it is also the view out their front door.  

Being located directly across from the historic stone city hall and leafy expanses of the famous Sonoma Plaza is certainly an advantage, but having award-winning wines to pour is really the true measure of a tasting room’s draw for the wine lovers who flock to the Sonoma Valley.

The Charles Creek Winery does not fail to deliver. Among the multiple award-winning Chardonnays in current release, their 2010 “Las Patolitas” Sonoma County Chardonnay was awarded two gold medals as well as a 94-point rating (from the California State Fair).
Created when Bill and Gerry Brinton, the descendants of Midwestern farm stock, took the step to expand their little family vineyard into a real commercial winery. Charles Creek Winery specializes in Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon as well as small lots of a refreshingly dry rosé and a soon-to-be-released Carneros Pinot Noir from the vintage of 2012.

The Brintons are also dedicated to showcasing the work of local artists. One very eye-catching piece, however, is not for sale. “Ms. Moolot” a near-life-sized cow made entirely of wine corks graces the middle of the tasting room…in fact, she nearly takes over the space. But no one complains. She’s a whimsical addition to the tasting room and famous for happily posing with visitors. She has appeared in literally thousands of vacation photos and has become an icon of the winery.                                                                                         

By Ronda Giangreco

Fun Facts

Charles Creek Winery’s Tecolote Wine Club is named after his grandmother. It is Spanish for “owl” and was his grandfather’s nickname for her.

Bill Brinton is a direct descendent of John Deere, who gained fame and fortune as the inventor of the self-scouring steel plow and started one of America’s most successful companies.

Charles Creek is named after Bill and Gerry’s son, Charley.