Roserock by Drouhin Oregon Zephirine Pinot Noir 2019
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This blend of the finest barrels of Roserock Pinot Noir is named for the fragrant "Zéphirine Drouhin" variety of thornless climbing rose, introduced in 1868. Fittingly, the dark-ruby Zéphirine Pinot Noir has an intoxicating perfume of roses, violets, strawberries, and cacao. The complexity and finesse of this lyrical wine will reward cellar age, although it drinks deliciously upon release.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Pinot Noir Zéphirine is so expressive this vintage! Matured for 14 months in 20% new oak, it has a pure fragrance of blueberries and lilac, aniseed and earth, gaining aromatic nuance and depth with time in the glass. Medium-bodied, the palate begins with bursts of acidity and a flourish of spices that glide seamlessly through the mouth for an incredibly persistent, floral finish.
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James Suckling
Redcurrant, sour cherry and smoke on the nose. Hibiscus, too. Medium-bodied with fine tannins and lively acidity. Vibrant and juicy on the palate with a bright core of redcurrants and dried herbs. Layered and balanced, with a long, savory finish. Very vertical and deep. Drinkable now, but best from 2023.
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Wine Spectator
A dynamic wine, impeccably structured and fleshy in texture, unfurling with raspberry, tart blueberry, stony minerals plus clove and other dusky spices. Finishes with snappy acidity and well-framed tannins. Drink now through 2030.
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Wine & Spirits
A brambly red with scents of wild strawberry and wind-blown dust, what starts out lifted darkens with a day of air, becoming more concentrated, focused and elegant, with flesh and drive that calls for something gamey and robust, like squab.
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Drouhin Oregon Roserock is the newest chapter in the Drouhin story, extending from Burgundy's Cote d’Or and Chablis, to the Dundee Hills of Oregon, and now Oregon's Eola-Amity Hills.
Drouhin Oregon Roserock continues a four-generation story that began in 1880 when Joseph Drouhin moved from Chablis to Beaune, in the heart of Burgundy.
In Oregon, as in Burgundy, the Drouhin Family farms singular, expressive parcels of land. The Roserock Vineyard sits at the southern tip of the Eola-Amity Hills, in Oregon's Willamette Valley and is marked by volcanic soils, cooler temperatures and an ideal elevation range. Farmed by Phillipe Drouhin, Roserock is certified sustainable.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Running north to south, adjacent to the Willamette River, the Eola-Amity Hills AVA has shallow and well-drained soils created from ancient lava flows (called Jory), marine sediments, rocks and alluvial deposits. These soils force vine roots to dig deep, producing small grapes with great concentration.
Like in the McMinnville sub-AVA, cold Pacific air streams in via the Van Duzer Corridor and assists the maintenance of higher acidity in its grapes. This great concentration, combined with marked acidity, give the Eola-Amity Hills wines—namely Pinot noir—their distinct character. While the region covers 40,000 acres, no more than 1,400 acres are covered in vine.