by JC (NC) » Tue Mar 20, 2012 11:24 pm
An interesting comparison. Friday night I shared a 2008 Alysian Wines Rochioli Vineyard Riverblock Pinot Noir with two acquaintances at a restaurant in Durham, NC. Tonight (Tuesday) I shared a 2004 Williams Selyem Rochioli Riverblock Pinot Noir with strangers and wait staff at an Open That Bottle Night (corkage waived) at a restaurant in Raleigh. I enjoyed both wines but would give the preference to the Williams Selyem version (maybe because of the four more years in bottle or the vintage variation of the grapes.) The 2008 Alysian was a pretty color and seemed vibrant with a lifted note and red fruit profile (strawberries and maybe even watermelon) but hinted at something more to the wine than just bright red fruit. The couple sharing the wine with me have had wine from Rochioli (as producer). I have not. They noted the "Rochioli" character of the wine. The 2004 Williams Selyem was also a very pretty color. While some on CellarTracker note black cherries and plum, I found it more aligned to red cherries and raspberries. It wasn't until the third glass that I noted a nice spicy note--cinnamon or nutmeg rather than pepper. I would be happy to drink this with some frequency but only had the one bottle. (I do have some Williams Selyem Allen-Rochioli Pinot Noir from more than one vintage.) The dinner tonight included an amuse bouche, a light and fluffy seafood quenelle in a light red sauce, Provencal ratatouille in a thin Parmesan basket, cassoulet with white beans, lamb, tomato, duck confit, spicy sausage and a pesto-type topping, and a pastry containing Mascarpone, Brie without the crust, and St. Andre creamy cheeses with thin slices of almond and small side scoops of grape granite. I also sipped a bit of 2003 Mount Eden Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon with the cassoulet dish thanks to a couple who shared some of my Pinot Noir.
