2017 is another great vintage for Zinfandel in Sonoma County. 2017 had a few significant vintage events: (1) Upon bud break, a lighter than normal crop was observed - boding well for a quality vintage. (2) During bloom (around May) we had a very cool period which resulted in lots of unfertilized berries. These berries are removed from our sorting table - further enhancing the quality vs quantity approach, and our sorting tables were busy. (3) A significant heat spike in early September sent many wineries into harvest, but our wise team held off and allowed the vineyard to rebound… which brought about amazing perfume, complexity, and depth to a small, high quality harvest. Our final wines reflect the nuances of the 2017 year and we believe this will be a favorite vintage for many of our fans and collectors.

A Northwest facing slope - one of the highest planted peaks in the area. Picked about 30 days from the other side of the hill. Planted in 1998, this was an experimental slope that was converted to dry farm in 2009 and achieved CCSF status (California Certified Sustainably Farmed) during the 2012/2013 vintage. The wind blows in straight off the ocean helping elevate acidity and at the same time keeping the fruit small and concentrated. Extreme growing conditions produce extreme wines and Madrone Spring is an ideal site for Zinfandel. The clusters are small, the berries are smaller, and ripening is uniform. Punctuation, power, and persistence are elevated by altitude and the weather extremes but yields tend to be small and this 2.3-acre sire rarely yields more than 2.5 tons per acre. The Petite Sirah at the bottom of this hill may be some of the best on earth, but it’s almost all blended into the wine to give us the best vineyard expression possible.

The resulting single-vineyard blend displays signature Rockpile character of a higher tier - higher quality expression, with great richness, power, and depth—the 2017 does not disappoint. The elements of this vintage play right into our quality scheme. Concentrated and expressive dark fruits, freshly cracked pepper, patent-pending crayon perfume, dried underbrush, and bittersweet chocolate are all benchmarks of this significant Rockpile bottling. Drink now or let the wine improve for several years in the cellar and enjoy it until 2027.