Winery - La Rochelle
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
A well-oaked Chardonnay, brimming with smoky vanilla and buttered toast notes that ride high over ripe fruit flavors ranging from lemon zest to apple, peach, pear and pineapple. Tastes leesy, with a bright streak of acidity that is mouth-watering.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Tart acidity marks this wine, giving it a tingly palate feeling. But that could go away by summer 2010, when the wine will be fully available. Otherwise, it’s silky and very good, with ripe black cherry, currant, cola, orange zest and sandalwood flavors. Now–2013.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
A bit too tart, and the cherry flavors have hints of sweetened green tomato pie. It’s a very good, drily crisp and interesting wine, but could be a touch lusher, although oak goes a long way to add richness.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
A big, muscular Pinot, in the manner of this vineyard. It’s dry but sweetly rich and dense in cherries, black raspberries, mulberries, cola and cedar, with thick tannins. The silky texture and bright acidity make it drinkable now, yet it should develop in the bottle over the next six years.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Easily the best of La Rochelle’s three Pinots, with a zesty acidity that frames ripe cherries, pomegranates, cola, oak and citrus zest. The Arroyo Seco is an under-appreciated appellation in Salinas Valley, while the clonal mix of this wine consists of older selections, not today’s cleaned-up Dijon specimens. This is a complex, addictive Pinot. Best now and for a few years.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
A little raw around the edges, lacking the sexy lushness you want in a fine Pinot Noir. Mostly that’s a function of high acidity and a touch of minty green. Still, it’s a delicious, complex wine, with oaky flavors of raspberries, cherries and Asian spices. Probably best now and for the next five years.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Insiders know Arroyo Seco as one of the best small appellations on the Central Coast. The whites display firm acids and a brilliant minerality. Varietally, this wine exhibits freshly picked peach, apple, quince and butterscotch flavors that finish clean and dry.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Sweetly caramelized, smoky oak, with all of its vanilla and wood sap flavors, dominates this wine, although it does have a considerable framework of raspberries and cherries. Feels a bit one-dimensional, but it’s a pretty Pinot Noir, from a good address.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
The vineyard has been a consistent source of good to great Pinot Noirs for Paraiso winery. Now La Rochelle dips into it, with successful results. It’s a dry, elegantly silky but complex wine, with an array of cherry, raspberry, rose flower, cinnamon spice and smoky vanilla flavors, heightened with crisp acidity. Drink now.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This dry, spicy wine is made for immediate enjoyment. It offers rich flavors of cherries, cola, vanilla-almond biscotti and cinnamon in a light-bodied texture.
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