2023 J. Rochioli Pinot Noir Little Hill

The 2023 Pinot Noir Little Hill is from a combo of clones and pours a youthful ruby color. It has highly expressive aromas, with deep notes of framboise, gorgeous deeper spices, and a layered, Burgundy-like feel. It has real structure and keeps unfolding in the glass with notes of forest herbs and darker pure red fruit. Drink 2026-2046. 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 Little Hill Estate is another large-scaled Pinot in this range from Rochioli. Dark red fruit, blood orange, pomegranate and spice all take shape with a bit of time in the glass. This is a pretty imposing wine structurally. I would give it a bit of time in the cellar. Most of this is Pommard clone. It is another powerful wine in the lineup.