About the Wine:
Rockpile AVA is in the northwest corner of Sonoma, just above Dry Creek Valley, with elevations ranging from 800 to 2100 feet which results in plenty of sunlight and less fog. It also looks down upon the man-made Lake Sonoma, which makes for some dramatic vineyard views. Our fruit is sourced from the remote Branham Vineyard (you can only access it by driving a small truck up a steep hill!). The soil is shallow loam with clay which leaves nutrient deficient rocks & gravel, leading to lower yields and more intense fruit. The 2019 wine harvest started about 2 weeks later than normal due to a wetter winter. With the extended cool growing season, grapes ripened at lower sugar levels which many vintners celebrated as this meant the fruit was full of flavor, fresh acidity & superb balance. Once the fruit arrived in Oceanside, we destemmed and processed it here on site. The grapes then fermented in macro bins for about 2 weeks. After pressing, the wine was aged for 22 months in 30% American Oak and 70% French Oak before being bottled in September 2021.