Beekeeper

What a place to start!! One of the great Zinfandel vintages of the past 20 years, the 2009 is a blockbuster. The Madrone Springs Vineyard was planted in 1999, with about 4 acres of Zinfandel and 1 acre of Petite Sirah, the vines are now over 10 years old and really starting show their potential. Owned and farmed by the Mauritson Family, the vineyard is a jewel in the family vineyard collection. The fruit for this hillside selection was received on October 15th; tiny berries were de-stemmed into small bunch down boxes, and maceration and fermentation took approximately 15 days. The yields were ideal for Rockpile, about 1.5-2 tons of fruit per acre. Zinfandel, which has a reputation for uneven ripening, came in clean and uniform with great flavors, as did the small amount of Madrone Springs Petite Sirah. After 14 months in a mixture of 1 to 3 year old French and American oak, the wine has achieved optimal concentration and weight. This intensity was magnified by Rockpile’s exotic tendencies, and the spectrum of flavors will continue to evolve in the bottle. Bottled on Jan 23rd, 2011; the wine benefits from additional cellaring. We apply the labels by hand and pay careful attention to every detail.