2022 Private Stash Pinot Noir

ABOUT PRIVATE STASH PINOT NOIR

ROCO’s premier Pinot Noir, Private Stash is a numbered series of small production Pinot Noir sourced from a 2-acre plot on the Soles’ private 21-acre vineyard. This complex Pinot offers layer upon layer of intense, silky, full-bodied flavor that is elegantly balanced. Derived from Rollin’s special clonal propagation, 3A, otherwise called “the ROCO selection” these vines produce smaller than normal clusters of tightly packed berries. We hold that this wine will stand shoulder to shoulder with the finest Pinot Noirs from around the globe. The 2022 Stash is No. 19 in the production series that began in 2003. 

2022 VINTAGE NOTES

The 2022 vintage was a challenging yet extraordinary season in the Willamette Valley. Despite early setbacks with Spring frost affecting the primary buds, our vineyards' diverse locations and elevations, along with strategic positioning across the region, allowed us to overcome these hurdles.

The unique interplay of warm days in September and October paved the way for a late but exceptional harvest, resulting in wines that showcase intense aromas, ripe fruit characteristics, and high natural acidity.

Finding Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with both quick-ripening and late-season character is a rare occurrence. So savor these 2022 vintages as they embody the unique quality that you truly deserve.

WINEMAKING PROCESS

ROCO Pinot Noir is handpicked and then chilled overnight to 38°F in our large cold room. The chilled bunches are gently de-stalked and the whole berries fall into small 1.6 ton open fermenters. The berries soak for ten days before beginning ferment with our proprietary, house-cultured indigenous wine yeast. Soaking allows gentle extraction of color and flavor from the berry skin, and not the bitter-tasting seeds. The fermentations are hand punched twice a day to mix skins and fermenting juices. Ferments are allowed to reach about 28°C. A post-fermentation soak occurs until the wine is just right for removing from the skins and seeds. At that time the ferment is gently pressed in our modern tank press. The young wine is sent to barrel for malolactic fermentation to soften the acidity and to add further complexity, then racked once to a unique ratio of new to three-year-old, tight-grained, French oak barrels. The wines are aged in barrel for 18 or more months before bottling.

TASTING NOTES

Aromas open with herbal and fruit notes—rubbed sage mingles with black raspberry and dark plum, while hints of cherry fruit leather and candied fruit add depth. Earthy forest floor character is lifted by the distinctive aroma of juniper berries and a medley of spices. The wine delivers a bold yet elegant profile on the palate, featuring more juniper berry and black raspberry fruit, enhanced by a blend of spices, including cinnamon bark and ground black cardamom. The structure is impressive, with pronounced yet sanded tannins providing a framework for the wine's vibrant acidity and rich flavor profile. 

CLUB PRICING

• Collector: $83
• Premier: $88
• Signature: $94

Club discounts applied at checkout.