Sonoma County · Appellation

Rockpile

Rockpile takes its name from the rocky ridgeline above Lake Sonoma, and its 2002 AVA designation requires vineyards to sit above 800 feet — high enough that nearly all of its plantings rise above the valley fog entirely. That elevation, combined with reflected warmth off the lake and thin, well-drained soils, produces small berries and concentrated, structured Zinfandel and Petite Sirah. It's rugged, sparsely planted, and largely inaccessible by design, one of the last genuinely remote corners of Sonoma County wine country.