ROCO Willamette Valley Pinot noir 09

Review:

2008 Vintage Tasting Notes

Wine Spectator TOP 100!

#71 in Wine Spectator's TOP 100, they said - "Bright and jazzy, with crisp tannins around a lively core of peppermint-accented raspberry. Stays light and agile as the finish revs up. Best from 2012 through 2018. 1,680 cases made." - H.S.

A nice deep inhale of spice and blackberries with a touch of chocolate. Pure fruit flavors lavishly roll across the tongue with true complexity and a nod toward the soil - tender flavors of earth, minerality, and an essence of myrrh. It is rich and succulent on the palate with a long dark cherry finish. I’ve not said this before... this is my favorite ROCO Willamette Valley to date.

Rollin says... Fruit driven with chocolate covered plum and black cherry aromas. It has an earthiness to it with an essence of myrrh and minerals. The feel in the mouth is creamy-smooth with a black raspberry and cherry flavor center. It is rich and succulent on the palate with minerality and a long dark cherry finish.

Corby says... A nice deep inhale of spice and blackberries with a touch of chocolate. Pure fruit flavors lavishly roll across the tongue with true complexity and a nod toward the soil – with tender flavors of earth, and minerality. You can’t miss the center palate flavors of blackberries that are soaked in Pinot noir (great idea) and a hint of nutmeg and vanilla bean. I’ve not said this before... this is my favorite ROCO Willamette Valley to date.

2006 Vintage Tasting Notes

2006 Wine Spectator - 92 points - Supple, silky and remarkably open textured, this just glows with beautiful plum, currant and a hint of lime in the background, delicately framed with oak. The fruit wins in the end, and this lingers for days. Drink now through 2016. - H.S.

2006 Tanzer - 90 points - Deep red. Seductive perfume of red and dark berry preserves, Asian spices, anise and dried rose. Medium-bodied black raspberry and candied cherry flavors stain the palate, complemented by floral pastille and cinnamon qualities. The spiciness builds on the finish, which is pure, focused and very long. This is a side project of Rollin Soles, Argyle's winemaker, and his wife Corby.

The ROCO Pinot noir 2006's deep garnet color signals the full flavored berry essence of this wine. The nose reveals deep rich plum, cherry and a hint of cobblestone and spice. In the mouth, the texture is smooth and fills the palate with deep plum, boysenberry, and Bing cherry juiciness. In the mid-palate, the rich fruit flavors begin to meld with a touch of spice, revealing hibiscus, bergamot, and vanilla. This wine is full balanced, and has firm structure and a mellow, loving finish. - the winery

2005 Vintage Tasting Notes

Wine Spectator - 94 points - Supple, graceful and deliciously complex, offering dark plum, blackberry and black olive flavors on a plush texture. The flavors linger expressively against wisps of tannins. Drink now through 2015. - H.S.

2004 Vintage Tasting Notes

A Pinot expert's Pinot, Rollin Soles'(Argyle) personal vineyard, Wits End, provides the fruit for this Estate Pinot. Two Pinots are offered, this "Private Stash" being the wine he, until recently, only sold to family and friends.

Everything is just as it should be in this Pinot expert's wine - there's layered complexity of fruit, spice, acid, and tannins offering a constantly changing array of pleasing qualities, all essentially Pinot taken to its highest levels.

Nose

Scent is of sweet red raspberry, cherry, and currant, with tantalizing hints of toast, vanilla, and oak. Flavors

Sweet red and black berry and cherry feature throughout the experience of tasting the wine. Layers of different flavors waft through the fruit, including different cherries, red and black raspberry, currant, sandalwood incense, sweet spices, hints of sweet tobacco, and toasted espresso bean. The wine has the quality of feeling like it expands in the mouth, and it's mouthfeel is voluptuous and velvety.

Finish

As the wine opens, it offers more and more complexity of flavors and scents. In the finish, there are hints of anise, intense black fruit and berries, and barrel spice.

First and foremost, this is a wine that screams "vineyard". It's clearly made from scrupulously perfect fruit, from a vineyard whose special qualities are understood and called for in the winemaking. Many of the most experienced winemakers say that Pinot noir is made in the vineyard...the trick is to not screw up what the fruit gives you. Rollin is clearly a master at determining the vineyard's special qualities and crafting a wine that emphasizes them.