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Red-full-modern

Mauritson Rockpile Buck Pasture Red 2006Price: $62.00    Case Price: $55.80

Out of Stock Similar Wines
Rockpile06
Color:
Red
Body/Type:
Full Bodied
Style:
Modern
Size:
Bottle, 750 ml
Winery:
Mauritson
Grapes:
Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot
Serve At:
59°-64° F
Region:
USA > California > Sonoma

The name Rockpile conjures a tough row of dirt farms and that’s precisely the nature of this appellation! Vineyards here share one rocky ridge, an active earthquake fault and an elevation of between 800-2000 feet elevation. The little known secret to this story is a unique climatic condition characterized by moderate air temperatures, low moisture and a constant breeze. The result? Tough vines producing limited yields of exceptionally concentrated fruit. From this very special place, Clay makes this Buck Pasture Red, a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Petit Verdot, 10% Malbec, 10% Cabernet Franc.

Since 1868 the Mauritson family has been growing grapes in the Dry Creek Valley. Clay Mauritson's great-great-great grandfather S.P. Hallengren, a grape growing pioneer in the Rockpile region, first planted vines in 1884, shipping every ounce of his wine back to Sweden. The family's Rockpile homestead and ranch grew to 4,000 acres by the early 1960s when all but 700 ridgetop acres was acquired by the Army Corps of Engineers in order to develop Lake Sonoma. The vineyards shown in many historical family photos are now under water!

In the mid 1990s Clay Mauritson returned from college with an unexpected longing to get back in the vineyards. Honing his winemaking skills and knowledge of winery operations at Kenwood, Taft Street and Dry Creek Vineyards, Clay was ready in 1998 to release the inaugural Mauritson Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel. Soon after that inaugural release, Clay took a fresh look at the potential for superior grape growing in the Rockpile region and planted 34 acres to vineyards in eight distinct blocks. The combination of low air moisture, poor soils, and moderate temperatures is starting to turn heads.

Rockpile AVA
The name conjures a tough row of dirt to farm and that’s precisely the nature of this appellation! Vineyards here share one rocky ridge, an active earthquake fault and an elevation of between 800-2000 feet elevation. The little known secret to this story, though, is a unique climatic condition characterized by moderate air temperatures, low moisture and a constant breeze. The result? Tough vines producing limited yields of exceptionally concentrated fruit.

Mid-Northern Sonoma's proximity to the coast, as well as the dense fogs that creep down hillsides, is the key to the region's favorable viticultural tendencies. Long a source for excellent Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, the area in and surrounding the Russian River Valley benefit with long, ideal growing seasons, allowing the perfect balance in ripening the fruit.

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