Garden Creek Ranch Vineyards Winery

04/17/2026

The world of wine is very small. A life changing visit to Japan for our son Leif's 18th birthday for a ski adventure in Hikkaido led us to the wine region of the northern island. This was February and most wineries were closed. Occigabi Winery - オチガビワイナリー is located in Yoichi on the west coast welcomed us. A day adventure in Japan and today we hosted the lovely Kiichiro & Gami Ochi and their associates from their winery. We left each other today, not good-bye but see you later. The LOVE for wine and winegrowing leads to incredible people. Kanpai 乾杯

05/08/2025

This year marks our 25th Vintage in Winemaking and 56th Vintage in Winegrowing. Our legacy deepens as our family is 3rd generation vintners on our land at Garden Creek. In the past twenty-five years, we have learned a tremendous amount; with ourselves, as farmers and winegrowers and in the grand profound depths found in our soils from our land while ultimately seeking the fine beauty to define elegance and sophistication in our wines.

With the greatest pride, we are thrilled to introduce you to our new label for the Garden Creek Chardonnay which we are debuting now with the 2021 vintage. All of our wines will carry our family name. Authenticity and dedication leads this decision. In design, in packaging and logo design to be specific, a reface is spoken as an evolution. The bones and feel of the brand remain yet refinement and more clarity between our three wines including the Garden Creek Tesserae, Estate Red Wine
Cabernet Sauvignon, Garden Creek Chardonnay and WärneliusMiller Pinot Noir must be understood as crafted from one family and grown from our estate vineyards planted by our hands. The significance lies in the meaning of family alongside our impetus to seek more beauty. Therefore from this point forward we are — The Wines of Karin and Justin Warnelius-Miller.

We are thrilled to present the 2021 Garden Creek Chardonnay vintage.

A vintage in reflection of a classic Burgundy with levels of textures, sculpted acidity and warm tones of Alexander Valley. The heightened acidity lifting the aromatics into euphoria as the wine enters your palate. Concentrated flavors of citrus blossom, apricot, nectarine and white peach with undertones of Gala red apple and gentle wood. A very long extensive finish. Superb and elegant.

Our wines are only available to our Members on our private mailing list shared by allocation.

**We must thank the talented and inspiring team Offset Brand Studio from Napa and Byron Hoffman. We love working with you— in passion and drive to seek the exquisite is equal!

05/08/2025

The days pass quickly while these exquisite moments on our land are witnessed then changing daily as spring is now in full bloom. Our vineyards have dimension in beauty beyond what is captured in each bottle we hand craft each year.

Alexander Valley is a very special place with the grand mountains Mayacamas Range above us which many millions year ago with nature’s way brought the dimensional soils in the luscious rolling hillsides that surround us. Our wines are an expression of place, our place at Garden Creek and prolific valley in Alexander Valley. Our family was drawn to the beauty in 1963 and quickly understood our land had grand potential in wine.

As farmers, our days are long as a working ranch with animals, orchard and gardens needing tending and care along side the vineyards. Each take a delicate understanding in how we will succeed in a flourishing healthy coexisting environment.

We farm wine. The coexistence with nature is the key to our success in achieving beauty in our wines.

02/14/2025

OENO FILES by ROBB REPORT
wine editors Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen

Why the World's Best Wineries are Making You Wait Longer for Their Bottles

"At Garden Creek Ranch Vineyards Winery in Sonoma’s Alexander Valley, husband-and-wife team Justin and Karin Warnelius-Miller craft two pre-aged wines, Clonal Selection Estate Chardonnay and Tesserae Cabernet Sauvignon. The current vintage of their Chardonnay is 2020 and Tesserae’s is 2016. Winemaker Karin explains that she and her husband’s vineyard practices—including minimal water usage, planting cover crops, and utilizing compost—move them toward their goal of “creating dimensional acidity, tannin weight, and sophisticated varietal characteristics” in their wines. Once in the winery, the making of Garden Creek Ranch wines is a measured process from start to finish. The Chardonnay is vinified with slow-fermenting yeasts and is even matured in long-aged wood from older trees before resting in bottle for three years, while Tesserae spends 22 to 24 months in tight-grained French barrels (also from older trees) before being laid down for six years—which Karin points out “allows for the integration of a wine’s foundation to build aromatics, flavors, and mouthfeel,” creating “a seamless, harmonious effect that can only take place with aging.”

https://view.email.robbreport.com/?qs=4dce64f5345c4282703f485b6a67a539309a850194fc8cafff0bd0c9500efcc1d7b290f8f32aaf31087e7f3ebb5fd2f6b1d1d6fd9873258ed727ea1a7e08c239e067a51c016991a057981f779434f3cc

Hidden in the hillsides of Alexander Valley, Sonoma County, husband + wife 3rd generation winemakers winegrowers

02/14/2025

From Sweden with Love.

