Our 10-year library release of the 2015 Rockfall Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon not only highlights the ageability of our mountain-grown wines but is a testament to the nuance and finesse that only cellaring and patience can bring.
Every year toward the end of summer, we head into the harvest period as prepared as possible on both the technical and mental fronts. We're amped up to bring in beautiful fruit. We're holding an attitude of respect, and assuming there will be a curveball of some sort. It's a state of heightened awareness—of being responsive but never panicking if weather or logistics get tricky.
When our barrels are full, the purple has been washed out of the cellar floor, and the exhilarating hustle is over, most of the details meld into one's general knowledge base (and some into spreadsheets). But certain moments are so striking they sit sharply in your mind.
In 2015, at the height of a drought, the berries arriving at the winery were tiny and the clusters were loose. This is ideal for Cabernet Sauvignon, so it was thrilling to see the grapes. Then, despite it being the lowest-yielding harvest in years, we found ourselves wondering: Can you have too much of a good thing?
ALMOST RUSTIC
Winemaker Kristina Shideler remembers, “The berries were so small that the tannin came very fast in terms of extraction. It was a huge tannin year because the skin-to-pulp ratio was so high. There was a lot of concentration, a lot of power. These were really, really big wines.”
Our initial tasting notes were in the realm of dark plum, mulling spices, and density. And while the Rockfall Vineyard bottling was well-received upon release—earning 95+ points from Wine Advocate—we knew it would benefit greatly from time’s softening, integrating effects. As a rule, this is true every year for the edgy-at-first Cabernets we grow at high elevation above Alexander Valley. But the 2015s in particular needed to sit in the cellar.
When the core flavors and personality of an extreme vintage eventually emerge, they can sometimes surpass vintages that were more balanced and “ideal” on paper.
BRIGHT RED COMING THROUGH
“I’ve been able to watch this one in bottle for a long time,” says Kristina. “There is a bright red coming through now, even a little pomegranate. At 10 years, it’s really beautiful, youthful, and is tasting fantastic. You can see it’s still powerful, but there's a refinement. This is one of the most elegant—if not the most elegant—of the 2015 lineup.”
INHERENTLY PRETTY
Our nickname for the 5-acre Rockfall Vineyard is “the solar panel”. At 2,000 feet, vines receive almost constant light from sunrise to sunset due to a southeastern exposure and dramatic 30° grade. The block gets a reprieve of shade around noon.
A blend of volcanic material with quartz creates a pinkish, sparkly soil. Its forgiving texture offers both water retention and drainage, contributing to the fruit’s elegance.
LARGE FORMAT FOR THE LONG HAUL
This wine is exciting to drink now and also built for long-term cellaring. Large format bottles are not only excellent for impressing at parties and gifting on special occasions; they age more slowly and develop incredible nuance. “It will be even more youthful in magnum. I would be confident in going 40 more years in the cellar,” Kristina says. “The tannin in many ways preserves the wine, as does the acid. Not that more tannin is always better, but when in balance, tannin and concentration indicate longevity.”
