BEST PINOT NOIR
R OCHIOLI VINEYARDS & WINERY
“Our family focuses on crafting renowned, terroir-driven wines built on a foundation of superb fruit.” —Rachael Rochioli, general manager
By Bo Kearns
R achael Rochioli, general manager at Rochioli Vineyards & Winery, describes her team as “honored” to be voted this year’s Best Pinot Noir by NorthBay biz readers. “With four generations dedicated to the land, we are proud of our family’s heritage and legacy in the Russian River Valley,” says Rochioli, who’s great-grandfather Joe began farming their land in the 1930s. The Rochioli family crafts renowned, terroir-driven wines built on a foundation of superb fruit, she says. “We believe in minimal intervention during the winemaking process as we want to show the true expression, characteristics and flavor profiles of each of our distinct vineyard sites,” Rachael Rochioli says. The family legacy began with Joe Rochioli Sr. farming hops and grapes in 1938 at a 125-acre property called Fenton Acres, now known as Rochioli Vineyards. In 1959 Joe and his son, Joe Jr., planted one of the first sauvignon blanc vineyards in the Russian River Valley. After the elder Joe’s passing, Joe Jr. began planting pinot noir in 1968. He was one of the first to plant this new varietal in this cool North Bay region. After seeing the great success that so many wineries were having with the Rochioli fruit, Joe Jr.’s son, Tom, believed they should produce their own wine under the Rochioli name. In 1983 they changed the name of the property from Fenton Acres to Rochioli Vineyards. And in 1985 Tom became the winemaker. In 1987 Rochioli released its first estate wine—the 1985 Rochioli Pinot Noir. They were quite surprised to learn the wine had topped Wine Spectator’s list of pinot
From left, Assistant Winemaker Ryan Rochioli, owner Theresa Rochioli, owner/Winemaker Tom Ro- chioli and General Manager Rachael Rochioli.
small quantities of the wine. We bottle six different single vineyard pinot noirs.” Depending on harvest yield, the number of cases produced varies between 1,500-2,000. As third-generation farmer and winemaker, Tom Rochioli is proud of his family heritage and the significant contributions to farming and winemaking that both his father and grandfather have made over the years. Now, the fourth generation has also joined the family business. Rachael is Tom and Theresa’s daughter; her brother Ryan is assistant winemaker. “Our family focuses on crafting renowned, terroir-driven wines built on a foundation of superb fruit,” Rachael says. “Our hope is to continue our legacy in the Russian River Valley.” v rochioliwinery.com
noir and deemed “The Best Pinot Noir in America.” The majority of the 130-acre Rochioli estate—approximately 80 acres—is planted in pinot noir. All of the wines produced are estate grown. The estate wines are a precise, hand-crafted blend of the single vineyard sites. Each single vineyard that is blended into the estate wines are carefully selected to represent the unique quality and character of Rochioli Vineyards. “Because of the diverse terroir in our vineyards, we are able to produce distinctly different wines from the same varietal by keeping each plot separate throughout the winemaking process,” Rachael Rochioli says. For our single vineyard wines, we hand-select the highest quality grapes in each of our vineyard sites and only produce
Best of the North Bay 2024
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