Winemaker Notes
The 2023 Zéphirine Pinot Noir reflects the beauty and character of Roserock's Eola-Amity Hills vineyard. Fragrant and charming, it opens with expressions of violets, wild raspberry, bramble, and stone, followed by a hint of cinnamon. The palate is graceful, silky, and poised, revealing layered notes of juicy plum, marionberry, and blackberry pie, framed by a subtle spiced earthiness. Refined in structure and elegant in style, Zéphirine finishes with great length and promises exceptional aging potential.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
So pretty, charming and elegant, with floral aromas, light tannins and quiet vibrancy. Fresh raspberries, sour cherries, red cherries, rose petals and minerals give it complexity and appeal. Finesse, nerve and great balance. Drink now or hold.
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Jeb Dunnuck
A bright red color, the 2023 Pinot Noir Roserock Zephirine offers focused and expressive notes of wild raspberries, framboise, rosy perfume, and sweet herbs. Medium-bodied, it has ripe tannins and an approachable feel, with its underlying mineral focus shining through the midpalate and finish. It’s delicious now but will only improve over the next 6-7 years and drink well over the coming 15 years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Pinot Noir Zéphirine unfolds dramatically in the glass; flint, pipe tobacco, damp earth and mushroom give way to pure blackberry and black cherry as it opens. The full-bodied palate is powerfully styled with concentrated yet nuanced flavors. It’s framed by velvety tannins and succulent acidity and has a long, dynamic finish. It should be long lived in the cellar. Rating: 94+
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Vinous
The 2023 Pinot Noir Zéphirine wafts up with an understated blend of dried flowers, spiced citrus and wild strawberries. A stern mineral core and brisk acidity enliven the tart wild berry fruits. Youthful tension pinches at the cheeks, leaving angular tannins and admirable freshness.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Running north to south, adjacent to the Willamette River, the Eola-Amity Hills AVA has shallow and well-drained soils created from ancient lava flows (called Jory), marine sediments, rocks and alluvial deposits. These soils force vine roots to dig deep, producing small grapes with great concentration.
Like in the McMinnville sub-AVA, cold Pacific air streams in via the Van Duzer Corridor and assists the maintenance of higher acidity in its grapes. This great concentration, combined with marked acidity, give the Eola-Amity Hills wines—namely Pinot noir—their distinct character. While the region covers 40,000 acres, no more than 1,400 acres are covered in vine.