A little history of Mark Trione’s most treasured place: Flatridge Ranch.
Trione Winery has been producing zinfandel since 2011 with the vineyard designate from Flatridge Ranch, but the history of the ranch goes back much further. It was named by the original homesteaders, the Pelanconi’s, some of whose decedents still live in Geyserville.
Flatridge Ranch is 11,000 acres; mostly mountainous and untouched open land, home to our sheep as well as turkeys, racoons, wild boar, birds and even a bear, all of whom love the grapes. Our 8 acres of vineyards are planted on a hillside and dry farmed. We elected to plant this parcel because of the proximity to Pelanconi creek. The grapes thrive in the soil and climate of the area. The cool, foggy mornings and warm afternoons, along with the sea breeze late in the day make for a nice, well-balanced, high acid, smooth wine.
While Rockpile Peak is located on our property this vineyard site not considered part of the Rockpile appellation. However, our zinfandel has been compared to others produced in the area. The zinfandel fruit from Flatridge Ranch is dense in color and has rich, concentrated flavors on the mouth, coupled with notes of boysenberry pie and herbal characters like sage and thyme.
We have been working on getting the Rockpile AVA to encompass our 8 acres and are closer than ever. We hope it won't be long before we can refer to this zinfandel as a Rockpile appellation designated wine. We are thrilled to be in the company of so many quality producers. Stay tuned for more on that!
Visit our online shop now to explore our current releases and zinfandel from this incredible vineyard site.
