“Wine is sunlight held
together by water.” … Galileo Gallilei
I should not be liking this
wine. I am, after all, a Francophile by
taste And although I’ve tasted some
domestic Pinot Noir using Burgundian yeast and clones and another from New
Zealand (same clones, and again with the yeast) and have enjoyed them - doing this only served to establish my
preference for the “old world” style: earthy and not so fruit forward. But this Rochioli Pinot Noir exploded with
fruit and I was loving it! I cannot
recall ever having so enjoyed a fruit forward wine. If any Pinot Noir could re-patriot me, this
Pinot had the best chance.
 |
| Entrance to the winery |
No, I haven’t changed my general
orientation to Pinot Noir. The problem
(my opinion) with most fruit forward Pinot that I tasted is that its
“forwardness” is dominating. It obscures
all the other characteristics of the wine.
There is no symphony playing out of the bottle, only a concerto from an
instrument that keeps playing the same note.
Good wine, great wine, displays a push-pull of balance; a tease and
reward system of notes on the palette that constantly intrigues and invites
more exploration. The better the wine,
the better this game is played out.
Visiting the vineyard in 2012,
I tasted and was blessed to walk away with their 2010 “Three Corners” Pinot
Noir that I was just now tasting again. Rochioli vineyard makes several wines,
including estate and single-vineyard
estate bottlings, that span the palette
from Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot
Noir (including a rose of Pinot),
Syrah, Valdiguie (a Languedoc-Roussillon in the style of a Gamay) and a
sparkling Blanc de Noir. But it was the
Pinot Noir that possessed me. That it,
in fact, possesses so many people is evident when you look at the ratings. While all the Rochioli varietals are well
rated (you can see this yourself - click
the tab labeled “accolades” on the vineyard’s web page), it’s their Pinots that
constantly garner 90+ points, with some releases earning numbers like 96/93/93
from the Parker-Tanzer-Galloni triumphate that possess me. And in the guide books for California wine
touring, Rochioli vineyard is always included as a must visit with emphasis on
tasting the vineyard’s Pinots.
Speaking of recommendations,
this Pinot is a single-vineyard estate wine and among the bottlings constantly
sold out - so much so that people
wanting to experience it need to register on a list. So another
 |
| Tasting ready-for-the-crush grapes at the winery in 2012 with Victoria Stone (Wine Server Extraordinaire) |
recommendation is to visit the
winery’s web site and register on that list. In the meantime, estate wines (including
Pinots) are available and can be ordered directly on line. Tasting these excellent wines will just
develop appreciation toward the eventual experience of being able to enjoy a
single-vineyard estate bottled wine from J. Rochioli vineyard and winery. The push-pull of balance, the tease and
reward system of notes on the palette intrigues and invites along the journey.
Cheers!
……………….. Jim
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TECH SPECS
Age of Vines: 32
yrs
Fermented 20
days, Open top stainless tanks. Hand punched cap
Malo-Latic:
60 days
Skin
Contact: 11 days
100%
French oak / 50% new
60
gal barrels / 15 months
Acid: .62
gm/100ml
PH: 3.55
Alc: 14.5%
Cases: 163
Cellaring Potential: 6 – 8
yrs
J. Rochioli Vineyard and Winery
6192 Westside Rd
Healdsburg CA 95448
Tel: 707-433-2305
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