2010RochioliPNRiver2010 J. Rochioli, Pinot Noir, River Block, Russian River Valley.
The 2010 River Block is a glorious Pinot Noir, it is shedding it’s baby fat and lavish French oak leaving a full flavored wine with beautiful detail and lush texture. While not easy to find, and rather pricy, the Rochioli Pinots are luxury items and some of the most delectable in the state. I was lucky, after a seven year wait I was able to get on their mailing list and I now get a small offer each year, of which I try to get a few Pinots from the estate, along with the Chardonnay. I open them them for friends or special occasions, so after a short cellar period I decided to open this bottle, as it happened it was my birthday wine, that put grand expectations on this vintage and I can happily report this River Block easily met all my expectations and exceeded my desires on the night, with a great performance, this is wonderful stuff, even though it will be even better with another 3 to 5 years. The 2010 Rochioli River Block starts with a rich bouquet of floral notes, mocha, smoke, red berries and spicy vanilla leading to a full mouth of plum, black cherry and raspberry fruits along with ripe silky tannins, subtle acidity, licorice and dried cranberry. This is a showy wine, but still has balance and depth, this is a total pleasure to drink and will only reward those that wait a bit longer, I’d say as good as it is now, it should merit a higher rating in 3 to 5 years, everything is there to be a classic legendary wine from this world class winery.
($120 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive

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