My father-in-law Rod Park and his wife Cathy Park have been working for over a decade developing Rockpile Vineyard (see the picture above, in their vineyard). Rod bought about 1000 acres of land in rural Sonoma County about 15 years ago. Although there are a lot wine grapes planted in Sonoma, when Rod bought the land, no one in the area was growing grapes and none had been cultivated for nearly 100 years. Rod was the first to plant in the modern era. Rockpile now has about 50 acres of grapes planted -- Syrah, Petite Syrah, Cabernet, Petite Verdot, and Merlot. And, even more impressive, after other neighbors (a loose word, this is a rural area with rough terrain... neighbors are all miles apart from each other) started planting grapes, Rod and Cathy led the charge to get Rockpile designated as a an American Viticulture Area, or AVA, growing region that produces wines with distinctive characteristics.
Wines from Rod and Cathy's vineyards, and from other Rockpile AVA vineyards, are big and complex, and have been winning one award after another. JC Cellars makes has made some fantastic Syrah from Rod and Cathy's Vineyard. Robert Parker gave the newly released 2004 Rockpile Vineyard Haley's Reserve Syrah 93 points, and commented that "This is the most powerful and intense wine to come from Rockpile Vineyard to date."
One of the most exciting reviews was published as a podcast by the San Francisco Chronicle this week. Check out writer W. Blake Grey's review -- he was tasting one Sonoma wine after another, but the one that made him stop and impressed him most was the 2002 Paradise Ridge Rockpile Merlot, a wine that he asserts will obliterate any preconceptions you might have about merlot being a grape that can only produce soft and mediocre wines. The podcast is here and this is the set-up:
"If you think Merlots are innocuous, here's one to change your mind. Wine writer W. Blake Gray was sent on assignment to picnic his way across all of Sonoma County -- which is bigger than Rhode Island -- and the 2002 Paradise Ridge Rockpile Merlot ($30) was the only thing to slow him down. Gray says it's the minerally taste that makes it special: like licking a stone, but in a good way."
You can buy it from the winery here for $30.00, although I expect it will run out fast.
Sorry about the plug for the family business, but I am proud of what Rod and Cathy have accomplished. They were the first to plant grapes in an area where there were no other vineyards for miles and miles. Perhaps Rod knew something, however, as (one of) his earlier careers was as a world renowned botany professor at the University of California at Berkeley!
P.S. Rod built the airplane in the picture himself from a kit; he is a very talented guy.
That's a beautiful airplane. Especially the engine cowl.
What kind is it?
Posted by: Diego | August 25, 2007 at 10:00 AM
Very talented indeed:
UC President Appoints Roderic Park Acting Chancellor of UC Merced
http://www.ucmerced.edu/news_articles/09212006_uc_president_appoints_roderic.asp
And not so bad yourself:
http://davidmaister.com/blog/286/
Sailing the early Lasers mostly on Union Bay and flying Super Cubs was as far as I got but that was decades ago.
Posted by: JMG3Y | August 25, 2007 at 07:29 AM