Carol Shelton Rockpile Reserve Zinfandel 2019
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Carol Shelton Rockpile Reserve (formerly known as Rocky Reserve Zinfandel) is from the acclaimed Rockpile appellation, at 1400 feet elevation. Its cooler growing season allows for a longer hang-time, producing an elegant Zinfandel with full blackberry fruit and a long silky finish.
Blend: 80% Zinfandel, 15% Petite Sirah, 5% Carignane
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Shows great energy and zesty focus, with expressive blackberry, mocha espresso and savory pepper flavors that speed toward refined tannins.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2019 Carol Shelton Rockpile Reserve Zinfandel is packed and long on the palate. TASTING NOTES: This wine brings aromas and flavors of awesome blackberries that stay long and brightly into the wine's long finish. Pair this wine with the first cut from a well-seasoned prime rib roast. (Tasted: May 8, 2023, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine Enthusiast
Dark, deep and pure fruit flavors mingle with subtle cinnamon and vanilla oak spices in this lush and luscious wine that relaxes in soft tannins. Ripe, indulgent and yet balanced so as not to feel heavy, this wine is truly distinctive. 15% Petite Sirah and 5% Carignane are included. Best through 2030.
In 2000 Carol and her husband Mitch Mackenzie, a former software engineer, launched their own brand – Carol Shelton Wines. Faced with the opportunity to create her own identity and focus on whatever varietals she wanted, Carol chose Zinfandel.
Unapologetically bold, spice-driven and jammy, Zinfandel has secured its title as the darling of California vintners by adapting well to the state's diverse microclimates and landscapes. Born in Croatia, it later made its way to southern Italy where it was named Primitivo. Fortunately, the imperial nursery of Vienna catalogued specimens of the vine, and it later made its way to New England in 1829. Parading the true American spirit, Zinfandel found a new home in California during the Gold Rush of 1849. Somm Secret—California's ancient vines of Zinfandel are those that survived the neglect of Prohibition; today these vines produce the most concentrated, ethereal and complex examples.
High elevation vineyards—800 to 2,100 feet—on well-drained soils of red and brown clay loam, gravel and large rock outcroppings produce low yields of intense, high-quality fruit. Surrounded by Northern Sonoma County and overlapping Dry Creek Valley in its northwest corner, the Rockpile AVA produces some of California most powerful Zinfandel, Petit Sirah, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon based wines.