The last time we opened a bottle of this wine was 9 years ago. It is still a beautiful wine. Mixed cherry nose, dense mixed berry fruit, very smooth, medium body and has a smooth fruit-laden finish. Glad to still have a couple more bottles to enjoy. Don't let the age scare you off.
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Second notes on this wine from over a year ago. Medium ruby red in color with increasing clearing at the edges. Fragrant, attractive & fragrant nose of rich, ripe red fruit aromas of cherries, strawberries & raspberries with toasty/earthy overtones, some lovely floral notes, hint of truffles, minerals, spices, cherry-cola, some cocoa and a touch vanilla in the background. Medium bodied with a good concentration of smooth textured, well balanced, rich, ripe fruit flavors of sweet cherries, tart cranberries & red plums with spices, minerals, earthy, cola, truffles and a touch of vanilla. Long, lingering silky finish. Quite enjoyable at present but has some limited potential for further development from an additional 3 to 5 years of aging.
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Very sweet, young, characteristically Russian River. Mostly blackberry, hints of raspberry. Has that Rochioli brown sugar sweetness, still at age 11. Not especially complex. Just the barest hints of secondary flavors on the finish. One bottle left; I'll plan to drink it 2017-2020. I anticipate it will evolve nicely, though I'm not sure I'll like it more than today. 89/100, possibly this is ungenerous.
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Medium ruby red in color with ever so slight clearing at the edges. Fragrant, attractive & developed nose of ripe red fruit aromas of cherries, strawberries & plums with toasty/earthy overtones, some floral notes, truffles, minerals, spices, cola, some cocoa and vanilla notes in the background. Medium bodied with a good concentration of smooth textured, balanced, developed, rich, ripe fruit flavors of sweet cherries, tart cranberries & plums with spices, minerals, earthy, cola, truffles and a touch of vanilla. Lingering silky finish. Drinks well at present and don't see any potential for continued development from further aging, so drink up soon.
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This is a stellar Pinot Noir, with incredible fruit and a long finish of dried cranberries, cherries, and sweet spice. Thanks to its acidity and tannins, it is drinking beautifully for a 10-year old Pinot. I think it will age well for several years more and simply enter a different stage of evolution, not necessarily a decline. The French wish they could make a wine like this at this price point.
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We opened 4 bottles for a tasting and there was little bottle variation. The color was turning a bit chocolatey, slightly cloudy with good legs. The wine drank nicely for a nearly 10 year old, Russian River Pinot. The fruit fully integrated, neither big up front nor extremely long on the finish. Decent mouthfeel with noticeable cherry notes, but again, nothing overpowering. The wine needs to be enjoyed over the next 6 - 12 months as it is probably just a bit past its prime for my palate.
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This wine is at a peak now. deep dark fruit aroma and flavor. Picks up weight after an hour or so of airtime. Long finish.Very nice wine and its not even a single vineyard Rochioli.
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Better than the last bottle I had several months ago (which was excellent). Beautiful light cherry color smell to match. An excellent food PN, tastes of black cherry, subtle spice, with a little mineral in background. Very elegant and in balance, easy drinking. This wine is drinking really well right now.
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14.2% alcohol. Initially a touch of funk on the nose. This blew off with about 30 minutes of air. Lovely cherry color, with no hints of age or even lightening at the rim of the glass. Terrific aromatics, with pure black cherry, minerals, strong baking spice, and a sort of dusty earth note. This is the personification of Westside Road Pinot Noir. In the mouth, sumptuous yet elegant and linear, with a focused and juicy streak of black cherry fruit. Spice and earth notes lead to bright acidity, and the finish is tremendous, betraying just the faintest touch of lingering oak. A-/A
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Popped the cork and the smell of brett filled the air. As bretty a new world wine as I have experienced. The fruit moved into better balance towards the bottom of the bottle and there was a very pleasant creaminess to the mouthfeel. I have had a similar experience with a number of 2001-2004 Rochioli Estate Pinots. I should drink them younger.
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Nice RRV pinot. Bright ruby red, medium bodied. Seamlessly integrated and drinking nicely, although not really any secondary development to speak of. Interesting and nice to have alongside the '07 Sojourn Sonoma Coast.
