2021 J. Rochioli Pinot Noir Little Hill Reserve

The 2021 Pinot Noir Little Hill is packed with dark red/purplish berry fruit, and hints of graphite, underbrush, licorice and lavender that add a palpable element of seriousness. This brooding, intense Pinot needs a few years in bottle to unwind. It is pretty impressive, though, and quite promising.

The 2021 Pinot Noir Little Hill pours a deep transparent ruby and delivers a touch of cinnamon spice along with its notes of white pepper and ripe cranberry cocktail. Leading with an approachable feel on the palate, it has medium body and ripe tannins, with ripe fruit up front, followed by the revelation of its structure, with notes of turned forest floor, black cherry, and tea leaf. It is long on the palate, with a clean lift. Drink 2024-2040. 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 came to the Russian River Valley in 1938, having immigrated from Italy in 1911, and moved 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 renamed the property from Fenton Acres to Rochioli Vineyards. Tom’s father, Joe Rochioli Sr., passed away last August. In May, I had the opportunity to tour the vineyards with Tom and taste each of the wines for this report with him at the winery. Not all vineyard tours are created equal, and it is truly an enlightening and inspiring experience to see their old, moss-covered vines that are the source material for not only their own wines but for those of some of the top producers in Sonoma today. The River Block, where they fight Pierce’s disease, is a more vigorous site adjacent to the Russian River. He selects from the older pieces for his wines from this site. Three Corner Vineyard, which his father planted in 1974, was the first vineyard Tom ever trained, but it’s challenging to keep alive. Little Hill and Sweetwater are the biggest contributors to the estate wine. The Rochiolis practice no-till farming in the vineyard unless they’re trying to revive young re-plantings. Across the board, their wines are silky, expressive, age-worthy, and outright delicious.