Tristan

9.6

Been there, great stuff. Matron — a year ago

Kevin Mullally

9.0

Lots of delicate fruit, some nice structure, good acid and refreshing — 4 years ago

Ken Parker

9.4

Brought home from a CA trip, finally opened and find it quite nice! As others have mentioned there are chocolate and “jammy” notes. Quite nice indeed. — 6 years ago

John Riddick

9.1

I don't always drink Cali Zin, but when I do it's Rockpile. Mineral component is amazing. Dark blackberry and cassis. Rich and aging well. — 8 years ago

with Lauren

Natalie Griffin

8.9

one month in oak; subtle oakiness adds creme and body. citrus rind. — 9 years ago

Marshall Todd Herron DPM

8.9

Winderlea pinot noir 2013
I am doing a wine tasting on three wines tonight. The First is this wonderful pinot noir. From Dundee Hills Oregon, its pretty good. As a typical pinot presents, lots of cherry and very light. This one has a bit of pepper and licorice. Im not sure that its worth 40 dollars especially when compared to my favorite Pinot Noir which is 30 bucks...Im giving it an 8.9 I do recommend it. Please see my review on the next two reds: Mauritson Zinfandel 2013 and Charles Krug 2014 cabernet sauvignon. My wonderful wife stuck her tongue out at this one. My previous rating of this wine was 9.8... what happened? Same year too! — 9 years ago

Jonathan Ormsby

8.9

Wonderful body, let it breathe a bit — 10 years ago

Norma Normington

9.6

My only regret was not purchasing more 🍷 — 2 years ago

John Riddick

9.1

Rich style of Cab Franc. Light on the vegetal notes. Holding up strong! — 5 years ago

Brendan Devine

9.0

Prepping for Sonoma and because Bree said she doesn’t drink Zinfandel because that’s what her dad drinks. This was good. Fruit forward. Picking up lots of dried fruits like prunes, raisins. Dry finish. Easy drinking. Bree gave it a 9.0!!! Dry creek ftw. — 7 years ago

with Briana

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.3

Inaugural vintage of a brand new winery with Jesse Katz as their winemaker.
Light greenish yellow showing its youth. Complex nose layered with honeysuckle, stone fruits, lychee, melon, acacia, nectarine and white peaches. A touch fizzy on the attack of the palate with medium plus acidity (7/10) and medium plus bodied. Love the texture on this Sauvignon Blanc, rich and silky as well as being well balanced. Notes of ripe tropical and stone fruits, melon, peach, kiwi and a touch creamy. Long and lingering finish. Drink till 2023.


The Setting Wines is a new winery with wines made by Jesse Katz of Aperture Cellars and Devil Proof. This is the maiden vintage of their Barrel Fermented Sauvignon which comes from the Grandma's Block Vineyard in the Dry Creek Valley AVA. This vineyard is owned by the Mauritson Family and is planted with a mix of Sauvignon Blanc clones, specifically for this bottling is the Musqué clone which adds to the strength of the aromas as well as weight on the palate. This bottling is made up of 100% Sauvignon Blanc and aged in an interesting oaking program. Which is as follows: 10% custom Haut-Brion toasted new French oak with acacia barrel heads, 30% new Francois Freres medium and light toast and 60% once used French oak. Only 94 cases produced or 4 barrels. One of our favorite Sauvignon Blancs to date.

$$ - Sample provided by the winery. Release price is $38.00. — 8 years ago

with Sean and India

Natalie Griffin

9.7

Rose water scent. Dry honey and almost ripe plums, nice finish. My favorite rosé of the year. — 10 years ago

Michelle Brummell

9.5

Omg yes delicious — 10 years ago

Kevin Mullally

9.0

My favorite red of the day. Super chocolate-y. Dark cassis, maybe some coffee notes too. — 4 years ago

Jeremy.Buss

9.3

Shout out to winespies for bringing this bottle to my attention. I’m a Rockpile fan (great, but small, AVA in north Sonoma) and when I saw that Clay Mauritson was one of the winemakers, had to grab this one. Dark berries, both black and Gwen pepper, chalk, earth tones and more come through with this. Tannins were softer than expected. If you haven’t had a Rockpile Zin, try it! — 5 years ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.5

First time trying these Malbecs from Jesse Katz and Devil Proof. Thanks Lauren for cracking these for us! Lush purplish red that completely coats the glass. Rich and dark on the nose with spices, dark cocoa, a bit smoky, mocha and black cassis. Heavy smooth tannins (8/10) and full bodied. Love the texture on the palate with layers of lush dark blackberries, blueberries, cassis, sweet spices and a bit spicy too. Long finish. Drink till 2038.


Wow. This is the best Malbec we have ever had from the United States and possibly even from any other wine region. Excellent work Jesse! This is made up of 100% Malbec from the Rockpile Ridge vineyard which is managed by the Mauritson Family and dry farmed. It is aged in 100% new French oak barrels and comes from an elevation of 1,100 feet.


First stop (Aperture Cellars and Devil Proof Vineyards) on our very first trip to Sonoma, and we were not dissappointed. The wines made by Jesse Katz have a ton of finesse, power and character, but the wines under his Devil Proof Label are at another level. Definitely a Malbec that needs to be on any wine collector's radar. The photo for the label was taken by Andy Katz, Jesse's father, back when he was commissed by the Cuban Government to take photos of their way of life. We love the saying for the label "Live well, drink well, and the devil can't get you". We do not know about you but we will follow her lead and hopefully become a little bit Devil Proof. — 8 years ago

with India

Paul Weil

9.1

A fantastic value, this is a big Cabernet with complex structure and lots of mocha cherry flavors. The acidity is low and the oak restrained. — 9 years ago

Ken Rogers

9.1

Another solid zin from Rockpile! Blackberry and boysenberry greet your nose, along with some pepper and spice. Dark fruit dominates the palate--tannins were a little assertive at first, but our aerating pourer toned it down nicely. So would decanting. — 9 years ago

with Michael

Randy Fuller

9.4

This is another great Zin from vintner Ian Blackburn and winemaking team Clay Mauritson and Emma Kudritzki. There is dark fruit aplenty, with savory, smokey notes that create a complex backdrop. Black and white pepper plus a slight herbal streak make for a real taste treat. — 10 years ago

garry post

9.1

Stunning. Best wine of the evening. Magnum.

More detailed notes are missing because this app could not "read" the label and I didn't have a pen and paper.

Young, lovely, lively, dark, fresh, somewhat forward. — 11 years ago