Winemaker Notes
Deep ruby color with ripe cherry, vanilla aromas and a hint of savory herbs. Juicy and refined on the palate. A rich, concentrated mouthfeel with silky tannins and a long finish.
Pinot Noir can pair with a wide range of foods including rack of lamb, grilled salmon, beef bourguignon, pancetta wrapped roasted turkey and mushroom risotto.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
As with the Chardonnay, the 2017 Pinot Noir is incredibly high-quality. Mostly destemmed (there are 10% whole clusters) and aged 15 months in barrel, this ruby-colored effort from the Russian River Valley gives up a great nose of black cherries, smoked herbs, and spring flowers, with a hint of forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, with sweet tannins and terrific balance, it's another classic wine from Rochioli that will evolve nicely for upwards of a decade.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Pale to medium ruby, the 2017 Pinot Noir Estate features scents of fresh cranberry, Bing cherry, woodsmoke, pomegranate and an earthy undercurrent of black tea leaves, dried cinnamon and underbrush. The palate is light to medium-bodied with a great interplay of fruit and earth, softly framed and with seamless freshness, finishing long on a tangerine note.
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Wine Spectator
Spicy, with dense, ripe flavors of dark cherry, plum tart and blackberry, flanked by mocha and Asian spice notes. The finish offers dark chocolate and cedar hints.
While the Russian River Valley is a large appellation with multiple climate zones and soil types, it is best known for cool-climate varieties, with Pinot Noir as the most celebrated. The grapes benefit from a reliable late afternoon flow of Pacific Ocean fog through the Petaluma Gap and along the Russian River Valley that ensures slow and steady ripening and the preservation of grape acidity. Today many of California’s most highly regarded Pinot Noir vineyards are in the Russian River Valley, along with its sub-appellation, Green Valley.
Historically Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs had bright red fruit and delicate earthy, mineral notes. But changes in viticultural and winemaking practices have led to stylistic changes in some of the region’s wines. Adjustments to canopy management, among other techniques, have resulted in riper fruit and bolder wines as well. These show flavors of black cherry, blackberry, cola, spice and darker, loamy earth tones, accenting traditional Pinot Noir notes of strawberry, raspberry and light cherry.