During the heat of the pandemic in 2020 on Zoom I sat beside Rollin Soles, Oregon’s sparkling wine master. Rollin transformed the wine program at Argyle, putting them on the national stage before starting his own winery, ROCO. Rollin comes off as extremely kind-hearted and has a wonderful sense of humor. I’ve been fortunate to have tasted his Argyle wines back to the late 1990s, as the ‘Extended Tirage’ wines that he made were some of the finest bubbles you will find in North America.
With the 2013 vintage Rollin was able to craft his first sparkling wine for his label, the ‘RMS.’ As a wine critic I was unabashedly licking my chops when I found out that Rollin was going to make aged sparkling wine. RMS wines are aged for 2.5 years before being disgorged. Rollin has had great success with his ROCO wines as he and his wife sold their winery to Santa Margarita winery earlier in 2022. There is very good reason why these giants of Italy took interest in this winery that has been consistently producing great wines.
Tasting through all of the vintages of ‘RMS’ I was floored with the overall quality of the wines, regardless of vintage. 2013 was a great year for early ripening varietals and was only marred from the rain event which happened after Chardonnay and grapes for sparkling wines were picked. The 2013 ‘RMS’ (OB, 95) is wonderfully nutty and salty, with beautiful finesse. Even more geared towards weight, but equally good, the 2014 ‘RMS’ (OB, 95) is massive especially at a warmer temperature and comes off as very Dom Perignon meets Oregon. The best wine I sampled was the 2015 ‘RMS’ (OB, 96) which is up there with the best sparkling wine in North America that I have tasted in the past year. This is also very bold and rich, but has a brilliant veil of tension that holds everything marvelously in place. What a wine! Learn more about these incredible wines at rocowinery.com and here are my notes from the brilliant ‘RMS’ sparkling wines by ROCO.
2013 ROCO ‘RMS’ Sparkling Wine- The first vintage of this wine is now an immense success nearly a decade later in 2022. Looking at the golden hue, suggests this will be a rich and decadent effort, mainly comprised of Pinot Noir (65%). Now fully mature, this is brilliantly evolved stuff that moves into wild mushroom and peat moss flavors alongside shades of baking spice dusted starfruit, hazelnut and salty brioche. The tension and sense of salinity that runs though the core of the wine adds to the intrigue. Drink this beauty over the next six to eight years. Drink 2022-2028- 95
2014 ROCO ‘RMS’ Sparkling Wine- Deeply concentrated, the stunning 2014 ‘RMS’ builds with biscuit and ripe pear tones with cashew nut rounding out aromatically. The bubbles presence is very light. The power from the Pinot Noir (67%) is really shining, as the wine has very broad shoulders. The salinity and finesse captivates, leading to the exceedingly long finish. What a stunning warm vintage sparkling wine that is drinking right in its wheelhouse. Drink 2022-2029- 95
2015 ROCO ‘RMS’ Sparkling Wine- The really good 2015 ROCO ‘RMS’ Sparkling Wine blends 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay. Intriguingly the Chardonnay is shining very brightly with its lemon oil, lychee, and toasted hazelnuts. The flavor density here is extraordinarily good as the light effervescence and flinty undercurrents round out this flamboyant, sensationally good bottling. Enjoy this stunning wine over the next eight plus years. Drink 2022-2031- 96
2016 ROCO ‘RMS’ Sparkling Wine- Unabashedly big, the 2016 ROCO ‘RMS’ Sparkling Wine is a knockout blend of 70% Pinot Noir with the remainder Chardonnay. Still very fresh, with serious finesse, with lemon zest dusted Challah bread, banana, marzipan and shades of pink grapefruit. Plump and round on the mouth, and finishing very long, this will easily cellar well for another ten years. Drink 2022-2032- 95
2017 ROCO ‘RMS’ Sparkling Wine- The 2017 ROCO ‘RMS’ Sparkling Wine is a stunning cooler vintage wine that is already beautifully evolved. Sourced from the Madrona Hill, Marsh Estate, Gran Moraine and Blossom Ridge Vineyards, this reveals Gravenstein apple and nutmeg infused Challah bread notes on the nose, with hints of salted praline. The palate reveals very refined bubbles and a soft mousse that impresses upon entry. A gorgeous range of citrus, and melon fruits combine with baking spice dusted Golden Delicious apple flavors. Refined, and rich, this highly memorable bottling will sure to satisfy over the next fifteen years. Drink 2022-2037- 95
2018 ROCO ‘RMS’ Sparkling Wine- Even more big and dense than the 2017 edition, but every bit as good, the gorgeous 2018 ROCO deftly showcases the wonderful weight and tension produced in this warm vintage. Once on the mouth, the soft sense of texture and refined mousse entices. Layers of buttered brioche and lemon rind combine with notes of cardamom, baked pear and light flinty undercurrents. Complex and delicious now, this has at least another fifteen years in front of it. Drink 2022-2037- 95