ROCKPILE AVA
Rockpile occupies the rugged hills above Lake Sonoma at the northwestern tip of the Dry Creek Valley, in one of the least-developed corners of Sonoma County. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms approved it on February 28, 2002, after a petition by Jack W. Florence Sr. on behalf of the Rockpile Appellation Committee. The name has nineteenth-century origins: Cap Ornbaun's sheep-ranching partnership coined "Rockpile" in 1911 for its rocky peak, and by the late 1930s the whole high country around Rockpile Road carried the name.
The defining feature is elevation. The AVA covers approximately 15,400 acres, but only land at or above the 800-foot contour line qualifies for the appellation, and about 95 percent of the planted area sits above 1,000 feet, with vineyards reaching as high as 2,100 feet. Just 160 acres across eleven vineyards are planted to vines. Soils are thin, well-drained sandstone and shale over a clay base, often stained deep red from oxidized iron. The Healdsburg-Rogers Creek Fault runs through the AVA, contributing to a notably diverse soil profile; Mauritson's vineyard alone is said to contain 17 distinct soil types within its blocks.
What makes Rockpile climatically distinctive is the relationship between elevation and Lake Sonoma. The lake creates an inversion layer that traps fog below 800 feet, which means Rockpile vineyards sit in full sun while the valleys below remain shrouded. Days are sunny and warm, the Pacific (only about 13 miles to the west) sends constant afternoon breezes up the ridges, and the combination of heat moderation and intense sun ripens grapes with concentration while preserving acidity. Zinfandel is the clear signature, producing wines of dark fruit, peppery spice, and surprising tannic structure. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Syrah, Petit Verdot, and small amounts of traditional Portuguese varieties for Port-style wines round out the plantings.
The Mauritson family is inseparable from Rockpile. Swedish immigrant S.P. Hallengren, the family's great-great-great grandfather, first planted grapes here in 1884. By the early 1960s the family's 4,000-acre ranch was largely acquired by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to create Lake Sonoma, leaving 700 ridgetop acres that remained dormant until brothers Thomas and Chris Mauritson replanted in 2000. Today Clay Mauritson is the sixth-generation family winemaker, releasing limited single-vineyard Rockpile bottlings from the family tasting room in Dry Creek Valley. Other producers working with Rockpile fruit include Seghesio Family Vineyards, Carol Shelton Wines, Rosenblum, Rock Wall, Bedrock Wine Co., J.C. Cellars, and Truett Hurst.
There are no tasting rooms within the AVA itself, and Rockpile Road remains a slow, winding drive past Lake Sonoma views with no commercial development. For buyers, this is one of the last truly wild corners of Sonoma County.
