Some of the historical names of our property are of the colorful type, and some are more practical. The Buck Pasture definitely fits the second category. Back in the old days, when you wanted to find a big buck, this is the area of the ranch you went to. It’s not hard to imagine why the deer congregated here. There was always plenty of feed, it was extremely steep, which discouraged unwanted visitors, and it has the best views on the property.

Located between 1,000 and 1,300 ft elevation and with sweeping sun exposures from South to Southwest, this block is ideally suited for BDX varietals. The thin gravely loam provides the perfect balance of stress and sustainability. The stressed environment gives us extremely small yields with incredibly concentrated fruit, yet there is a richness and soft round tannins that comes from the soil and increased sun. With a slope up to 30 degrees, we never have to worry about too much water retention in this soil. The resulting wines have amazing intricacy. They are at the same time: rich and tannic, bold and understated, fruit forward and complex, youthful yet age worthy. This vineyard is planted to: Malbec, Petite Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Tannat.

No need to worry, there is no one buried beneath the vineyard. This block is so named due to the extremely unusual outcropping of rock at the bottom of the vineyard. Though the terrain in Rockpile is very extreme, there are not a lot of sedimentary rock formations on our ranch. This particular rock formation is eerily similar to giant tombstones. Jacks Cabin may have been haunted, but trust me, the hair stands up on the back of your neck every time you walk through the “Cemetery.”

Comprised of serpentine and shale, this block straddles the Rogers Creek fault, one of the more active earthquake faults in Northern California. With a southwestern sun exposure, 15 to 20 degree slope, and the previous mentioned soil, the wine is everything you might expect; intense, powerful, and complex. Year after year the Cemetery yields Zinfandel with amazing black fruit and unbelievable tannins. These wines will have the greatest longevity of any of the Rockpile Zinfandels.

Owned by the brother and sister tandem that is Robert Gloeckner and Jean Turner, this piece of land is as much a part of my family’s history as our own land. The Gloeckner family, like ours, has been farming in Rockpile for decades. They began as sheep ranchers, just as my family did six generations ago. When we needed help herding or sheering sheep, the Gloeckners were always there and vice versa. The best thing about those hard days work, was it always led to a great meal, plenty to drink, and lot’s of story telling; not necessarily in that order.

It was supreme pleasure to plant the Gloeckner-Turner vineyard for these old family friends back in 2000. Not only were they able to realize the dream of farming the family property again, but because I knew it would produce some of the best cabernet and merlot grown in California. Planted on what can only be described as a bench at 1,350 ft elevation, the result of a massive landslide some time ago, this small 11 acre vineyard is separated to four different blocks. Three blocks are planted to Cabernet, and there is a 3 acre block of Merlot. Though the soils, or lack there of, and sun exposures are very uniform throughout the vineyard, the slope varies greatly and is the catalyst behind the separate blocks. Rich and robust, the wines from this property are not for the faint of heart. The lack of water retention leads to extremely small berries which translate to intense flavors, incredible color extraction, and phenomenal tannins. This fruit forms the backbone of our Reserve Cabernet and the “Buck Pasture” Bordeaux blend.

Not only is Independence one of the younger names on the property, it is also one of the most colorful. The story goes like this: in typical Ed Mauritson fashion, he had waited until the last minute to secure a wild boar for the Fourth of July barbeque being held later that day. A scolding from Grandma sent him off on an early morning hunt. After an unsuccessful start, he encountered a group of young boars in a remote area of the ranch. There must have been something in the numbers that day because my grandfather came home with four wild boars on the fourth of July and that area of the ranch has been known as Independence ever since.

In 1999 when we started planting our Rockpile vineyards, I seized the opportunity to fulfill one of my lifelong wine dreams: to make a true vintage port, using the authentic Portuguese varieties. We planted four of the “Big Five” varieties that make up port: Tinta Cão, Touriga Nacional, Sousão, Tinta Madeira as well as taking some creative liberty in planting Tannat. We have exhausted every effort to make this wine as true to a vintage port as possible, all the way down to stomping the grapes with our feet. The incredible color and viscosity of this wine are apparent from the second you pour it into your glass. Rich aromas of chocolate and vanilla are complemented by the fragrance of dark fruits. Full and gluttonous in the front palate, phenomenal tannins lay just below the surface of the heady flavors of coco and truffles.

