Joe Rochioli Sr. came to Westside Road in 1938, and son Joe Jr. planted the seminal West Block of Pinot Noir in 1968, among the first Pinot vines in the Russian River. Founded as a winery in 1976, Rochioli is run by third-generation Tom Rochioli, winemaker since 1985. Allocation only.
The Rochioli family's Russian River story begins in 1938 when Joseph Rochioli Sr., the son of Italian immigrants, leased land along Westside Road and began farming. He bought the property outright in 1959. In 1968 his son Joe Jr. planted the West Block of Pinot Noir, a foresighted bet that would become one of the most influential Pinot Noir vineyards in California. Through the 1970s the family sold grapes to Davis Bynum, Williams Selyem, Gary Farrell, and others, building a reputation that made "Rochioli Vineyard" a designation more famous than most wineries' own labels. The Rochiolis began bottling under their own name in 1982 after establishing the bonded winery in 1976.
Estate Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley — The flagship; a silky, classic-Rochioli blend of Little Hill, Sweetwater, West Block, East Block, and Big Hill.
West Block Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley — The most coveted block-designate, from the historic vines that helped define Westside Road.
Estate Sauvignon Blanc — Built on a rare old-vine clone — among the oldest Sauvignon Blanc plantings in California.
Estate Chardonnay, Russian River Valley — Rich and bright, partly from the prized Hanzell selection.
Estate Blanc de Noir — A traditional-method sparkling poured in the tasting room.
Today third-generation Tom Rochioli is winemaker and co-proprietor; he joined his father in 1985 and has guided the wines since. The estate covers 125 acres of vineyard on Westside Road, planted primarily to Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc, with Sauvignon Blanc producing what many consider California's most age-worthy expression. The Pinot lineup is built around the iconic single-vineyard West Block, East Block, Sweet Water, Three Corner, and Little Hill bottlings, all allocated to a long waiting list. The tasting room is open Thursday through Monday with limited public availability — most allocation-list members visit by appointment. The setting is quiet, deeply pastoral, and unmistakably a working farm.
Tom Rochioli is the third-generation winemaker of one of the Russian River Valley's most revered estates, where his family has farmed the same Westside Road land since 1938. