2023 J. Rochioli Pinot Noir Big Hill

From the Calera and Rochioli clones, the 2023 Pinot Noir Big Hill is youthful deep red color. The nose has notes of violets, black raspberries, and gravelly earth, and it saturates the palate with ripe and well-refined tannins, woodsy, pure spice, and a noble feel. It does feel like Grand Cru. It’s long on the palate, with fantastic structure and refreshing, even acidity. Drink 2026-2050. Tom Rochioli is leading his historic family winery and vineyards along with his wife Theresa and their children, Rachael (General Manager) and Ryan (Assistant Winemaker). The focus is on estate-grown expressions of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and old vine Sauvignon Blanc. Tom’s grandparents immigrated from Italy in 1911 and came to the Russian River Valley in 1938, moving to the 125-acre Fenton Acres property where the winery is today. In the 1970s and 1980s, Tom’s father Joe began selling their grapes to winemakers Davis Bynum and Williams Selyem, who produced some of the best wines in the region. It wasn’t until 1983 that Rochioli decided to produce their own wines and changed the name of the property from Fenton Acres to Rochioli Vineyards.

The 2023 Pinot Noir Big Hill Estate is a big, dramatic wine. Dark red-toned fruit, cedar, pomegranate, incense, licorice and mocha are all amplified to the maximum. This potent, richly layered Pinot Noir is quite the head-turner. The clonal mix is Calera and the Rochioli West Block selection of the Wente clone.