Still, ladies and gentlemen, Operatives recent and ancient, once again please welcome our second and last Rockpile Vineyard Reserve Cab by… CAROL SHELTON!!!

May be too late but also, don’t forget to check out THIS RARE TREAT we won at SoCoBa (Sonoma County Barrel Auction) for you!

If you haven’t heard of Carol, not to be rude, but what rock have you been living under?

Here’s a must-watch ZAP panel on the “Queen of Zinfandel” along with fellow luminaries Joel Peterson, Larry Turley, and Kent Rosenblum:

We really don’t have the space here to list all her accolades. She’s a true legend. A few noteworthy ones include The André Tchelistcheff Award in 1993, Winemaker of the Year by Press Democrat in 1999, San Francisco Chronicle in 2005, and NorthBay biz in 2022 and 2023.

“A winemaker since 1978…” expounds Wine Industry Advisor “…Shelton is well known in the industry as a maker of world-class single-vineyard Zinfandels as well as a variety of other exceptional wines, including a number of bold Cabernet Sauvignons…”

So, Napa Cabs, there is a new sheriff in town. And the 2016 too packs an abundance of crème de cassis, plum preserves, Black Forest cake, cigar box, and pencil shavings with even more youthful oomph. Full-bodied too, with a solid line of chewy tannins and lively acidity, there are plenty of black fruit and earth layers, all culminating on an exotically spicy mineral-laced finish. So much to love here, and a few years of age has done wonders in attaining the irresistibly silky texture, just like its 2016 sister.

We’ve been begging for a feature from her for decades now, and finally, here it is. While Rockpile spans over 15,000 acres across vast rugged terrain, only 150 of those acres are planted, and of those Cabernet is just a tiny portion. That explains why Carol makes 7-8 barrels tops of this beauty every vintage…

93 Points – Wine Enthusiast

Tasting note in the upcoming issue…