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Absolutely fantastic. Medium-bodied, colored. Nice nose of cherries and flowers. Balanced on the palate, with fruit complemented by a perfect acitdity. Cherries, blue and red berries. Impecablly structured, could go for quite a while. No hurry with this one.
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Opened for Valentine's Day dinner. Ate it with grilled rib eye steaks and roasted asparagus with baby Yukon Gold potatoes and garlic. Not decanted, but opened an hour before serving.
It was a lighter color than I had remembered, more like a Burgundy than what one expects from a RRV PN. Nose of cherries and some muted spices, somewhat flowery. On the palate lots of cherry and some citrus. Medium finish. It fleshed out a little more as the evening progressed. I wouldn't try to hold these for much longer.
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The model of consistency - characteristics of earthy cherry, black raspberry, rose petal, cola and a touch of barnyard and woody brush. A pleasing density without heaviness. Clean finish with dark fruit and loamy earth notes. Elegant, classic rendition of the RRV Pinot.
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Drank over a Raclette dinner and couldn't have chosen better. I enjoyed the barnyard and this pinot is almost creamy in mouthfeel. It is drinking very well right now.
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14.2% alcohol. Wow. This was fantastic right from the moment of pulling the cork. Pure, shiny red cherry color. Stunningly complex bouquet of red and black cherry, forest floor, baking spice, minerals, and a touch of flowers. In the mouth, sumptuous yet linear, a true delight as the flavors unfold across your palate. Beautifully concentrated red and black cherry fruit makes a bold first impression, followed by excellent complexity, with a notable spice and earthy forest floor component, all the while with the fruit still dancing in your mouth. Marvelous acidity adds structure and focus, and the finish is long, smooth, and full of the flavors of the wine. This is aging beautifully. It was so lush and fruit-forward upon initial release. And it's aging like classic Rochioli. Terrific wine. A-/A
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A bright,clear cherry red that didn't prepare me for the broad shoulders on this wine. I opened it an hour before dinner, but didn't have time to take a taste. My first sip, however, told me it was time to order a steak. This was big and burly; still with steak the tannin and the fruits reached an accommodating detente.There was a nice presence on the tongue with plenty of dark cherry, blackberry and spice. The finish resonated and held my interest. Not a terribly aromatic wine (especially when first opened) with red fruits and a hint of vanilla/oak and it could of used sharper acidity.
I'd love to try this again in a few years. For all of its minor faults, it has a commanding presence.
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Love Rochioli pinots. This one is no exception. Wonderful, thick rich fruit with a balance. Just cannot score it more because it does not have the wow factor and nuiances are not there. But, I love their wines; maybe even more the chards. (I have not had their single vineyard pinots though)
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For pinot, dark colored with dark berries, cola, asian 5 spice, rhubarb and dark cherries. A touch stemmy but with very good fruit, a well made midweighted pinot, with a very fine finish. Similar for sure to wine #1. 90 pts
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Some gunpoweder and cherry, leather (brett) and clove in the nose. Showing signs of age in the mouth, with hints of evolution in the cherry, clove, and vanilla flavors. Seemed ready to go and slightly more evolved than expected. Good, but hardly great.
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Very consistant with a bottle earlier in the year. Lots of dark cherry, cola, woody underbrush and Christmas spice. The fruit has developed greater purity and an intesting floral edge. Superb balance. Seems ready now and over the next 2-3.
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Full boded bruiser of a pinot, similar to a Sea Smoke. I was expecting more elegance. Has a gorgeous nose which includes a cool Werthers Original/molasses type note. Seems tight still on the palate, this eventually opened some as the night went on. An earthy caramel profile crept in towards the end of the bottle. Went fine with pizza, which says how big this wine is.
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Not nearly as enjoyable as the last time I tried this (~6 months ago). Nose was somewhat closed but eventually opened up to reveal earthy, nutmeg and dark fruit nuances. Palate was more earth and less fruit -- surprising that much of the fruit had dissipated after only a few years. Mouthfeel wasn't as silky either. I enjoyed this wine but not nearly as much as my prior two bottles. Will be interesting to try the '04.
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A very impressive showing. Started very earthy with a strong nutmeg/underbrush note, face powder and dark cherry. Developed quickly into a silky beauty full of pure cherry, raspberry, a hint of vanilla, damp forest floor, cola and cinnamon spice. An agile wine that deftly balances fruit concentration with an excellent acid structure. Seems to be developing a little quicker than usual for Rochioli Pinot but will continue to improve over the next few years.
