After a brief vacation I left Seattle early in the morning to drive over to Chelan County. Quite a few major developments have been going on at Rocky Pond winery, starting with the hiring of John Ware several months back as president. John had a masterful hand in helping Quilceda Creek become the powerhouse that it is today in American wine. For John, he mentioned that he reveled in a restart somewhere with serious ambition.
You can see that powerful level of ambition when you set foot at the Double D Vineyard, lined with massive rocks that were taken from their site. “We were very careful about where we planted and we did a soil analysis before building” said Rocky Pond owner David Dufenhorst. Tasting with David, his wife, Michelle, John and winemaker Shane Collins, I saw the great potential for the site, set on the river. You can’t help be impressed with the massive rocks that line their Double D Vineyard. Recently there has been a petition made to have Rocky Pond at a new AVA. The site at Rocky Pond is quite a bit hotter in terms of growing degree days than most other sites in the Lake Chelan AVA — heat units that mirror that of Red Mountain. This is a Dufenhorst family project as David and Michelle plan to have his two daughters be involved in their winery in the future. Finally, a major development on the winemaking side has just taken place with the hiring of Steve Levesque to serve as consulting winemaker. I have reviewed Steve’s wines for many years while he was winemaking at HALL, one of Napa’s premier producers of Cabernet Sauvignon. It will be very intriguing to see his deft hand at work on the winemaking side.
The wines were very good across the board. I really enjoyed the 2019 Rocky Pond Semillon (WWB, 90) which as a great feel of weight and rich melon tones. The best wine I tried was the 2017 Rocky Pond ‘Statastone’ Red Wine (WWB, 91) which is a full-bodied, rick and smoky rendition that will satisfy and serve well with any rich meats. Learn more about this winery at https://rockypondwinery.com Here are the new release wines by Rocky Pond.
2017 Rocky Pond Sauvignon Blanc- Light gooseberry and kiwi tones fill the nose. The palate has a soft texture with layers of melon and starfruit flavors with shades of orange zest and wet stone on the palate. This is a bit more geared toward weight. Drink 2020-2025- 88
2019 Rocky Pond Semillon- The 2019 Rocky Pond Semillon shows salty undertones that connect with the mouthfeel and weight. I like the merging of tension and terroir here. Drink 2020-2025- 90
2017 Rocky Pond ‘Clos CheValle’ Syrah - The 2017 ‘Clos CheValle’ has a 6% Viognier co-ferment. The wine takes the lead with smoky tones on the nose with lighter herbal accents alongside the core of dark fruits. The wine shows good richness with light tannins that line the core of dark fruits and chocolate with sagebrush untones. Drink 2020-2027- 90
2017 Rocky Pond ‘Double D’ Syrah- The 2017 ‘Double D’ Syrah is sourced from vines planted in 2013. Once on the palate the wine shows dense kirsch and blackberry cobbler flavors with shades of chocolate and tar. Drink 2020-2025- 90
2017 Rocky Pond ‘Stratastone’ Red Wine- The ‘Stratastone’ is a great blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre this shows a nice veil of tension alongside the core of red currants, blackberry compote and licorice, with dark chocolate shavings and a touch of smoke. Enjoy this medium to full-bodied Rhone style wine over the next five to seven years. Drink 2020-2025- 91
2016 Rocky Pond ‘Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon-A light sense of minerality combines with the rich core of dark fruits on the palate. Forward and delicious, enjoy in the short-term. Drink 2020-2027- 90
2016 Rocky Pond ‘Double D’ Cabernet Sauvignon- A touch of tobacco leaf and smoke combine with the core of dark fruits on the nose. The palate shows good balance with medium bodied dark fruits with cocoa powder flavors. Drink 2020-2025- 89