JD-92
2021 Mauritson Wines, Rockpile Ridge Vineyard Zinfandel, Rockpile 12x75cl
Blend: 95% Zinfandel, 5% Petite Sirah
Vintage production: 1,057 cases
Straddling the ridge between the two arms of Lake Sonoma is the Rockpile AVA. One of the newest appellations in California,... Rockpile's location and history can be described in one word: dramatic!
S.P. Hallengren, great-great-great grandfather of Founder & Owner Clay Mauritson, first planted vines on the Rockpile valley floor in 1884, shipping every ounce of his wine back to Sweden. The Family's Rockpile homestead and ranch grew to 1,600 hectares by the early 1960s, when all but 280 ridgetop hectares were taken by the Army Corps of Engineers in order to develop Lake Sonoma. The vineyards shown in many of the historic family photos are now under water.
It was not until the early 1990s that the first acres of modern-era vines were planted and thrived, once it was discovered that Rockpile held great potential for ultra-premium mountain fruit.
What makes Rockpile so unique? The AVA is located at the Northwest edge of Dry Creek Valley where the two regions actually overlap. All the vineyards within the Rockpile AVA range from between 240-600m in elevation. Although Rockpile is located just 13 miles from the coast, Lake Sonoma provides an inversion layer that prevents the heavier fog that typically blankets other Northern California appellations, allowing for longer, more consistent sun exposure.
Moisture and daytime temperatures are regulated by howling coastal breezes and, in many cases, the steep slopes and rocky terrain require non-motorised vine management. Running through Mauritson's Rockpile Ridge Vineyards is the Healdsburg–Rogers Creek Fault, a dominant earthquake fault in Northern California, and you can see why the story of Rockpile is pure geo-political drama.
Four Corners Wine: "This is a seriously impressive Zinfandel from the outset. There's huge depth to this highly layered nose. A core of almost salted/cured charcuterie and dried fennel seed is wrapped in aromas of crushed black rock with a lift of fresh, energetic fruit. The palate has fantastic texture and is really well structured. it's a measured style with a great fruit profile and long finish. this a a very good, serious style of Zinfandel, refined and complex throughout." (Dec. 2022)
£530 / Case£44.17 / BottleDuty Status: In Bond ⋅ Price incl. of Duty & VAT: £680.93 / Case, £56.74 / BottleAvailability: Immediate ⋅ ETA to UK address: 2-4 days
2021 Mauritson Wines, Rockpile Ridge Vineyard Zinfandel, Rockpile 1x75cl
Blend: 95% Zinfandel, 5% Petite Sirah
Vintage production: 1,057 cases
Straddling the ridge between the two arms of Lake Sonoma is the Rockpile AVA. One of the newest appellations in California,... Rockpile's location and history can be described in one word: dramatic!
S.P. Hallengren, great-great-great grandfather of Founder & Owner Clay Mauritson, first planted vines on the Rockpile valley floor in 1884, shipping every ounce of his wine back to Sweden. The Family's Rockpile homestead and ranch grew to 1,600 hectares by the early 1960s, when all but 280 ridgetop hectares were taken by the Army Corps of Engineers in order to develop Lake Sonoma. The vineyards shown in many of the historic family photos are now under water.
It was not until the early 1990s that the first acres of modern-era vines were planted and thrived, once it was discovered that Rockpile held great potential for ultra-premium mountain fruit.
What makes Rockpile so unique? The AVA is located at the Northwest edge of Dry Creek Valley where the two regions actually overlap. All the vineyards within the Rockpile AVA range from between 240-600m in elevation. Although Rockpile is located just 13 miles from the coast, Lake Sonoma provides an inversion layer that prevents the heavier fog that typically blankets other Northern California appellations, allowing for longer, more consistent sun exposure.
Moisture and daytime temperatures are regulated by howling coastal breezes and, in many cases, the steep slopes and rocky terrain require non-motorised vine management. Running through Mauritson's Rockpile Ridge Vineyards is the Healdsburg–Rogers Creek Fault, a dominant earthquake fault in Northern California, and you can see why the story of Rockpile is pure geo-political drama.
