From the esteemed Harris Kratka Vineyard comes this sumptuous offering, blending zinfandel, carignane & petite sirah, aged 18 months in French & American oak.

About the Vineyard

Marshall Harris, the owner and chief hand at Harris Kratka Vineyard in Alexander Valley spends probably 80 to 90 % of his waking hours out in that vineyard. If you should meet him you might think that is a shame. With his open countenance, boyish shock of unruly hair and disarming smile he could sell Palm trees to Hawaiians. But you would also see that this is a happy man. His charming cottage sits amidst the vines with a view that leaves you breathless. The Barbecue on his deck gets a lot of use and his kitchen dominated house emits warmth and friendship.

Marshall bought this 20 acre Eden in 1992. At that time it was planted in Zinfandel, Carignane and French Columbard. In 1999 he left his job as an industrial engineer in Burlingame and moved north to take over the vineyard management himself. He settled in Dry Creek where he grew Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay until he made the move to Alexander Valley.

I asked Marshall how and from whom he learned to grow award winning grapes year after year. He answered that he had the rare good fortune to have two iconic vineyard managers working the fields for him and he paid close attention. Jack Florence Jr., following in his father’s footsteps, was one of the early vineyard developers and won his place in the history of the Northern California wine world by being chosen for the Wine Spectator’s top 10 wines of the world for his Rosenbaum 1994 Florence vineyard Zinfandel. His partner, Ulises Valdez, belongs to the highly esteemed Valdez Family Winery and Vineyard Management company who work over 900 acres of premium vines including Paul Hobbs. With these two mentors, a few viticulture classes and a lot of hands on experience Marshall became a very well respected grower in his own right. I suspect that Marshall excels at whatever he pursues, a dinner invitation to his house is an E-ticket.

The vineyard now is planted in 14 acres of Zinfandel with the rest in Petite Sirah and Carignane. It was replanted in 2001 and 2002 and Marshall attempted to graft the old vine Zinfandel onto the new root stock. About 60% of the grafts took. The grapes are purchased by some of the top names in local wineries. He has sold to Ken Rosenbaum since 1993, first for the famous Rosenblum Zinfandel label and now to his new Rock Wall venture. Others on this good luck list include de Lorimier, Pezzi-King, Sapphire Hill and of course, Bruce Patch, wines that win awards year after year at the Harvest Fair.