Eden Rift Vineyards – Dickinson Block

AVA
Cienega Valley
Decade
1900s
County
San Benito County
Current Owner
Eden Rift Vineyards
Planted by
John Dickinson
Location Notes

Located 20 miles from Monterey Bay on the eastern side of the Gabilan Mountain range. The Dickinson Block rests at 1200ft in elevation in a singular mountain canyon half a mile from the San Andreas fault line.

Wineries

Eden Rift Vineyards

Historical Producers

1906 – Prohibition – Palmtag Mountain Vineyard
1933 – mid-1950s – Valliant Vineyards & Sons
1950s – 1970s – Almaden
1980s – 2016 – Pietra Santa Vineyards

Characteristics

Red currant, cherry, sagebrush and cocoa powder.

Description

The 0.7 acre vineyard is an own-rooted and head-trained Zinfandel block planted in 1906. It is planted adjacent to the historic Dickinson Home which was designed by famed architect Walter Burley Griffin. Over the vineyard’s existence, this small block has survived many property owners and vineyard replants as well as two World Wars and Prohibition.

Facts

The vines are planted on sedimentary, granitic-based soil with lots of calcareous, dolomite and limestone in the subsoil.

Submitted by
Mike Kohne
Certified