| Wine region | |
 Map of Lake Sonoma, showing Rockpile Road to the west of the lake, between its north and south arms | |
| Type | American Viticultural Area |
|---|---|
| Year established | 2002[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Part of | California, North Coast AVA, Northern Sonoma AVA, Sonoma County |
| Total area | 15,400 acres (62 km2)[2] |
| Size of planted vineyards | 160 acres (1 km2)[2] |
| No. of vineyards | 11[2] |
| Grapes produced | Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel[3] |
| No. of wineries | 7[3] |
Rockpile AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Sonoma County, California, northwest of the town of Healdsburg, on the hills above the west shore of Lake Sonoma in the southern Mendocino Range. Established on February 28, 2002, Rockpile AVA was Sonoma County's twelfth designated wine appellation. The wine region consists of approximately 15,400 acres (62 km2) in northwestern Sonoma County. All of the AVA has an elevation in excess of 800 feet (244 m) above sea level. Eleven vineyards are currently located within the AVA and there are approximately 160 acres (1 km2) of planted wine grapes.[2]
S. P. Hallinger planted grapes in the Rockpile area in 1894, but most of his 4000-acre ranch was destroyed and submerged from the 1960s to the 1980s in the creation of Lake Sonoma.[4] The area was replanted with grapes in 1994, by Jack Florence Jr. and Ulises Valdez Sr., using cuttings from 100-year-old zinfandel vines at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Cloverdale.[5]
- ^ "§ 9.173 Rockpile" (Title 27: Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; Part 9 — American Viticultural Areas; Subpart C — Approved American Viticultural Areas). Code of Federal Regulations. Retrieved January 4, 2008.
- ^ a b c d Boyd, Gerald D. (2003). "Rockpile: Where Brawny Reds Rule". Wine News Magazine. Archived from the original on November 11, 2006. Retrieved January 4, 2008.
- ^ a b "Rockpile (AVA): Appellation Description". Appellation America. 2007. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved January 4, 2008.
- ^ Wise, Nick (2013). Celebrity Vineyards. Omnibus Press. p. 143. ISBN 9780857128690.
- ^ Lander, Jess (October 31, 2022). "How a church's tiny vineyard launched one of Sonoma's most prized wine regions". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2023-12-28.