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Started off spectacular, thick, rich velvety- loved it. Then, after an hour, it became austere and a bit tart. After two hours, it filled out. But, not as nice as the beginning of the experience.
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Very sexy nose of spice, cherry cola and some pine resin. Very fine tannins, good crisp crunchy fruit taste with medium sweetness, just a little sappiness and not much lift. Lingering finish that displays a little heat. Detractions: 1. mid palate does not have a lot of definition and seems to lack structure or acidity to balance the sweet fruit, and 2. a little heat on the finish. I've been drinking the estate bottlling since 1994 and the 2003 is one of the best in memory. It would be fun to try it blind in a flight with some of the premier cru burgs from 2003 and compare.
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Nice wine -- wonderful nose of nutmeg, candied cherry, talcum powder (?) and asian spices. Palate was similar with good mouthfeel but lacked the acidity I recall from the last '03 I tried one year ago. Almost seemed like this had reached its peak but maybe it was just an advanced bottle (or it was closed and the acidity was closed too -- is this possible?) Still a wonderful Pinot that is definitely my style and would have garnered more points if it had a higher level acidity to go with the food at the Village Pub. Can't wait to try the '04.
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Tasted October 21, 2006 at a blind tasting. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Balloon Magnum glass. Light cherry colored in the glass, clear hue throughout. Citrusy nose with some mixed berries. Flavors red berries and cherries. Medium acidity, tannins and body. Drink over the short term. New world. Not sure what it is.
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Ruby red in color, a little cloudy. Medium- to full-bodied. Strong cherry, a little candied in flavor, spicy oak that became more prevalent as it aired, acidity to keep it taught. Even better on the second night. A terrific pinot.
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Chicao Wine Geeks do Pinot (Hyde Park, Chicago (Collin's place)): Color was dark garnet. Nose was quite forward - plenty of red fruit and new oak notes. In the mouth, full bodied and concentrated. Complex with lush fruit, earth notes and spice. The palate really grips you. Lengthy finish. Definitely new world. My #2, Group's WOTN.
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A nose of dark cherry, cola, grilled meats and reduced coffee aromas - very much like a young Burgundy. Energetic in the mouth with raspberry and berry fruit. The finish is nicely rounded with good length, soft fruit and a hint of vanilla. Lots of upside. The best Rochioli Estate Pinot ever.
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I decanted this for 1 hour. There was an "explosion" of flavors and this was definately my fav. PN Estate from this producer (over 5 yrs). Can't wait to try the '03 single vineyard designated wines (someday). . .
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I drank this without decanting, and it might have benefited a bit in the old Riedel duck. Into the glass the color had a lighter opaqueness that was very Burgundian. The nose was a mix of bright and darker fruit. First sip was fruit blackberry, black raspberry with medium tannin and a little bit of a hot finish. Half hour later the hot finish had mellowed. A bit early to be drinking this, but I have several and it was time to test one! At this point it's not in the special occasion bottle class, and a bit pricey ($55) for drinking on a whim.
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11/18/2020 - Schwarzer Hund Likes this wine:
The last time we opened a bottle of this wine was 9 years ago. It is still a beautiful wine. Mixed cherry nose, dense mixed berry fruit, very smooth, medium body and has a smooth fruit-laden finish. Glad to still have a couple more bottles to enjoy. Don't let the age scare you off.
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11/6/2020 - norcalvinolover Likes this wine: 93 Points
Spectacular at 17 years old. Perfect on the nose and soft on the by palate. Classic pinot. Glad we opened it.
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6/26/2015 - Vinnut Likes this wine: 90 Points
Second notes on this wine from over a year ago. Medium ruby red in color with increasing clearing at the edges. Fragrant, attractive & fragrant nose of rich, ripe red fruit aromas of cherries, strawberries & raspberries with toasty/earthy overtones, some lovely floral notes, hint of truffles, minerals, spices, cherry-cola, some cocoa and a touch vanilla in the background. Medium bodied with a good concentration of smooth textured, well balanced, rich, ripe fruit flavors of sweet cherries, tart cranberries & red plums with spices, minerals, earthy, cola, truffles and a touch of vanilla. Long, lingering silky finish. Quite enjoyable at present but has some limited potential for further development from an additional 3 to 5 years of aging.
