Wine Traveler Visits Michel-Schlumberger
Friday, October 3rd, 2008What we most enjoy about visiting the Dry Creek Valley near Healdsburg is investigating the backroads of this area in search of secret and hidden wineries. Michel-Schlumberger Wines is one those hidden wineries that is tucked away on secluded Wine Creek Road. Michel-Schlumgberger is open to visitors by appointment only and most visitors book the tour and tasting that take place at 11 am or 2 pm.
Michel-Schlumberger has been around since 1979 and that makes it one of the older wineries in the area. All the wines come from their estate vineyards in the Wine Creek Canyon and a portion comes from their vineyards on the slopes of the nearby Bradford Mountain. The winery building and facilities are mission style architecture and there is a beautiful courtyard that leads to the entrance of the winery. The setting is very peaceful and serene. You won’t hear any traffic noise at this location.
On the vineyard tour we learned that Michel-Schlumberger practices organic farming utilizing cover plants and heavy composting. The winery makes only a small amount of wine and most of that is sold off to its wine club that boasts more than 2000 members.
After the vineyard and winery tour, it is time to taste. We tried the Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Syrah, and the Cabernet Sauvignon. All the wines were excellent but the Syrah and Cabernet were outstanding. The cost of the tour and tasting is $15 and half of that money is donated to the local school district foundation. 
To get there, we took the Dry Creek exit off Highway 101 in Healdsburg and headed west. About four miles is the Lambert Bridge Road that crosses over Dry Creek to West Dry Creek Road. On this road there are many small wineries and is a wonderful road to explore. At West Dry Creek take a right and then shortly after a left onto Wine Creek Road.