Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Spectator
Very rich and deeply concentrated, this extraordinary wine is focused on a dense core of blackberry, with a touch of jam, showing hints of raspberry and wilted rose as well. Firm, tight, concentrated and pleasantly tannic, this has a lot going for it.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Three Corner is a block in the estate vineyard that was planted in 1974. The 2010 is very rich and full bodied,—dramatically so—packed with cherries and pomegranates and savory spices and minerals. The power reflects the vineyard's site in a warmer part of the valley. But the wine never loses sight of elegance, and, like all Rochioli's vineyard designated Pinot Noirs, it is in need of age. Don't even think of popping the cork before 2016, and the wine should develop for many years afterward.
Cellar Selection
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.