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8/27/2014 - Jeffsta Likes this wine: 89 Points
Very sweet, young, characteristically Russian River. Mostly blackberry, hints of raspberry. Has that Rochioli brown sugar sweetness, still at age 11. Not especially complex. Just the barest hints of secondary flavors on the finish. One bottle left; I'll plan to drink it 2017-2020. I anticipate it will evolve nicely, though I'm not sure I'll like it more than today. 89/100, possibly this is ungenerous.
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7/24/2014 - kcarter Likes this wine: 90 Points
Fully mature and elegant. Lovely nose. Had half the bottle, and hope the remainder won't fall apart before tomorrow.
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5/6/2014 - Vinnut Likes this wine: 90 Points
Medium ruby red in color with ever so slight clearing at the edges. Fragrant, attractive & developed nose of ripe red fruit aromas of cherries, strawberries & plums with toasty/earthy overtones, some floral notes, truffles, minerals, spices, cola, some cocoa and vanilla notes in the background. Medium bodied with a good concentration of smooth textured, balanced, developed, rich, ripe fruit flavors of sweet cherries, tart cranberries & plums with spices, minerals, earthy, cola, truffles and a touch of vanilla. Lingering silky finish. Drinks well at present and don't see any potential for continued development from further aging, so drink up soon.
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2/22/2014 - Hebrew Hammer wrote:
- Brick color.
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10/13/2013 - TannicBeast Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is a stellar Pinot Noir, with incredible fruit and a long finish of dried cranberries, cherries, and sweet spice. Thanks to its acidity and tannins, it is drinking beautifully for a 10-year old Pinot. I think it will age well for several years more and simply enter a different stage of evolution, not necessarily a decline. The French wish they could make a wine like this at this price point.
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10/9/2013 - biggwater Likes this wine: 95 Points
beautiful as the day
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9/4/2013 - Hebrew Hammer wrote: 93 Points
- Brick color.
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8/17/2012 - allfalkedup Likes this wine: 90 Points
We opened 4 bottles for a tasting and there was little bottle variation. The color was turning a bit chocolatey, slightly cloudy with good legs. The wine drank nicely for a nearly 10 year old, Russian River Pinot. The fruit fully integrated, neither big up front nor extremely long on the finish. Decent mouthfeel with noticeable cherry notes, but again, nothing overpowering. The wine needs to be enjoyed over the next 6 - 12 months as it is probably just a bit past its prime for my palate.
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3/2/2012 - carsgar wrote: 93 Points
Surprising still good - love this vineyard!!
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12/6/2011 - biggwater wrote: 95 Points
One of the best of my Rochiolis...drinking very well right now.
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10/20/2011 - peterk wrote: 90 Points
Bright fruit, silky, good acidity - great bottle, all gone now.
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10/13/2011 - biggwater wrote: 88 Points
light...drink now
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9/19/2011 - Schwarzer Hund wrote:
This wine is at a peak now. deep dark fruit aroma and flavor. Picks up weight after an hour or so of airtime. Long finish.Very nice wine and its not even a single vineyard Rochioli.
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7/25/2011 - sterin wrote: 93 Points
Delicious wine with delicate red fruit and some earthiness.
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7/24/2011 - rolandkyle wrote: 92 Points
Drank two bottles. Excellent they are reaching their peaks
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7/24/2011 - rralls wrote: 94 Points
Fantastic and right in its peak -- one of my favorites of the night.
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6/4/2011 - buckeye76 wrote: 90 Points
CHERRIES AND SPICE IN THE NOSE AND FLAVOR. MEDIUM LENGTH FINISH.
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1/4/2011 - peterk wrote: 90 Points
Silky with bright acidity - great with food: I enjoyed this with a cheese souffle.
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10/13/2010 - LoireFan wrote: 91 Points
Final bottle - just excellent.
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7/3/2010 - Wine Drinker wrote: 92 Points
See my note 1/17/2010
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3/27/2010 - Chili wrote: 92 Points
As anticipated, superb round red stone fruit with tight acid structure and velvity mouth feel pathed the way for spring lamb and risotto accompaniment
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2/19/2010 - Scruff wrote:
Didn't take detailed notes but overall an excellent Pinot Noir. Great fruit and a silky mouth feel.
