Happy Sunday to you all. We share the brilliant wines of ROCO, the brainchild of famed winemaker Rollin Soles. Rollin is one of the great people in wine to chat with. 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. These ‘Extended Tirage’ wines are part of the reason why I am so obsessed with top bubbles of the world.
With the 2013 vintage Rollin was able to craft his first sparkling wine for his label, the ‘RMS.’ 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 in 2022. There is very good reason why these giants of Italy took interest in this winery that has been consistently producing great wines.
I visited the winery this summer with friends and family. They have a huge space and are very family friendly. Come visit them. I am enamored by the 2022 ROCO ’RMS’ Sparkling Wine (OB, 95) which is rich, dense and refined. Learn more about these incredible wines at rocowinery.com and here are my notes from the new release wines by ROCO.
2022 ROCO ‘RMS Blanc de Blancs’ Sparkling Wine- Another gorgeous bottling, the 2022 ROCO ‘RMS Blanc de Blancs’ Sparkling Wine comes from Chardonnay vineyard sites throughout the Willamette Valley and chosen by winemaker Rollin Soles. Salted mixed nuts combine with lemon rind, and buttered French bread on the palate. A generous, beautifully-textured wine, enjoy over the next decade. Drink 2025-2035- 95
2022 ROCO ‘RMS’ Brut Sparkling Wine- The seriously good 2022 ‘RMS’ is equal parts Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. It has outstanding weight and flavor density, with plenty of flinty and salty nuance. Juicy peach, freshly cut Key lime and saline drenched pear combine with pastry crust and nutty accents line the palate. A stunning rendition of this bottling, this has a long way to go in the cellar. Drink 2025-2035- 95
2022 ROCO ‘RMS Rose’ Brut Sparkling Wine- The stunning 2022‘RMS’ sparkling Rose is a dense and highly flavorful follow up from the outstanding 2021 edition. This Blanc de Noirs shows off its pretty salmon hue, yielding delicate strawberry and cranberry fruits that mingle with sweetened gooseberry, salted green melon and a refined mousse on the palate. Drink 2025-2035- 95
2022 ROCO ‘Marsh Estate Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- The 2022 ROCO ‘Marsh Estate Vineyard’ Pinot Noir is a gorgeous new bottling by associate winemaker Jared Sleet and winemaker Rollin Soles. On the nose this takes on layers of fragrant red florals with cranberry, orange zest and suggestions of cardamom. This is both fresh and viscous with outstanding verve and texture. Considering the coolness of the vintage, the weight really shines here. Drink 2025-2040- 94
2022 ROCO ‘Knudsen Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- The 2022 ROCO ‘Knudsen Vineyard’ Pinot Noir comes from this acclaimed site in the Dundee Hills. Bright red fruits parade with kumquat zest and rocky/salty soils on the palate. Refined and elegant, this is drinking beautifully now and will cellar well over the next ten years. Drink 2025-2035- 93
2022 ROCO ‘Private Stash No. 19’ Pinot Noir- The 2022 ROCO ‘Private Stash No. 19’ Pinot Noir is a barrel selection wine that is now in its nineteenth edition, first started in 2003. This is entirely sourced from Rollin Soles’s 2 acre vineyard in the Chehalem Mountains AVA set on Marine Sedimentary soils. The flavor density is outstanding here, as is the sense of depth and poise. Rich, salty red fruits parade with kumquat rind, bergamot and black rose water on the palate. Finishing very long, enjoy this beauty now and over the next fifteen years. Drink 2025-2040- 95