TNR/Info Request: 2007 Castalia Rochioli Vineyard Pinot Noir

WINE TALK
1

I was just offered some of this and it sounds intriguing…anybody have any experience here?

From the offer letter:

"Wine Maker Terry Bering has been the Cellar Master at Rochioli Winery since 1990, and has been making wine since 1985. Being the Cellar Master at Rochioli has its advantages. Terry has come to know what are the ideal times to pick the fruit, and which are the best blocks from each vineyard.



This is, as always, 100% Pinot Noir from Rochioli vineyards; 50% from the River Block, and the rest from an 19-year-old block that Terry feels is even better than the River Block. The wine is aged for 15 months in 30% new French oak, giving the wine a soft and approachable style. This is a wine with a dark garnet color and a ruby-red hue, presenting enticing aromas and flavors of cherry, stawberry and cola notes, then gaining palate weight and producing notes of black cherry, raspberry, almond, spice, and a touch of earth. It is sleek, sexy, opulent, and refined all at once. This has become the Pavlovian Pinot Noir here at Hi-Time as every time he comes around with a bottle, the staff begins to salivate! This should age easily for another 7-10 years."

2

We had a bottle of the 2007 Castalia ‘Rochioli Vyd’ [Russian River] pinot the last 3 nights. I loved it! It’s a big lush, ripe RRV fruit with lots of interest at age ten. There’s some incense, cola, and berry on the nose. The edges are only lightly changing color, and it held up fine over 3 nights. It’s a big wine, fleshy, and 14.1% abv. There’s some fruitcake flavors here too. Easy to drink with food, or by itself. A real delight for those not in the AFWE camps. I’d give this an A-, caveated with I’d don’t consume much of this varietal but when I do its usually of this rich style.