Featured Wine - Roessler Cellars '03 Pinot, Pisoni Vineyard
Wednesday March 5th, 2008
Roessler Cellars 2003 Pinot Noir, Pisoni Vineyard
$648/Case or $60/Bottle
Roessler Cellars (sounds like "wrestler") is one of our nation's top boutique producers of high end pinot noir. They produce about a dozen different pinots a year, most of which are vineyard designated, and most of which do not exceed a few hundred cases.
Along with Siduri and A.P. Vin, Roessler Cellars specializes in pinot noir from our state's best vineyards, including the prestigious vineyards of Widdoes, Clos Pepe, Peay, Sanford & Benedict and several others, including today's featured wine from the famed Pisoni Vineyard in Monterey County.
The Vineyard
Pisoni Vineyards has been recognized as one of the world's "top ten vineyards" and one of America's five "Grand Cru" vineyards. With 45 acres of small-block vineyards located at 1,300 feet in the Southern end of the Santa Lucia Highlands appellation, Pisoni sells primarily to artisanal producers of premium vineyard-designated pinot, keeping a small amount for their own production. The vines grow in poor soils consisting primarily of decomposed granite, stressing the vines, which results in grapes with fuller flavors. Those who go in for personifying things say the vines "know" they are stressed and may not live, so the vines give their all to the fruit in order to keep the next generation alive. Whatever, the fact is that the fruit from stressed vines is universally sought the world over.
For those of you who have ever traveled CA Hwy 101 through America's Salad Bowl (a well-deserved nickname for Salinas County, and one they prefer to "Steinbeck Country"), you've unknowingly passed this prestigious plot of land as you passed due West of Pinnacles National Monument at the Gonzales exit (the one with the large round water tower - you can't miss it). Fruit from Pisoni only ends up in the hands of the most talented producers, though I'm not sure if this is due to his own volition or simply the price Gary Pisoni can demand for his premium fruit.
The Wine
I enjoyed this wine at the Pinot on the River event several years ago, and keep in touch with Roger Roessler to make sure we have an allocation for our upscale readers who collect and enjoy such rarities. Look for dark cherries and red fruits dominating, with mushrooms, warm earth and sweet spices making up the chorus. I find this to be the most "old world" style of all the Roessler wines, though those from the Sonoma Coast are also in the running. It is, without question, a new world wine that will never be confused for a Burgundy, but it does lean towards that side of the spectrum, bringing the best of both worlds together in a single bottle.
And speaking of bottles... with almost five years under its cork, the bottle bouquet is beginning to come to the fore on this wine. As it approaches its prime, I recommend opening one bottle every six months to see how it is developing. A great wine I'm pleased to present.
Roessler Cellars 2003 Pinot Noir, Pisoni Vineyard.
Cheers!
Dave Chambers, Wine Merchant
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