The Mauritson family has been growing grapes in the Dry Creek Valley since 1868 when their great-great-great grandfather S.P. Hallengren, a grape growing pioneer, first planted vines in what is now the Rockpile region. The family's Rockpile homestead and sheep ranch grew to 4,000 acres by the early 1960s when all but 700 ridgetop acres were acquired by the Army Corps of Engineers in order to develop Lake Sonoma.

The vineyards shown in many historical family photos are now under water! Clay Mauritson, one of the sixth generation of his family, was determined to add winemaking to the family business and released the inaugural Mauritson Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel in 1998. Today, the family still manages 450 acres of vineyards across Sonoma County. They produce boutique wines, using only select vineyards that truly exhibit a sense of place.