93pts Take, for example, the 2008 Pinot Noir Rosella’s Vineyard. Dark plum/garnet in color, with an evolved but super-complex nose of smoked herbs, sweet black cherries, plum, and pomegranate as well as forest floor, the wine hits the palate with a sweet, expansive, savory mouthfeel, full-bodied flavors with a touch of smoky wood in the background, and a broad, long finish that is fresh and authoritative. Drink it over the next 3-4 years.

Ever since a Roar Pinot Noir blew away a number of great grand cru Burgundies in a blind tasting I hosted at the Culinary Institute in Napa for over 100 winemakers and consumers, I have taken a special interest in following the wines from this producer. They go from strength to strength, and no doubt this is the best Chardonnay and the finest Pinot Noirs Gary Franscioni and his wife Rosella have yet produced.Generally, little or no stems are used in the making of the Pinot Noirs, which display fabulous aromatic complexity and sumptuous textures.

_94pts
ROAR Rosella's Vineyard Pinot Noir
Santa Lucia Highlands 2008
 
Deep, very precise Pinot Noir fruit is joined by just the right measure of sweet oak in the beautifully proportioned young wine, and, while showing the kind of fruity richness and depth that marks Rosella's Vineyard at its best, it is also among the more mannerly and carefully balanced offerings that we have seen from the site. Its impressions of polish and structure convince that it will grow for a few years at least, but we can see where its immediate charms may make cellaring a bit easier said than done.
Reviewed: October 2010