Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/62507
CO VER S T OR Y Barrels are stacked four high beneath Rock Wall's towering ceilings. The winery occupies two spacious, attached rooms, each of which have large, retractable doors. Refrigeration Systems.com constructed a stand-alone cold room (right), where cold soaks and punch downs take place. they are moved into direct sun; if they're getting too hot, they're brought inside for a while. It seems almost like cheating. Small-batch processing Rock Wall buys nearly all of its grapes, currently from about three-dozen growers scattered around the North and Central Coast. (Another advantage of the Bay Area location of the winery is that it is more or less in the middle of its range of grape sources.) Kent Rosenblum did establish a small vineyard in the Russian River in the early 1980s, and it supplies Rock Wall with fruit for one of its two Chardonnays. The vineyard also grows Pinot Noir, which is sold to Williams-Selyem. www.powerflexfence.com Premium Products at affordable prices... • Hi-Tensile Wire (40 year life) • Wire Dispenser • Crimp Tools & Sleeves • Tensioners • Knipex Tools • Gripples & Torq Tool Professionals Prefer PowerFlex 417-741-1230 • info@powerflexfence.com West Coast–New York–Texas Len Napolitano (805) 712-4471 len@thebarrelmill.com Four toast levels Economical Sustainable Time-saving Wines & Vines OCTOBeR 2011 31 For a small producer (10,000-cases), Rock Wall makes a long list of wines from a broad range of grapes, most less than 1,000 gallons per bottling. About half the SKUs and half the volume are in several vineyard-designated Zinfandels, but the line-up includes everything from Petite Sirah to a Super-Tuscan (labeled "Super-Alamedan"), from sparkling to dessert. Wine prices range from $12 to $40, with the average bottle priced in the high $20s. The reason for the proliferation of wines, says Shauna Rosen- blum, is that "grapes are fun. Keep it interesting. The more grapes you have, the more tools you have." Shauna's training came from years of helping out at Rosenblum, where she claims to have known how to read a refractometer at the age of 2 and Patent # 7357069 Inspired Design Our spirals made from Premium, American or French Oak deliver 100% new barrel flavor (8 months) in as little as six weeks. Now you can boast authentic oak flavor using neutral barrels or tanks – with rapid, controllable and predictable results. www.InfusionSpiral.com (800) 201-7125