Four Corners Wine: "This is a seriously impressive Zinfandel from the outset. There's huge depth to this highly layered nose. A core of almost salted/cured charcuterie and dried fennel seed is wrapped in aromas of crushed black rock with a lift of fresh, energetic fruit. The palate has fantastic texture and is really well structured. it's a measured style with a great fruit profile and long finish. this a a very good, serious style of Zinfandel, refined and complex throughout." (Dec. 2022)
£45 / BottleDuty Status: In Bond ⋅ Price incl. of Duty & VAT: £57.74 / BottleAvailability: Immediate ⋅ ETA to UK address: 2-4 days
2018 Spear, Estate Grown Chardonnay, Sta. Rita Hills 1x75cl
Blend: 100% Chardonnay
Vintage production: c.300 cases
£32 / BottleDuty Status: In Bond ⋅ Price incl. of Duty & VAT: £41.60 / BottleAvailability: Immediate ⋅ ETA to UK address: 2-4 days
2018 Spear, Estate Grown Chardonnay, Sta. Rita Hills 12x75cl
Blend: 100% Chardonnay
Vintage production: c.300 cases
£380 / Case£31.67 / BottleDuty Status: In Bond ⋅ Price incl. of Duty & VAT: £494.45 / Case, £41.20 / BottleAvailability: Immediate ⋅ ETA to UK address: 2-4 days
2020 Dragonette, Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills 12x75cl
Blend: 100% Pinot Noir
Vintage Production: 800 cases
Fruit for the Sta. Rita Hills Pinot is sourced from a select group of top sites. Radian is a dramatic, steep, remote and almost otherworldly... Vineyard. The cold, windy conditions give tiny yields and great concentration. Bentrock is another steep site subject to cold winds and dense fog, giving the wines concentrated red fruits and minerals. Spear is know for its sandy loam soils, producing red fruited wines with fresh herbs. Fiddlestix is composed of shale, sandy and clay loam soils, with some
chert. Wines from here are rich, high-pitched, spicy, and complex. Duvarita produces tiny yields of fresh, elegant, savory wines with herbs. La Rinconada is a rock-filled, north facing slope. It add pretty, middle weight fruit and good structure.
£565 / Case£47.08 / BottleDuty Status: In Bond ⋅ Price incl. of Duty & VAT: £716.45 / Case, £59.70 / BottleAvailability: Immediate ⋅ ETA to UK address: 2-4 days
2018 Clementine Carter, Kimsey Grenache, Santa Ynez Valley 1x75cl
Blend: 100% Grenache
Vintage production: 317 cases
There are two sides to Grenache: the rich, deep and peppery wines, and those driven by elegance, purity and vibrancy. One of the best exponents of... the latter, more feminine style is winemaker Sonja Magdevski and her Clementine Carter label.
Perfectly described as "Pinot Noir lover's Grenache" by Jeb Dunnuck, Sonja's wines are utterly joyous and unlike anything else in our cellar. Best of all, despite vineyard production topping out at just over 300 cases, they are astonishingly well-priced.
Sonja produces tiny volumes of incredible Grenache, based around some brilliant vineyards in Santa Barbara County. The Kimsey and Larner Vineyards are in Ballard Canyon, and in addition to Sonja, their fruit is sourced by some of THE greatest winemakers in California, including Jim Binns for his Andremily wines. Sonja also sources some awesome fruit in Sta. Rita Hills for her third cuvée.
£36 / BottleDuty Status: In Bond ⋅ Price incl. of Duty & VAT: £46.40 / BottleAvailability: Immediate ⋅ ETA to UK address: 2-4 days
2018 Clementine Carter, Kimsey Grenache, Santa Ynez Valley 12x75cl
Blend: 100% Grenache
Vintage production: 317 cases
There are two sides to Grenache: the rich, deep and peppery wines, and those driven by elegance, purity and vibrancy. One of the best exponents of... the latter, more feminine style is winemaker Sonja Magdevski and her Clementine Carter label.
Perfectly described as "Pinot Noir lover's Grenache" by Jeb Dunnuck, Sonja's wines are utterly joyous and unlike anything else in our cellar. Best of all, despite vineyard production topping out at just over 300 cases, they are astonishingly well-priced.
Sonja produces tiny volumes of incredible Grenache, based around some brilliant vineyards in Santa Barbara County. The Kimsey and Larner Vineyards are in Ballard Canyon, and in addition to Sonja, their fruit is sourced by some of THE greatest winemakers in California, including Jim Binns for his Andremily wines. Sonja also sources some awesome fruit in Sta. Rita Hills for her third cuvée.
£430 / Case£35.83 / BottleDuty Status: In Bond ⋅ Price incl. of Duty & VAT: £554.45 / Case, £46.20 / BottleAvailability: Immediate ⋅ ETA to UK address: 2-4 days