The Wine Spectator’s #6 Wine of the Year:
Domaine Drouhin is the Oregon outpost of Burgundy’s Maison Joseph Drouhin. While most of the estate vineyards are in the Dundee Hills, Roserock Vineyard in Eola-Amity Hills has become increasingly key to the winery’s success since the Drouhins purchased the 122-acre vineyard in 2013. Véronique Boss-Drouhin, who oversees winemaking operations in both Burgundy and Oregon, blended a selection from the vineyard’s 35 individual blocks, which she fermented separately. Eola-Amity Pinot Noirs are known for their powerful structure, but Boss-Drouhin strives to accentuate the house’s graceful style. This 2022 aged in French oak barrels (20 percent of which were new) for 10 months.
Supple and elegantly structured, with detailed raspberry and cherry flavors accented by rose petal, brown baking spices and orange peel as this glides toward polished tannins. Drink now through 2032.
Also 95 for the Wine Enthusiast – their top Roserock ever and an Editors’ Choice.
This is a Goldilocks porridge wine where everything from the lemony acidity to the sturdy tannins was “just right.” It is medium- bodied fare, with blackberry, Thai basil and orange-zest flavors. Violet and cinnamon-stick aromas blend harmoniously with notes of dark raspberries and blueberry fruit leather. It is a stunning value.
Finally, the top Roserock ever for the extremely serious John Gilman:
It is fascinating to taste the 2022 Roserock pinot noir alongside the Dundee Hills bottling from Domaine Drouhin, as both wines tip the scales at 14.1 percent octane in this vintage, but the fruit from the cooler Van Duzer Corridor gives the Roserock bottling a more black fruity personality than the DDO bottling. The bouquet here is excellent, delivering scents of black cherries, sweet dark berries, woodsmoke, black tea, a nice touch of the stems, lovely soil tones, peonies, rose petals and a deft touch of new oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, focused and shows beautiful depth of sappy black fruit at the core, with excellent soil signature, ripe, seamless tannins, tangy acids and superb length and grip on the complex and impeccably balanced finish. This is simply outstanding young pinot noir! (Drink between 2034-2075)