97 Pts #23
Distinctive and unusual for a California Syrah. Easy to mistake for a Côte-Rôtie from France’s Rhône Valley.
A collaboration with Yves Cuilleron of Côte-Rôtie that has evolved since 2013. The 2022 vintage balances California fruit with Rockpile’s mineral-driven core. Aromas of black cherry, cassis, red/black raspberries, wild herbs, and signature Rockpile minerality. The palate is savory and layered with black licorice, sweet cream, cherry, plum, and vanillin with a finish that lingers. Reminiscent of Côte-Rôtie but uniquely Rockpile. A wine to be enjoyed over the next 15+ years. Drink: 2024-2040.
Distinctive and unusual for a California syrah. Structured, dry, tense, flinty and complex, offering appetizing singed herb, espresso, iron and chalk flavors, with blackberries, dried blueberries and cocoa. Easy to mistake for a Côte-Rôtie from France's Rhône Valley. Made in a partnership with Yves Cuilleron. Drinkable now, but best from 2030.
This vineyard is located in the prestigious Rockpile AVA, one of the smallest and most distinctive American Viticultural Areas in the United States, known for producing ultra-premium hillside fruit.
Originally a former sheep ranch, the property was transformed in 1991 by Rod Park and Cathy Park into what is now Rockpile Vineyard. Perched at roughly 2,000 feet above sea level, the site sits above the fog line, ensuring abundant sunlight and a long, even growing season. Average temperatures ranging from 50° to 80°F allow the fruit to achieve full ripeness while retaining structure and balance.
The vineyard’s soils—an intricate mix of granite, quartz, clay, and loam—play a defining role in the wines. The clay contributes weight and richness, while the granite and quartz lend a pronounced mineral backbone, giving the wines structure, tension, and depth. The rocky, hilly terrain naturally stresses the vines, concentrating flavors and producing fruit of remarkable intensity.
Since 1998, Jeff has worked with this sustainably farmed site, drawn to the exceptional synergy between high-elevation, rocky soils and Syrah. The result is a series of Rockpile Syrahs that are deeply expressive, layered, and truly unique in character, each vintage reflecting the vineyard’s rugged terroir and elevated profile.
