Erik Miller named his winery for his Indiana hometown, founding it in 2004 with 500 cases of Cabernet. In partnership with fourth-generation Dry Creek farmer Randy Peters, Kokomo produces 20+ varietals from the east bench of Dry Creek Valley, plus a natural-wine sublabel, Breaking Bread. Hoosier hospitality, single-vineyard rigor.
Erik Miller came west from Kokomo, Indiana after graduating from Purdue in 1999, intent on making wine. A 2002 harvest internship at Belvedere Winery confirmed the calling; a 2004 cellar job at Amphora Winery brought him to Dry Creek Valley. That same year, with an unexpected allocation of excess Cabernet fruit, he founded Kokomo Winery with 500 cases, naming it after his Indiana hometown and choosing a Coastal Cypress as the logo to mark his move out west. His college roommate Josh Bartels joined, and grower Randy Peters — a fourth-generation Dry Creek farmer, basketball coach, and great-grandson of a Sonoma winery owner — signed on as full partner. In January 2008, the operation moved to its current home at Timber Crest Farms on the east bench of Dry Creek.
Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel — The signature, blended from the Mizany and Pauline's vineyards; old-style field-blend character.
Winemaker's Reserve Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley — From the Timber Crest estate; a top bottling (Wine Spectator 93).
Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon — The variety Erik Miller launched the winery with in 2004.
Russian River Valley Pinot Noir — Cool-climate Pinot from the winery's three-appellation reach.
Dry Creek Valley Sauvignon Blanc — A crisp, popular estate white.
Today Kokomo produces over 20 varietals from 280 acres across Sonoma County's three flagship appellations: Cabernet Sauvignon from Alexander Valley, Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc from Dry Creek Valley, and Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast. The estate Pauline's Vineyard and Mizany Vineyard supply the heart of the Dry Creek Zinfandel program — Mizany planted to the DuPratt clone in a field blend of Zin, Carignan, Alicante Bouschet, and Petite Sirah, much like the original 19th-century Dry Creek plantings. Erik also runs Breaking Bread Winery, a natural-wine sublabel making orange wines, pétillant-naturels, and natural reds. Wine Spectator's senior editor Tim Fish profiled the lineup in the February 2026 issue. The tasting room is incorporated into the cellar at Timber Crest Farms (a complex that also houses Amphora, Papapietro Perry, and Peterson Winery); flights are offered at 11 AM, 1 PM, and 3 PM daily, with reservations recommended.
Erik Miller is the founder, owner, and winemaker of Kokomo Winery, which he launched in 2004 and named for his hometown of Kokomo, Indiana. A Purdue graduate who came west after falling for Sonoma County on a college trip, he learned the cellar at Dry Creek's Amphora and Belvedere before striking out on his own in partnership with fourth-generation grower Randy Peters at Timber Crest Farms. From the eastern bench of Dry Creek Valley, Miller makes terroir-driven, single-vineyard wines across Sonoma — Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc from Dry Creek, Cabernet from Alexander Valley, and Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Russian River — built on a close grower-winemaker partnership and a dose of Hoosier hospitality.
Randy Peters is the grower half of Kokomo — a fourth-generation Dry Creek Valley farmer who became Erik Miller’s partner in the winery in 2008. While Miller, an Indiana transplant, handles the winemaking, Peters manages the grape growing and vineyard work, drawing on deep roots and relationships across Sonoma’s appellations; in 1984 he planted Peters Vineyard on the Sonoma Coast, among the first to grow grapes that close to the ocean there. The Cypress-tree logo on every bottle stands for balance — a fitting emblem for a partnership that pairs a farmer and a winemaker, each indispensable to the other.
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Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel — The signature, blended from the Mizany and Pauline's vineyards; old-style field-blend character.
Winemaker's Reserve Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley — From the Timber Crest estate; a top bottling (Wine Spectator 93).
Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon — The variety Erik Miller launched the winery with in 2004.
Russian River Valley Pinot Noir — Cool-climate Pinot from the winery's three-appellation reach.
Dry Creek Valley Sauvignon Blanc — A crisp, popular estate white.
Erik Miller came west from Kokomo, Indiana after graduating from Purdue in 1999, intent on making wine. A 2002 harvest internship at Belvedere Winery confirmed the calling; a 2004 cellar job at Amphora Winery brought him to Dry Creek Valley. That same year, with an unexpected allocation of excess Cabernet fruit, he founded Kokomo Winery with 500 cases, naming it after his Indiana hometown and choosing a Coastal Cypress as the logo to mark his move out west. His college roommate Josh Bartels joined, and grower Randy Peters — a fourth-generation Dry Creek farmer, basketball coach, and great-grandson of a Sonoma winery owner — signed on as full partner. In January 2008, the operation moved to its current home at Timber Crest Farms on the east bench of Dry Creek.
Today Kokomo produces over 20 varietals from 280 acres across Sonoma County's three flagship appellations: Cabernet Sauvignon from Alexander Valley, Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc from Dry Creek Valley, and Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast. The estate Pauline's Vineyard and Mizany Vineyard supply the heart of the Dry Creek Zinfandel program — Mizany planted to the DuPratt clone in a field blend of Zin, Carignan, Alicante Bouschet, and Petite Sirah, much like the original 19th-century Dry Creek plantings. Erik also runs Breaking Bread Winery, a natural-wine sublabel making orange wines, pétillant-naturels, and natural reds. Wine Spectator's senior editor Tim Fish profiled the lineup in the February 2026 issue. The tasting room is incorporated into the cellar at Timber Crest Farms (a complex that also houses Amphora, Papapietro Perry, and Peterson Winery); flights are offered at 11 AM, 1 PM, and 3 PM daily, with reservations recommended.
Erik Miller is the founder, owner, and winemaker of Kokomo Winery, which he launched in 2004 and named for his hometown of Kokomo, Indiana. A Purdue graduate who came west after falling for Sonoma County on a college trip, he learned the cellar at Dry Creek's Amphora and Belvedere before striking out on his own in partnership with fourth-generation grower Randy Peters at Timber Crest Farms. From the eastern bench of Dry Creek Valley, Miller makes terroir-driven, single-vineyard wines across Sonoma — Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc from Dry Creek, Cabernet from Alexander Valley, and Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Russian River — built on a close grower-winemaker partnership and a dose of Hoosier hospitality.
Randy Peters is the grower half of Kokomo — a fourth-generation Dry Creek Valley farmer who became Erik Miller’s partner in the winery in 2008. While Miller, an Indiana transplant, handles the winemaking, Peters manages the grape growing and vineyard work, drawing on deep roots and relationships across Sonoma’s appellations; in 1984 he planted Peters Vineyard on the Sonoma Coast, among the first to grow grapes that close to the ocean there. The Cypress-tree logo on every bottle stands for balance — a fitting emblem for a partnership that pairs a farmer and a winemaker, each indispensable to the other.
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