Rochioli is the vineyard that proved the Russian River Valley could grow world class Pinot Noir. Four generations of one Italian American farming family planted some of the region's first Pinot in 1968 and went on to make wines critics ranked among the best in the country.

An Italian farming family on Westside Road

The Rochioli story began in 1911 when Joe Rochioli Senior arrived from a village near Lucca in northern Italy. His son, Joe Rochioli Junior, spent his whole life farming the family ground on Westside Road in Healdsburg.

It was Joe Junior who pushed the ranch toward fine wine grapes, talking his father into Sauvignon Blanc and selecting his own budwood from UC Davis.

The 1968 gamble

In 1968 Joe Junior planted four acres of Pinot Noir in what became the East Block, one of the earliest Pinot plantings in the Russian River Valley at a time when almost no one believed the grape belonged there.

Those vines, and the blocks that followed, would become some of the most respected Pinot Noir ground in California.

From grape seller to legend

For years the family sold its fruit to others. Davis Bynum and then Williams Selyem made celebrated wines from Rochioli grapes, and Gary Farrell launched his own label with Rochioli West Block fruit.

The family released its first estate wine, the 1985 Rochioli Pinot Noir, in 1987, and watched it named the best Pinot Noir in America.

The blocks

The named blocks, East Block, West Block, Three Corners, River Block, Little Hill, and Sweetwater, are now spoken of like grand cru sites, each with its own character. Alongside the Pinot Noir, the estate makes a benchmark Sauvignon Blanc that traces back to Joe Junior's early plantings.

Production is small and the estate bottlings are tightly allocated.

Visiting Rochioli

The winery sits on Westside Road south of Healdsburg, looking out over the estate vineyards. Because production is limited, the tasting room and member releases are the surest way to taste the estate wines.

Frequently asked questions

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