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Introductory comments by tasting organizer Ross Bott:
Tonight, we'll begin the first of a seven part series on Russian River Pinots from 2002 through 2007. The Russian River Valley was the original epicenter of the California Pinot revolution back in the late 1970s, with pioneers such as Dehlinger, Rochioli, Wiliams Selyem, Farrell, Swan and others leading the way in showing the potential of this varietal in this relatively cool region. Although the California Pinot revolution has spread north to Anderson Valley and south to Santa Barbara, with Santa Lucia Highlands, Santa Rita Hills, Sonoma Coast and many other microclimates inbetween, the Russian River remains a thriving source of great Pinot Noirs. New vineyards still being planted and the older vineyards now reaching their 30-40 year old peaks, with deep root systems and Pinots with concentration, depth and a reflection of terroir rivaling the best Premier Cru Burgundy vineyards.
The coolness of the region means that vintage weather variations have a significant effect on the style of Pinots produced. In warmer years, the wines can be rich, spicy and almost Rhonish in character, while in cooler years (such as 2006), the wines are delicate and Cotes du Beaune-like. The Russian River Valley appellation is also really a collection of different microclimates, with relatively warm areas near the north of the valley (bordering on Dry Creek) and cooler regions in the southern regions bordering Green Valley and the Sonoma Coast. So even in a single vintage, the styles of Pinots can vary dramatically.
The 2002 vintage was warm and even temperatured. During the autumn harvest, rains held off until well after all of the Pinot grapes were in. At Rochioli, the specs on the grapes were nearly identical to their great 1994 vintage, perhaps still their all time best year. Dehlinger and Rochioli produced dark colored, relatively tannic Pinots with lots of depth and concentration that needed time to show their best. At eight years of age, we should be seeing many of these begin to approach their peaks.
Tonight's lineup is headed by three Dehlingers, including their rare Octagon and Old Vine Reserve bottlings (the latter from some of the first Pinot vines planted in the region), two Rochiolis and a Williams Selyem.
pre-tasting blind wines 
- 2007 SlipStream Sauvignon Blanc - Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Pemberton
Light canary yellow color; earthy lemon grass, tart grapefruit nose; ripe grapefruit, lemon grass palate, big and lacking finesse; medium finish (88 pts.)
- 2008 Oscar Brillant Sancerre Les Aubiers - France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre
Light yellow color; ripe lemon, gooseberry nose; solid, tart grapefruit, citrus, lemon grass, mineral palate with depth; medium-plus finish 90+ pts. (90 pts.)
- 2002 Siduri Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
Medium cherry red color with pale meniscus; deep red fruit, raspberry nose; oxidized tart red fruit, tomatoey palate with medium acidity; medium finish (83 pts.)
My TNs and group scoring "Where are they now?" was the question for our '02 RRVs at this tasting. Our Siduri was either a faulty bottle or over the hill. The Dehlinger Old Vine Reserve was also on the decline. Meanwhile, the rest of our Dehlingers and the Rochiolis were all doing well, and the Rochioli Estate was still a little tight. The Williams Selyem also seemed youthful yet. The surprise winner for the evening was Scherrer's Laguna. That makes the third time Fred Scherrer's Pinots have done extremely well in blindtastings I've participated in, although Ross said this was the first time he's included a Scherrer in one of his tastings. The Dehlinger Octagon was also very impressive. With a couple of exceptions, it looks like most of these will continue to develop for another few years.
 - 2002 Scherrer Winery Pinot Noir Laguna - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Group's #1 (my #1) – 47 pts; 5 1st place votes, 4 2nd place vote, 2 thirds, 0 last places – medium cranberry red color with pale meniscus; baked cherry, sous bois nose with stemmy green notes; tart red fruit, mineral palate with integrated stems and good acidity; medium finish 93+ pts. (93 pts.)
- 2002 Dehlinger Pinot Noir Octagon Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Group's #2 (my #2) – 65 pts; 1, 4, 4, 0 - medium cherry red color with pale meniscus; big baked cherry, rhubarb, tart red fruit, black cherry nose; solid, tart cherry, strawberry, raspberry palate with a touch of greenness; medium finish (93 pts.)
- 2002 Dehlinger Pinot Noir Estate - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Group's #3 (my #6) – 68 pts; 4, 1, 3, 0 - medium cranberry red color with pale meniscus; oak, berry, tart cherry nose with subtle green note; tart cherry, cinnamon, stemmy palate with green notes; medium finish (89 pts.)
- 2002 J. Rochioli Pinot Noir Little Hill - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Group's #4 (my #5) – 74 pts; 3, 2, 1, 1 - medium dark cherry color; smoky, tart baked plum, cherry nose; solid, tart baked cherry, dried cherry, cinnamon palate with depth; medium-plus finish (91 pts.)
- 2002 Dehlinger Pinot Noir Old Vine Reserve - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Group's #5 (my #7) – 75 pts; 2, 1, 2, 1 - medium cranberry red color with pale meniscus; a little VA, cranberry, cinnamon, tart cherry nose; a little oxidized, tart cherry, cranberry, brown sugar palate, with medium acidity, starting to come apart; short-medium finish (84 pts.)
- 2002 J. Rochioli Pinot Noir Estate Grown Russian River Valley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Group's #6 (my #4) – 84 pts; 2, 0, 2, 3 - medium dark cherry red color; VA, ripe cherry, berry, black cherry nose; tightish, tart cherry, black cherry, black raspberry palate with depth; medium-plus finish 91+ pts. (91 pts.)
- 2002 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Russian River Valley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Group's #7 (my #3) – 94 pts; 0, 2, 3, 4 - medium cherry red color; spicy, baked cherry, cinnamon, blueberry nose; candied, tart cherry, cinnamon palate, youthful, with depth; medium finish (92 pts.)
- 2002 Siduri Pinot Noir Sapphire Hill Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Group's #8 (my #8) – 102 pts; 0, 3, 0, 8 - slightly cloudy light medium red color with pale meniscus; deep ripe cherry, oak nose; narrow tart cherry, cranberry palate with a tobacco note and medium acidity; short finish (82 pts.)
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