2016 Ancient Waters Pinot Noir by Roco Winery comes from one of the most experienced winemakers of Willamette Valley of Oregon – Rollin Soles. We followed his wines for over a decade starting from Argyle. Then, wines under Roco, his label.
The Ancient Pacific Ocean once covered Willamette Valley, and Ancient Waters Pinot Noir is a tribute to 50 million years history of the valley soil formation.
Some 50 million years ago Willamette Valley was at the bottom of an ancient Pacific Ocean. The soils of today formed from the sediment of the ocean and is a foundation for the world-class Pinot Noir produced here. Ancient Waters is a tribute to the origin of this region.
The fruit for this wine comes from Wit’s End, Marsh Estate, and Russell Grooters Vineyards in the Yamhill-Calton AVA (think appellation). Rollin felt that wines from these vineyards best reflect the character of this soils and indeed risen from the “Ancient Waters.”
Enough history for the day and let’s talk about wine!
2016 Ancient Waters Pinot Noir Tasting Notes
2016 was the hottest vintage in Willamette Valley, and it reflected in wines giving them fruit-forward nature, and you can sense that this Pinot Noir as well.
The aromas of cherry and blueberry are jumping out of glass. Then it followed by a light smokey note. On the palate, fruits come forward as well with black cherry, blackberry with smoke and earth at the end. Wine has enough acidity to counterbalance the powerful fruit.
This wine is ready to be enjoyed now, and if you gravitate towards fruitier Pinot Noir, this wine is for you.
We would love for the fruit to step back a bit, and show the earthy and foresty side of Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley. So we’re going to lay another two bottles for a few years before revisiting. This wine is young and can age and improve in five to eight years.