Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The terrific deep ruby/purple-tinged 2002 Pinot Noir Allen Vineyard offers a smorgasbord of aromas and flavors, including crushed minerals, black raspberries, forest floor, and strawberry jam.
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Wine Spectator
Wonderful perfumed aromas of ripe Pinot, rose petals, black cherry and plum, this wine makes a statement about how polished and elegant Russian River Pinots can be, with its soothing, caressing texture. The finish brings the core Pinot flavors to the forefront, with a long, luxurious aftertaste.
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Wine & Spirits
The Allen vineyard, adjacent to and farmed by the Rochiolis on the western bank of the Russian River, grew this gentle, fragrant pinot noir. Its velvet texture carries tart raspberry and strawberry flavor, a fruit-driven wine with oak providing an understated chocolate richness to the structure. Serve it now with salmon in a red wine reduction, or let it develop in the cellar.
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.