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1/17/2010 - Wine Drinker wrote: 92 Points
Better than the last bottle I had several months ago (which was excellent). Beautiful light cherry color smell to match. An excellent food PN, tastes of black cherry, subtle spice, with a little mineral in background. Very elegant and in balance, easy drinking. This wine is drinking really well right now.
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9/11/2009 - gutt22 wrote:
14.2% alcohol. Initially a touch of funk on the nose. This blew off with about 30 minutes of air. Lovely cherry color, with no hints of age or even lightening at the rim of the glass. Terrific aromatics, with pure black cherry, minerals, strong baking spice, and a sort of dusty earth note. This is the personification of Westside Road Pinot Noir. In the mouth, sumptuous yet elegant and linear, with a focused and juicy streak of black cherry fruit. Spice and earth notes lead to bright acidity, and the finish is tremendous, betraying just the faintest touch of lingering oak. A-/A
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8/25/2009 - pgordon62 wrote: flawed
Popped the cork and the smell of brett filled the air. As bretty a new world wine as I have experienced. The fruit moved into better balance towards the bottom of the bottle and there was a very pleasant creaminess to the mouthfeel. I have had a similar experience with a number of 2001-2004 Rochioli Estate Pinots. I should drink them younger.
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8/11/2009 - jerhardt wrote: 91 Points
Nice RRV pinot. Bright ruby red, medium bodied. Seamlessly integrated and drinking nicely, although not really any secondary development to speak of. Interesting and nice to have alongside the '07 Sojourn Sonoma Coast.
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6/24/2009 - LoireFan wrote: 91 Points
Maybe a 92. Great QPR.
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6/6/2009 - blaine wrote: 92 Points
Absolutely fantastic. Medium-bodied, colored. Nice nose of cherries and flowers. Balanced on the palate, with fruit complemented by a perfect acitdity. Cherries, blue and red berries. Impecablly structured, could go for quite a while. No hurry with this one.
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5/31/2009 - WineGrotto wrote: 93 Points
Note to self, I really must start buying more wine from Rochioli.
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4/15/2009 - LoireFan wrote: 92 Points
Rocking bottle!
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2/15/2009 - dinwiddie wrote: 89 Points
Opened for Valentine's Day dinner. Ate it with grilled rib eye steaks and roasted asparagus with baby Yukon Gold potatoes and garlic. Not decanted, but opened an hour before serving.
It was a lighter color than I had remembered, more like a Burgundy than what one expects from a RRV PN. Nose of cherries and some muted spices, somewhat flowery. On the palate lots of cherry and some citrus. Medium finish. It fleshed out a little more as the evening progressed. I wouldn't try to hold these for much longer.
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2/13/2009 - pgordon62 wrote: 91 Points
The model of consistency - characteristics of earthy cherry, black raspberry, rose petal, cola and a touch of barnyard and woody brush. A pleasing density without heaviness. Clean finish with dark fruit and loamy earth notes. Elegant, classic rendition of the RRV Pinot.
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1/24/2009 - littletimmy wrote: 92 Points
Drank over a Raclette dinner and couldn't have chosen better. I enjoyed the barnyard and this pinot is almost creamy in mouthfeel. It is drinking very well right now.
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12/12/2008 - gutt22 wrote:
14.2% alcohol. Wow. This was fantastic right from the moment of pulling the cork. Pure, shiny red cherry color. Stunningly complex bouquet of red and black cherry, forest floor, baking spice, minerals, and a touch of flowers. In the mouth, sumptuous yet linear, a true delight as the flavors unfold across your palate. Beautifully concentrated red and black cherry fruit makes a bold first impression, followed by excellent complexity, with a notable spice and earthy forest floor component, all the while with the fruit still dancing in your mouth. Marvelous acidity adds structure and focus, and the finish is long, smooth, and full of the flavors of the wine. This is aging beautifully. It was so lush and fruit-forward upon initial release. And it's aging like classic Rochioli. Terrific wine. A-/A
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11/4/2008 - norsktorsk wrote: 92 Points
This is a beautiful wine.
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9/25/2008 - Rangstrom wrote: 92 Points
A bright,clear cherry red that didn't prepare me for the broad shoulders on this wine. I opened it an hour before dinner, but didn't have time to take a taste. My first sip, however, told me it was time to order a steak. This was big and burly; still with steak the tannin and the fruits reached an accommodating detente.There was a nice presence on the tongue with plenty of dark cherry, blackberry and spice. The finish resonated and held my interest. Not a terribly aromatic wine (especially when first opened) with red fruits and a hint of vanilla/oak and it could of used sharper acidity.
