2008 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

Wine Spectator - TOP VALUE
Oregon Recommended Wines

Jazzy, with crisp tannins and a lively core of mint-accented raspberry. - HS

Wine Spectator - 92 Points
TOP 100 WINES of 2010

Bright and jazzy, with crisp tannins around a lively core of peppermint-accented raspberry. Stays light and agile as the finish revs up. Best from 2012 through 2018. -HS

Wine Advocate - 91 Points

The 2008 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley delivers a pleasing perfume of cedar, spice box, rose petal, black cherry and black raspberry. It is likely to evolve for 2-3 years but can be approached now. -JM

Tasting Notes

A nice deep inhale of spice and blackberries with a touch of chocolate. Pure fruit flavors lavishly roll across the tongue with true complexity and a nod toward the soil - tender flavors of earth, minerality, and an essence of myrrh. It is rich and succulent on the palate with a long dark cherry finish. I’ve not said this before... this is my favorite ROCO Willamette Valley to date.

Rollin says...

Fruit driven with chocolate covered plum and black cherry aromas. It has an earthiness to it with an essence of myrrh and minerals. The feel in the mouth is creamy-smooth with a black raspberry and cherry flavor center. It is rich and succulent on the palate with minerality and a long dark cherry finish.

Corby says...

A nice deep inhale of spice and blackberries with a touch of chocolate. Pure fruit flavors lavishly roll across the tongue with true complexity and a nod toward the soil – with tender flavors of earth, and minerality. You can’t miss the center palate flavors of blackberries that are soaked in Pinot noir (great idea) and a hint of nutmeg and vanilla bean. I’ve not said this before... this is my favorite ROCO Willamette Valley to date.

Production Notes

In the beginning, the '08 growing season did not want to warm up. A dry and very cool spring led to low heat accumulation and July flowering. This is the first year of the 2000's to experience flowering this late in the season.  The 1990's had four such events: 1991, 1993, 1996, and 1999. In the vineyard there was heavy fruit set, but the clusters were smaller than normal and therefore required that we drop less fruit than we did the 1990's in order to have a normal crop. August brought much needed rain to the vines just before veraison. Veraison (fruit berry softening and coloring) requires nitrogen from the soil. This nitrogen cannot get into the roots of the vine without the help of water. September was dry and sunny. October 3rd had a nice cold rain that seemed to perk up those dry and dusty vines. October 11th brought temperatures low enough to frost the valley floor. We harvested ROCO on October 10. These late harvests seem to deliver fruit of extraordinary balance of ripe fruit and bracing mineral acidity. The harvest berries had a wonderful crunchy, apple-like texture when popped into your mouth! The wines have fantastic balance and grace. Dark color and plum to blackberry fruit flavors with sanded tannins. There is excellent acid structure and purity of fruit -both hallmarks of an excellent growing season. These are wines to enjoy over a long period of time. ROCO's Wits' End Vineyard was a great performer this year. It was actually difficult to cull the best barrels out for our Private Stash selection. I would have selected all the barrels from the vineyard for this auspicious wine blend, but Corby wouldn't let me! Only the best of the best will do for this wise woman!

Purchase This Wine

$30.00 per bottle

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