2009 La Rochelle Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

2012 La Rochelle Pinot Meunier Saralee’s Vineyard

2010 La Rochelle Pinot Noir Deer Meadows Vineyard

 

 

(Based on bottles supplied by the winery or organization acting on their behalf)

 

 

 

 

La Rochelle is part of the Steven Kent Portfolio of wine.

 

Our mission at La Rochelle is a simple one:  to make California’s best, most interesting, most collectable Pinot Noir.

 

My family introduced the Pinot Noir grape to California in the 1850s.  Today, we partner with the state’s most renowned Pinot Noir vineyards – Garys’. Sleepy Hollow. Rosella’s. Londer. Paraiso. Tondre. Ferrington. Deer Park.  We craft Pinot Noir grown on these famed estates that let the individual vineyard’s terroir, its special sense of place, shine through.

 

My great-great-great grandfather left the French port of La Rochelle one hundred and sixty years ago on a voyage of possibilities.  Our journey at La Rochelle Winery is an equally exciting one:  to discover the best Pinot Noir vineyards and translate those exceptional estates into limited releases worthy of our heritage.

 

 

If your passion is Pinot, then your journey has led you to the right place… –  Steven Kent Mirassou

 

 

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More Winery Information

 

The wines for this tasting:

 

 

2009 La Rochelle Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast (SRP $38.00)

This 100% Pinot Noir uses grapes sourced from two vineyards, Spring Hill Vineyard (located on the West side of the Petaluma River) and La Cruz Vineyard (located on the East side).  In the past both vineyards were sources for single vineyard Pinot Noirs exclusively for members of the winery’s Pinot Noir Program.

 

Technical info

After destemming and crushing the fruit was allowed to cold soak for four days.  After barrel fermentation, the wine was barrel aged for 18 months.  The barrels were 88% French oak, 12% American; 50% new, 36% second-use, 14% third use.

 

Total production was 326 cases and the final alcohol is 14.9%.

 

Tasting note

The wine is a light to medium ruby red color.  The enchanting nose has cherries, warm baking spices, raspberries, minerals, vanilla, spicy oak and a touch of earthiness.  This has medium body, soft ripe tannins and very good acidity.  On the palate the baking spices and cherries jump out first with vanilla and minerals coming in on the back end.  The finish has very nice length with raspberries and a touch of toasty oak entering the picture.  This tastes wonderful today but can easily last in the cellar for a few more years.  (92 pts)

 

 

2012 La Rochelle Pinot Meunier Saralee’s Vineyard (SRP $38.00)

Pinot Meunier is part of the Pinot family of grapes.    Pinot Meunier thrives in its home region of Champagne in France.  It is thought the Pinot Meunier grape is a genetic mutation of Pinot Noir.  Besides France, the grape is grown in Germany and Australia as well as small quantities in California.  This wine is 100% Pinot Meunier.

 

Technical info

After destemming and crushing the fruit was cold soaked and barrel fermented.  The wine was barrel aged for 8 months.  The barrels were 29.5% new oak, 38% second use, 32.5 third-use or neutral, 50% American oak from Virginia.

 

Total production was 866 cases and the final alcohol is 13.9%.

 

Tasting note

The wine is a light ruby red color.  The enticing nose has cherries, earthy underbrush, strawberries, warm baking spices, vanilla and dusty minerals.  This is barely medium body with good acidity and is silky smooth.  On the palate this has nice fruit up front with spice and minerals coming in around the sides.  On the backend some nice earthiness and vanilla enter the picture.  The finish has nice length with a slight and pleasing herbal note coming into focus.  This is smooth and delicious with no rough edges but probably not one to hold onto long term.   Enjoy this one over the next couple of years.  (91 pts)

 

 

2010 La Rochelle Pinot Noir Deer Meadows Vineyard (SRP $75.00)

This wine is part of La Rochelle’s Grand Cru Collection.  These extremely limited wines are sourced only from the finest vineyards in California.  These wines represent the winery’s greatest winemaking achievement each vintage.  This is the winery’s first use of grapes from this Anderson Valley vineyard.

 

Technical info

After destemming and crushing the fruit was allowed to cold soak for four days.  After barrel fermentation, the wine was barrel aged for 18 months in 100% French oak.  There were 5 barrels of wine produced, 3 barrels were new and the other 2 were second use.

 

Total production was 235 six-packs and the final alcohol is 14.3%.

 

Tasting note

The wine is a light to medium ruby red color.  The stunning nose has cherries, baking spices, peach pit, vanilla, strawberries, earthy underbrush, stony minerals and candied violets.  This has medium body with moderate ripe tannins and very good acidity.  On the palate the cherries and spice grab hold initially, slowly allowing some minerals and earthy elements to slip through.  On the back end a nice floral note comes into focus.  The finish has very good length with a touch of peach joining the spice and cherries.  This is on the young side, a year or two in the cellar will be rewarded.   (94 pts)

 

 

Pairing Suggestion

We decided to pair these very food friendly wines with a recipe I found on MyRecipes.com via Cooking Light.

 

Penne and Chicken Tenderloins with Spiced Tomato Sauce

 

Ingredients

1 teaspoon ground fennel seed

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 pound chicken breast tenders, cut into (1-inch) pieces

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 cups canned diced tomatoes, undrained

1 cup white wine

8 ounces uncooked penne

1/4 cup (1 ounce) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

 

Preparation

Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl; rub over chicken.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 4 minutes, turning once. Remove from heat; set aside.

Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds or until garlic is soft. Add tomatoes and wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Add chicken, and simmer 5 minutes.

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain. Toss pasta with sauce in a large bowl. Sprinkle with cheese and basil.

Note:

Any small pasta will work in this quick, easy entree. Ground fennel and coriander bring a welcome complexity to the chicken and impart their flavor to the sauce.

 

 

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You can follow me on Twitter for more wine info, potential food pairings, and an occasional recipe or two.  Be warned, I’m also a sports fan and there are occasional Pittsburgh Penguins, Steelers, and Pirates tweets.  I attended the University of South Carolina, so during football season, there will also be some Gamecock posts.

 

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Cheers!

 

 

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Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines.  I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar.  I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com.  Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear.  There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

 

 

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase.  I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but my local store is usually VERY competitive.  I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount.  Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges.  None of the prices include the sales tax.

 

 

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.

 

 

 

Cheers!