Winemaking Couple Shares Love of Wine and Food through Heritage

A story written in the Feast and Wine section of the Press Democrat yesterday. Love was the premise. A love story about us, our family, our love for food, our Swedish culture with all its delicacies and love for winemaking.

The experience and relationship of wine is that with food. Not only food yet with recipes and understanding of weight, texture, acids and depth in structure of ingredients. Creating a delicious intriguing meal takes thought and time. Every night I create a meal for my family. I turn on the music and pour myself a glass of Garden Creek Chardonnay. An hour later… I light the candles and set the table. Sit down. Relax and find pure joy and love in every bite.

Swedish cuisine is expansive driven by the climate and surrounding seas. Although I grew up in California, I was taught how to cook like a Swede.

With that, Skål and Cheers!

As we begin our journey into our 25th vintage, we will debut our new wine labels with an evolution of our traditional design while adding to each bottle our signature’s and The Wines of Karin and Justin Warnelius-Miller.

To the next 25 years!

Press Democrat
March 12, 2025

02/12/2025

From Sweden with LOVE. It's from Alexander Valley... from Garden Creek and Karin and Justin Warnelius-Miller. Our heritage has made us who we are. Precise. Concise. Honest and To Last a Lifetime! An article about us, our love for many things. Most importantly each other and our family, our love for craft, love for wine and what we do everyday... and love for a delicious hand made meal at home with the ones you LOVE.

Love what you do. Love who you are with. LOVE as if its the last day on earth, everyday.

Hope you enjoy the article.

Press Democrat article in today's Feast & Wine section.

02/11/2025

A day at our northern vineyard in Anderson Valley, Mendocino. Sharing not only its beauty and intensity but also all of the kestrels, hawks, and mallards sharing their space with us.

We work with to share our unique story and yesterday it was meant to inspire. A wine’s identity is the vineyard. Soils, slope, row direction and sun pe*******on to name a few very important nuances to a fine wine. You must understand your vineyard and specificity and then guide each winegrape, berry by berry to its best self. Just like Garden Creek, there is something very special about Golden Fleece Vineyard. Known as the “little big vineyard on the hill” at 1,000 feet. WärneliusMiller Estate Pinot Noir will speak the rest.

Much like a great marriage. To understand and support, and let the beauty naturally shine. Here we come 2025.

11/23/2024

California Association of Winegrape Growers celebrated last night! As a proud new board member of this incredible association, California Association of Winegrape Growers is vital to the California winegrape industry and has a prolific history of strong leadership with a unified voice for all winegrapes growers in advocating and promoting this incredible vital industry in the state of California. May the next 50 years bring even greater opportunities for our industry! Now let's get to work!

Celebrate 50 years of the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) in this special anniversary video. Through the voices of those who have shaped t...

11/09/2024

A stunning morning in Alexander Valley as the vines begin their journey into dormancy. The 2024 vintage is in barrel and a powerful quietness surrounds us as another arduous and meticulous winegrowing year has gifted us with another vintage.

Our dedication prevails to our family and hard working vineyard crew who have been with us since 1964. As the vines go to sleep and begin storing carbohydrates for next year’s bud break, we too believe it’s time to slow down and take a moment in reflection. True dormancy arrives once the first frost arrives where there no further growth yet a time to protect it’s self from frost and cold winters.

One can understand this intelligent plant has much to be admired. We too must slow down, gain new perspective and take time to cherish this life we live as a family in the vineyards crafting wine to move the soul.

As we continue to believe strongly in our approach to craft wines with our hands, slowly, diligently while understanding each touch will have significant outcome to the beauty in each vintage and bottle of wine we produce. To the simple beauty in life that is so very precious.







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09/25/2024

An evening on the ranch with Matthew Kaner over a dinner in the winery to share what inspires us every day -- our family, wine growing our own land and patiently handcrafting wines seeking the timeless beauty. Beauty in the relationship taking each moment, each decision and each thought made with intimacy. As one does when passion and conviction is the powerful force. A few words from Matthew about our new venture with WärneliusMiller, our new wine label & family name and new vineyard Golden Fleece Vineyard in Anderson Valley, Mendocino.

Thank you Matthew Kaner, you understood the LOVE. - Karin & Justin

The 2018 WärneliusMiller Pinot Noir may as well be a magic trick.