2019 Rochioli Release

Any insight on these wines and 2019 vintage? My only note from 2018 is the 2 single vineyard pinots I’ve had (Sweetwater and Big Hill) were much more delicate in style than the estate bottling (the 2018 estate blend was amazing). One of each could be fun but I am limiting my purchase to 6 total.

2019 Sweetwater Pinot Noir $90
2019 Little Hill Pinot Noir $90
2019 River Block Pinot Noir $90
2019 Big Hill Pinot Noir $90
2019 Three Corner Pinot Noir $100
2019 West Block Pinot Noir $120

I have no insight on the 2019 vintage. The 2019 Rochioli’s were quite highly rated in Vinous and the WA, as I recall. The West Block and Big Hill tend to generally come out on top, joined by the Riverblock, and one of the publications rated the Three Corner quite highly this year. If you like their style, then it seems like a pretty safe bet. It also appears that Tom Rochioli is making the wines in a somewhat more restrained style in the past few vintages, I believe less new oak for example, and this is a good thing. FWIW, I bought them, as I have for some years…but a bit more in recent vintages.

1 Like

As a former list member (10 + years ago) those prices are much lower than I would have expected after so much time not paying attention.

1 Like

Very true. I love these wines. River Block and West Block are my top two, but we smile when we get to drink any of their wines.

By the way…Alex, thank you for the reminder! It is appreciated. [cheers.gif]

I think he has held a wonderful stylistic line.

Thanks for the notes. Rather than a mixed bag I ended up going heavier on the Big Hill and grabbed some River Block. [cheers.gif]

That’s disappointing. I got my email at 2pm and went to place my order and had everything in my cart and got distracted and now WB is sold out. :frowning:

I have yet to try the Rochioli wines. Signed up for the mailing list a few years ago thinking I would have tried it by the time I got in. $90 is pretty steep for even the Williams Selyem version. How lean is the 2019 vintage?

Waited for 7 years to get on the list. never regretted it.
Sweetwater Pinot Noir $90 - not cheap, but year after year an amazing wine.
Little Hill Pinot Noir $90 - until the last 2 years, I would say this was an over priced wine. The last 2 years have shown incredible depth and more complexity. Still my least favorite, but improving a lot.
River Block Pinot Noir $90 - close to Little Hill, never impressed me. Little Hill has improved, this seems to be unchanged.
Big Hill Pinot Noir $90 - each vintage just keeps getting better. A buy each year.
Three Corner Pinot Noir $100 - not cheap and some years are better than others, but with a few years on it, a really nice wine.
West Block Pinot Noir $120 - not cheap, but always amazing and worth the price, but it generally needs time. Have had this back to 2006 and never disappoints.

1 Like

The first year for Big Hill was 2016, so I tried it soon after receiving it and loved it. It’s the only vineyard I bought for the 2019 vintage. Their website shows the scores from Galloni and Wine Advocate for what that’s worth (94-97 ratings). Went on their Mediterranean cruise in 2014- Tom Rochioli and his wife were very friendly and shared their knowledge and history freely. Only buy 3-6 annually now due to more limited income being retired. I love their single vineyard chardonnays just as much as their pinots; and those are in the $70-85 range.