Papapietro Perry Winery
4791 Dry Creek Rd, Healdsburg, CA 95448
Website: https://papapietro-perry.com/
Papapietro Perry is a little gem in the center of Dry Creek Valley. The winery was started by friends Ben Papapietro and Bruce Perry. Ben is a native from San Francisco of Italian descent who grew up with wine. He learned from his grandpa who made wine in his basement. Ben met friend and business partner Bruce Perry working together at San Francisco Newspaper Agency. They started making garage wine as a hobby. They both had a love for Pinot Noir. The two friends got into the wine business after volunteering to help with harvest at a Sonoma County winery. Now, it’s been 35 years since they’ve been making wine for their namesake winery. Ben’s wife Yolanda joined the business in 2008, and Bruce’s wife Renae manages marketing and sales.
I wanted to visit this winery because it was recommended by locals for their great Pinot Noir. That’s their specialty. My husband and I visited during Passport to Dry Creek Valley weekend, which is a huge event in the sprint every year. Each participating winery comes up with a theme and has food and wine pairings. Their theme was The Beatles. The winery is located in a little industrial park type area with a few wineries in the same cluster.
Papapietro Perry Barrel Room
From the outside, Papapietro Perry looks like someone’s country home. To the left of the tasting room is the barrel room inside a big garage-like structure. During Passport weekend it was completely open with different stations for tastings. The place was hopping with people. We meandered through the barrel area to a huge patio on the opposite side of the tasting room. There was a Beatles tribute band on stage. It was like being at a friend’s outdoor party listening to music. The patio was set up with small tables, lounge chairs, and ceiling fans overhead. It was a totally casual environment.
A Beatles tribute band playing on Papapietro Perry’s patio
The wines live up to their reputation. This winery is truly a place for Pinot Noir lovers. They have so many to choose from different vineyards throughout the various AVAs in Sonoma. My favorite of the day was the Campbell Ranch Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast. It had lots of juicy red fruit flavors and a freshness that you would expect from the Sonoma Coast. It paired well with the ham and beans they were serving. I was also fond of their Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel. It’s totally worth a visit if you are coming for Pinot Noir, but if that’s not your thing you probably want to seek out someplace else. There are several other tasting rooms within the same block.