Named after one of the original inhabitants of this area, Jack Ireland lived in Rockpile in the early 1800’s. Jack was known as a crazy old hermit. He spent his days girdling trees, cutting a ring around a tree trunk and removing the bark and underlying tissue in order to kill the tree. This was done to clear land for grazing. It goes with out saying that is was lonely work in a forgotten corner of Sonoma County.

There are plenty of colorful stories about “Crazy Jack,” many of which involve moonshine, guns, jail, an insane asylum, and public nudity. Well, when my dad, and his father before him, was growing up on the property all that was left of Jack was the remnants of his cabin. It was widely believed that the cabin and this area of the ranch was haunted by none other than Jack. This was a good threat to a child; “If you misbehave, we're going to leave you at Jack's Cabin.” Needless to say, no one misbehaved. Being the rebel and connoisseur of distilled spirits that Jack was, I’m sure he’d approve of the Mauritson “Jack's Cabin” Zinfandel.

The Jack's Cabin Vineyard is the proverbial last piece of the puzzle in our quartet of single vineyard Rockpile zinfandels. We make four Rockpile zinfandels for a reason, the incredible diversity of terroir. This vineyard may be the most unique, for Rockpile that is. Containing primarily loam soils, the vineyard has a southern sun exposure and is planted at roughly 10-15 degrees slope. Relatively hidden from the costal breezes that howl through Rockpile, this vineyard is definitely the least stressed of all the blocks, and the wine reflects it. Rich in the mid-palate, this is about as close as you are going to get to a jammy zinfandel from Rockpile. The flavors are pure, showing both raspberry and strawberry fruit, finishing with soft velvety tannins.

As the name suggests, this block is located directly below the pond. It actually is the convergence of two other Rockpile blocks: Jacks Cabin and Water Trough. The rows bend around the pond, giving this vineyard two very different sun orientations. Half of the rows run westward, while the other half bends toward the North. One of the heartiest of the Rockpile vineyards, it has the advantage of spanning a small trough. What little water there is collects in the low spot, giving the vines great vitality. One of the last blocks harvested, the strong vines yield surprisingly supple fruit. Unlike its neighbor to the North, this wine exhibits more spice and exotic fruit characteristics versus minerals. Always full in the mid palate, the supple tannins provide a good backbone to all the wines it is blended into.

Another one of the more un-original names on the property, the Madrone Spring block is so named for the year round fresh water spring that runs out of the roots of the most beautiful Madrone tree that you have ever seen. The irony is that there is virtually no ground water on our property. We drilled six wells, only finding water in one of them, and the spring produces more water than the well. The tree is situated at the intersection of the three varietals planted in this vineyard.

This block is the most diverse of all the Rockpile blocks. It has three distinctly different sun exposures, a menagerie of soil compositions, and is planted to three different varietals. In the upper portion of the vineyard, at nearly 1,500 ft elevation, it is not uncommon to have sustained winds of 20-30 miles per hour, while the lower portion is completely shielded from the coastal breezes.

ZINFANDEL — The zinfandel is planted at a Northwestern sun exposure with primarily red loam soils. One of the steepest blocks on the property, the slope often exceeds 30%. The fruit from this block is the primary ingredient in our Rockpile Ridge zinfandel and it is everything that you would expect given the conditions. The late afternoon sun exposure leads to incredible hang time. The Madrone Spring zinfandel is typically harvested two to three weeks after all of the other Rockpile zinfandels have been picked. The extended hang time provides great structure in the wine with amazing complexity of flavor. The steep slopes force the roots deeper to find water which is reflected in the great mineral characteristics. It would be easy to argue that this is the most balanced of all of the Rockpile zinfandels.

