1997 Chardonnay River Block

Tom Rochioli had a larger than average crop in '97, but only by about 10% due to repeated crop thinning. The '97 vintage, he says, offers excellent balance, thorough ripeness (alcohol levels in the finished wines will be in the 14% range, high for this winery) and, in the case of the reds, very good color. The growing season was less hot than in 1996; with fewer climatic extremes, he says, maturity was more even and flavors are fresher. The Rochiolis plan to keep production at the 10,000-case level in the next few years and will be focusing their efforts on converting current vines to better clones (a higher percentage of Dijon selections) and slowly replanting the Allen Vineyard, originally established in 1972. Tom Rochioli is reluctant to show bottled wines much before their release dates, so my tastings at the end of February focused on spring releases.