2006 Rosella’s Vineyard Pinot Noir,
Santa Lucia Highlands

The Rosella’s Vineyard is one of our more famous vineyards and a source that you would think we are extremely happy with. And, in fact, the grapes have been superb but we have often felt that our resulting wines have not always reflected the high quality of the fruit. In other words, we have underperformed here at winemakers.

In 2006 we made a very concerted effort to rectify that situation. We bled off more juice in an attempt to concentrate the wines, we increased the use of whole clusters in the fermentation, we employed different barrel types, and we were extremely strict in the barrel selection with only 38% of the barrels making the cut for this wine.

This effort seemed to pay off as this wine is our finest Rosella’s Pinot Noir to date. A blend of Pisoni clone, Dijon clones 777 and 828, and Pommard clone this wine was aged for 10 months in 80% new French oak before being bottled without fining or filtration. Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine called it “a classy and complete package that ranks among Siduri’s best efforts in 2006” and awarded the wine a 93 point rating.

Cases Produced: 490
Release Date: March 2008

94 Points ~ Medium-deep ruby color; deep, full black cherry and plum aromas with earthy, spicy notes; complex, ripe and full flavored with black cherry and plum, earthy and pepper notes; some tannin and toasty oak; good structure and balance; long finish. Complex, deep Pinot that needs air in the glass to open up and will definitely benefit from some cellar restraint.

93 Points ~ Santa Lucia Highland Pinot Noirs are very often defined by their ripeness and weight, and, while this bottling is lacking in neither, it is the wine's balance and sense of real polish that sets it apart. Velvety smooth, yet with a fine spine of acid, it is everywhere keyed on youthful cherry-like fruit and is filled in with mildly creamy oak at every stop. A classy and complete package that ranks among Siduri's best efforts in 2006, it is at once irresistible now and seems likely to gain still further refinement with time.

Click here for a printer-friendly version of this page