Winemaker Notes
This is their second single vineyard Chardonnay from this historic vineyard. They’ve enjoyed a wonderful relationship with the Rochioli family for years and are excited to produce this elegant and fruit-driven wine from our neighbor’s vineyard on Westside Road.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 Chardonnay Rochioli Vineyard pours a bright silver/yellow hue and is electric and focused in the glass, with bright flinty reduction, lime zest, rocky earth, white pepper, ripe fresh green apples, melon, and citrus blossoms. The palate is elegant, focused, and more savory and mouthwatering, with a fresh, rounded feel.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Chardonnay Rochioli Vineyard is stunning! Sourced from vines planted in 1989, 1995 and 1998, grapes were harvested on August 22, before the Labor Day heat wave. The wine was barrel-fermented, underwent full malolactic conversion and matured for 20 months in 20% new French oak barrels. It has an intense perfume of candied peach and nectarine, honeycomb, matchstick and soaring floral aromas. The palate is satiny and expansive with concentrated, mouth-coating flavors. It’s balanced by vibrant acidity and has a tremendously long finish.
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Decanter
The Rochioli family has been growing grapes on their property since the late 1950s, with the vineyard now farmed by the third generation. The 2021 Ramey Rochioli blend is sourced from 82% Mid-40 Block and 18% River Block. This wine delivers a gorgeous intensity of fruit and pressed wildflowers. On the palate, ripe lemon peel fruit expands into the mid-palate, where density builds alongside remarkable tension, all balanced by an extraordinary silky richness. Pure and riveting, laced with subtle vanilla accents, fantastic ginger character, and poached pear. A Chardonnay of intense richness and impressive length. (The first vineyard-designate release from Ramey was the 2015 vintage, though Ramey has been sourcing these grapes since 2008.)
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James Suckling
A creamy, delicate wine from a famous, time-tested vineyard. It shows intricate layers of lemon curd, meringue, lime zest and crisp apples on an elegant texture. It emphasizes mineral and saline flavors that expand slowly on the palate and linger in the finish
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Wine Spectator
This white's impressive flavors of fresh, ripe peach and apricot are fleshy and juicy, with vibrant accents of Fuji apple, pear and grilled lemon, while the acidity gives more energy to the core. Grace notes of candied citrus zest, crunchy sea salt and fennel pollen, plus a touch of lemon basil, gain momentum on the finish.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
A standout region for its decidedly Californian take on Burgundian varieties, the Russian River Valley is named for the eponymous river that flows through it. While there are warm pockets of the AVA, it is mostly a cool-climate growing region thanks to breezes and fog from the nearby Pacific Ocean.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reign supreme in Russian River, with the best examples demonstrating a unique combination of richness and restraint. The cool weather makes Russian River an ideal AVA for sparkling wine production, utilizing the aforementioned varieties. Zinfandel also performs exceptionally well here. Within the Russian River Valley lie the smaller appellations of Chalk Hill and Green Valley. The former, farther from the ocean, is relatively warm, with a focus on red and white Bordeaux varieties. The latter is the coolest, foggiest parcel of the Russian River Valley and is responsible for outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.