J. Rochioli Vineyards & Winery

J. Rochioli Vineyards & Winery is the most historically significant and deeply revered wine estate in the Russian River Valley. Four generations of the Rochioli family have farmed the same Westside Road land since 1938 — Joe Rochioli Sr. planted the first grapes, Joe Jr. made the fateful decision to begin estate bottling, and Tom Rochioli has steered the estate to its current position as one of California's most coveted and collectible small producers.

The West Block Pinot Noir — from a specific section of the Rochioli Westside Road vineyard that Tom Rochioli identified as producing something extraordinary — became one of the wines that established the Russian River Valley's international reputation for world-class Pinot Noir. The mailing list for the West Block, East Block, River Block, and other single-vineyard designates is among the longest in California, with years-long waits that collectors accept as the price of accessing wines that critics have consistently scored in the 95–100 point range.

The tasting room experience — appointment-only, patio-overlooking-the-vineyard, with views across the fabled West Block vines — provides access to the Rochioli estate wines available in the tasting room (slightly different from the allocation-only single-vineyard program). Picnic grounds are available, and the setting of the tasting patio looking directly over the vines that defined California Pinot Noir makes the appointment one of the most genuinely pilgrimage-worthy in American wine country.