Open: Thursday-Monday, 11:00am-4:00pm; Tuesday and Wednesday by appointment
Appt required? No
Directions:
View
Sonoma in a larger map or
Get Directions
Tasting:
J. Rochioli is sometimes considered the father of Pinot Noir in the Russian River Valley, given he was the first to plant it there over 50 years ago. With my love of Sonoma Pinot combined with some stellar reviews of 2009 Rochioli wine in Wine Spectator, I figured it was worth it to give the tasting room a try.
Visitors walk through impeccably groomed French manicured grounds featuring many picnic tables to a back patio that overlooks the vineyard. Adjacent to the patio is a moderately sized tasting room with a corner tasting bar. We bellied up and prepared to taste some excellent wines.
Unfortunately, the tasting room only pours 3 wines: the J. Rochioli Chardonnay, the Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, and the “Field Blend” (a Syrah-based blend). Both the Chardonnay and Pinot were top notch; the field blend was average at best. My biggest disappointment, though, was that they didn’t pour or even sell more of their portfolio. While the Russian River Pinot was probably good enough for me to explore their club/allocation list, ultimately this isn’t a great tasting experience due to the lack of options. What I would recommend, however, is coming here for lunch. The view from the patio is fantastic, and should that be full, there are close to a dozen picnic tables available in the gardens.
Recommended wine: Both the Chardonnay and the Russian River Pinot Noir were great, leading me to believe the single vineyard Pinots are probably fantastic.
Ratings (out of 5):
WINE | 4.50 | 
TASTING ROOM | 4.25 |
ATMOSPHERE | 3.75 | 
VALUE | 3.50 |
OVERALL | 4.00 |
No comments:
Post a Comment