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2009 Rockpile Zinfandel

♦ 3 GOLDS ♦

2009 will be known for a long time as an exceptionally good year for growing grapes in Sonoma County. One of the regions finest appellations for growing Zinfandel is the heralded ‘Rockpile’ AVA in the northern realms of the Dry Creek Valley. The grapes grown for this wine came from several different blocks, which included 4 different clones taken from old vine block plantings of Zinfandel throughout Sonoma County. St. Peters Church clone is one of these clones, which has shown more than a few exceptional qualities grown in these sparse and rugged rock strewn soils that typify Rockpile.

ROCKY RIDGE

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Awards

2012 - GOLD - Orange County Commercial Wine Competition
2012 - GOLD - Riverside Wine Competition
2012 - GOLD - Pacifc Rim International Competition

PDF Spec Sheet

Wine Specs

Vintage 2009

Varietal Zinfandel

Appellation Rockpile

Vineyard Designation Rocky Ridge

Bottling Date March 13, 2010

Residual Sugar 24.4° Brix

Alcohol % 14.3

Wine Profile

Tasting Notes The nose shows some pretty floral and soft red fruit aromas, along with that special dry earthy character we find in the Rockpile wines. The palate has deep rich layers of ripe blackberries, a slight hint of Bourbon vanilla, minerals, soft black pepper, and Blue and Red fruits. It possesses a seamless full-mouth texture that continues from the front palate all the way through the long finish.

Production Notes 90% Rockpile Zinfandel, 10% Petite Syrah

Winemaker Notes 2009 will be known for a long time as an exceptionally good year for growing grapes in Sonoma County. One of the regions best appellations for growing Zinfandel is the heralded "Rockpile" AVA in the northern realms of the Dry Creek Valley. The grapes grown for this wine came from several different blocks, which included 4 different clones taken from old vine block plantings of Zinfandel throughout Sonoma County. St. Peters Church clone is one of these clones, which has shown more than a few exceptional qualities grown in these sparse and rugged rock strewn soils that typify Rockpile. These grapes were hand-harvested at just one ton per acre during three separate occasions in Mid-September, just before one of the harvest’s heat spikes, which enabled us to preserve that special fresh fruit quality now showing in this wine. After harvest, we engaged in an extraordinarily slow and gently de-stemming of the bunches maintaining as many whole berries as possible which contributed to the amazing quality of this wine. A cold soak over several days with submerged cap fermentation has held those mountain tannins in check and allowed for a well-rounded level of extraction. This wine has now had about 24 months of bottle aging and is showing all of those qualities one has come to expect from Rockpile. The wine was topped with a Dry Creek Petite Syrah throughout its 18 months of aging giving more of those Blue fruits in the finished wine along with strengthening the backbone of this delicious Zinfandel.

Food Pairing Notes Beef, chicken, lamb, tomato based pasta dishes, pizza, pork, roast beef, steak, prime rib. Recipes: Rib roast with rosemary and thyme, hearty beef stew, pepper steak, cioppino, roasted Bosc pears with pomegranate glaze, Italian spaghetti sauce with meatballs, BBQ hamburgers, chicken cacciatore, fried chicken, horseradish sauces.