PETITE SIRAH — The Petite Sirah is planted with a Southeastern sun exposure with soils ranging from chalk to loam to serpentine. The varied soil types provide an array of flavors in the fruit. Protected form the fierce winds, and planted at a relatively slight degree of slope, this block has proven to be one of the most consistent producers. This vineyards average yield is less than 2.5 tons to the acre, ensuring that each bunch of fruit is as perfectly ripened as the next. Black as midnight on a moonless night and as big as you could ever dream of, we make no apologies for our Madrone Spring Petite Sirah. This is what Rockpile Petite Sirah is all about.

SYRAH — -The Syrah has the most uniform environment of all the varietals grown in the Madrone Spring, having an Eastern sun exposure with red shale and serpentine soils. We planted this block specifically because of the minimal sun exposure. It is the last block that we pick off of Rockpile and it shows in the complexity of flavor. We envisioned this site yielding a Northern Rhone style of Syrah and we have not been disappointed. Meaty and floral in the nose, the wine has a luscious mouth feel. The depth in the palate is only surpassed by the surprising complexity of tannin. Though it is not what you would call a huge wine, I think it will surprise you and age very gracefully, like a good Rhone wine should.

Our Family's Rockpile Ridge Vineyard is located at nearly 1,200 ft elevation in the Rockpile appellation. This vineyard has sweeping sun exposures from Southeast to Northwest.

In 2005 we harvested fruit from all nine blocks of Zinfandel in the Rockpile Ridge Vineyard. We pick the blocks at different times, and ferment these separately to insure the integrity and uniqueness of the individual blocks.

Working with nine amazingly distinct blocks is a winemaking dream come true, and is what makes our 2005 Rockpile Ridge Zinfandel so spectacular.

The Westphall Ridge Vineyard is located at nearly 1,250 ft elevation in the Rockpile appellation, the highest in elevation of all of our single vineyard wines. Owned by the Gloeckner family, the vineyard sits at the top of Rockpile Ridge with views of both forks of Lake Sonoma, truly one of the most beautiful places on earth. This vineyard is characterized by its perfect western sun exposures, red soils, and steep slope. Not only did we plant this vineyard for the Gloeckners in the late 1990's, but we have farmed it every day of its existence.

The sun exposure provides phenolic maturity without over ripe flavors, but the soil composition and extreme slope are what really set this Zinfandel apart. Easily confused with a Southern Rhone varietals, this wine has an amazing range of flavors. Minerals, meat, and spice dominate the bouquet. The initial flavors in the palate bring you back to the heady land of zinfandel; ripe cherry, raspberry, and dried apricots. Superbly balanced, this wine will taste as good tomorrow as it will in five years

The smallest of all of our Rockpile vineyards, this block of zinfandel is less than 200 vines. Affectionately named for the small pond that it overlooks, we had no choice but to make it a separate block. This vineyard exemplifies the diversity of terrior and swiftness with which it changes in Rockpile. With its Northwestern sun exposure, and steep slope, it was just too unique to be included in the lower pond block. One of the only blocks not planted to the St Peters Church zinfandel clone, the DuPratt clone has done extremely well here. Having long bunches and full berries, this fruit is big and round with hefty tannins. The mid palate shows great minerals, an effect of the steep slope and red soils. It’s only too bad that the block wasn’t bigger, or we would definitely make an Upper Pond zinfandel.

The original, 100 year old, claw foot bath tub still serves as a water trough for the livestock in Rockpile. Before there were pumps and automated water lines, there were natural springs. One would channel the water from the spring to a collection point, and that was your watering hole, or in our case, water trough. The bath tub is still fed by the original spring that has been used by Mauritson livestock for generations.

The Water Trough block is the lowest in elevation of all of our Rockpile vineyards. Sitting at 890 ft, it is only 30 yards above the fog line. Not extreme by Rockpile standards, this vineyard still produces fruit that only comes from stressed vines. The typically full Southwestern sun exposure is tempered by the low elevation, large surrounding oak trees, and gentle slopes. The fruit lends itself to bright red flavors and is balanced with bright acidity. Not the most tannic of Rockpile zinfandel, it is the perfect blending component in our Rockpile Ridge Vineyards Zinfandel.