I'd love to try this again in a few years. For all of its minor faults, it has a commanding presence.
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2/14/2008 - dougie wrote: 91 Points
Love Rochioli pinots. This one is no exception. Wonderful, thick rich fruit with a balance. Just cannot score it more because it does not have the wow factor and nuiances are not there. But, I love their wines; maybe even more the chards. (I have not had their single vineyard pinots though)
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1/12/2008 - cct wrote: 90 Points
For pinot, dark colored with dark berries, cola, asian 5 spice, rhubarb and dark cherries. A touch stemmy but with very good fruit, a well made midweighted pinot, with a very fine finish. Similar for sure to wine #1. 90 pts
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12/23/2007 - nwk wrote:
Some gunpoweder and cherry, leather (brett) and clove in the nose. Showing signs of age in the mouth, with hints of evolution in the cherry, clove, and vanilla flavors. Seemed ready to go and slightly more evolved than expected. Good, but hardly great.
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12/20/2007 - pgordon62 wrote: 91 Points
Very consistant with a bottle earlier in the year. Lots of dark cherry, cola, woody underbrush and Christmas spice. The fruit has developed greater purity and an intesting floral edge. Superb balance. Seems ready now and over the next 2-3.
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12/19/2007 - spacewrangler wrote: 91 Points
Full boded bruiser of a pinot, similar to a Sea Smoke. I was expecting more elegance. Has a gorgeous nose which includes a cool Werthers Original/molasses type note. Seems tight still on the palate, this eventually opened some as the night went on. An earthy caramel profile crept in towards the end of the bottle. Went fine with pizza, which says how big this wine is.
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9/3/2007 - dougie wrote: 91 Points
nice
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8/9/2007 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 90 Points
2003 Cali Pinots blindtasted (Rochioli, Siduri, Testarossa) (Palo Alto, California): Group's #2 (my #3) – 54 pts; 0, 3, 3, 0 – medium cherry red color; appealing tart red fruit, soy and rosehips nose; earthy, tart red fruit, cherry, soy, with good structure; medium finish
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6/6/2007 - SUN-J wrote: 89 Points
Not nearly as enjoyable as the last time I tried this (~6 months ago). Nose was somewhat closed but eventually opened up to reveal earthy, nutmeg and dark fruit nuances. Palate was more earth and less fruit -- surprising that much of the fruit had dissipated after only a few years. Mouthfeel wasn't as silky either. I enjoyed this wine but not nearly as much as my prior two bottles. Will be interesting to try the '04.
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5/19/2007 - pgordon62 wrote: 92 Points
A very impressive showing. Started very earthy with a strong nutmeg/underbrush note, face powder and dark cherry. Developed quickly into a silky beauty full of pure cherry, raspberry, a hint of vanilla, damp forest floor, cola and cinnamon spice. An agile wine that deftly balances fruit concentration with an excellent acid structure. Seems to be developing a little quicker than usual for Rochioli Pinot but will continue to improve over the next few years.
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4/21/2007 - dougie wrote: 91 Points
Started off spectacular, thick, rich velvety- loved it. Then, after an hour, it became austere and a bit tart. After two hours, it filled out. But, not as nice as the beginning of the experience.
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3/13/2007 - llink wrote:
Very sexy nose of spice, cherry cola and some pine resin. Very fine tannins, good crisp crunchy fruit taste with medium sweetness, just a little sappiness and not much lift. Lingering finish that displays a little heat. Detractions: 1. mid palate does not have a lot of definition and seems to lack structure or acidity to balance the sweet fruit, and 2. a little heat on the finish.
I've been drinking the estate bottlling since 1994 and the 2003 is one of the best in memory. It would be fun to try it blind in a flight with some of the premier cru burgs from 2003 and compare.
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2/25/2007 - toddjerry wrote: 93 Points
Perefectly balanced, elegant Pinot. Light in color, transparent. Beautiful balance, solid fruit, tannin and acid. Very nice.
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1/11/2007 - SUN-J wrote: 91 Points
Nice wine -- wonderful nose of nutmeg, candied cherry, talcum powder (?) and asian spices. Palate was similar with good mouthfeel but lacked the acidity I recall from the last '03 I tried one year ago. Almost seemed like this had reached its peak but maybe it was just an advanced bottle (or it was closed and the acidity was closed too -- is this possible?) Still a wonderful Pinot that is definitely my style and would have garnered more points if it had a higher level acidity to go with the food at the Village Pub. Can't wait to try the '04.
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11/26/2006 - CMCLR wrote: 92 Points
Fantastic fruit- lengthy finish.
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10/21/2006 - wineismylife wrote: 89 Points
DAWGS Blind Pinot Noir Tasting (TexasZin's home in Garland, TX): WIML89,WA90-93,NOWS
Tasted October 21, 2006 at a blind tasting. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Balloon Magnum glass. Light cherry colored in the glass, clear hue throughout. Citrusy nose with some mixed berries. Flavors red berries and cherries. Medium acidity, tannins and body. Drink over the short term. New world. Not sure what it is.
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8/14/2006 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 90 Points
'02 Russian River Pinots Blindtasted - Rochioli, Williams Selyem, Dehlinger & Siduri (Rich and Peggy's Home in Los Altos, CA): Group's #6 (my #3) - lovely, faintly barnyardy and sausage nose; tasty, solid Burgundian tart red fruit with a little juiciness on medium finish 90+ pts. ($42, 14.2%)
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6/3/2006 - ChrisR wrote: 91 Points
Ruby red in color, a little cloudy. Medium- to full-bodied. Strong cherry, a little candied in flavor, spicy oak that became more prevalent as it aired, acidity to keep it taught. Even better on the second night. A terrific pinot.
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5/29/2006 - Deryl wrote: 93 Points
Always love this stuff. This was drinking very well. Could have lasted longer, but was lacking nothing tonight.
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4/14/2006 - lorenzo wrote: 88 Points
(KUKIO)
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4/3/2006 - JScott wrote: 91 Points
Clean, nice acidity, cherry core. Very California.
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2/26/2006 - Nanda wrote: 90 Points
Chicao Wine Geeks do Pinot (Hyde Park, Chicago (Collin's place)): Color was dark garnet. Nose was quite forward - plenty of red fruit and new oak notes. In the mouth, full bodied and concentrated. Complex with lush fruit, earth notes and spice. The palate really grips you. Lengthy finish. Definitely new world. My #2, Group's WOTN.
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2/14/2006 - PinoyNoir wrote: 92 Points
Drank on Valentine's day with ribeye. Very good for a Rochioli estate, even better on day 2!
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12/27/2005 - brianofthevine wrote: 90 Points
Strawberry and raspberry fruit, subtle earthiness, decent finish.
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11/24/2005 - pgordon62 wrote: 92 Points
A nose of dark cherry, cola, grilled meats and reduced coffee aromas - very much like a young Burgundy. Energetic in the mouth with raspberry and berry fruit. The finish is nicely rounded with good length, soft fruit and a hint of vanilla. Lots of upside. The best Rochioli Estate Pinot ever.
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8/28/2005 - Blue Oval wrote: 92 Points
I decanted this for 1 hour. There was an "explosion" of flavors and this was definately my fav. PN Estate from this producer (over 5 yrs). Can't wait to try the '03 single vineyard designated wines (someday). . .
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5/30/2005 - shemmy wrote: 92 Points
Tastes of berries, a little smoky. Just a hint of barnyard nose. Strong mineral finish. Delicious with pork tenderloin marinated in lime.
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4/21/2005 - du Beaune wrote: 89 Points
I drank this without decanting, and it might have benefited a bit in the old Riedel duck. Into the glass the color had a lighter opaqueness that was very Burgundian. The nose was a mix of bright and darker fruit. First sip was fruit blackberry, black raspberry with medium tannin and a little bit of a hot finish. Half hour later the hot finish had mellowed. A bit early to be drinking this, but I have several and it was time to test one! At this point it's not in the special occasion bottle class, and a bit pricey ($55) for drinking on a whim.
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4/12/2005 - Pool Boy wrote: 86 Points
Kinda tight. Earth, cherry jam, and smoke. Not bad, but sort of too early to tell. 86 pts.
I'd recommend decanting this if you are going to be drinking it soon. Couple of hours, IMO.
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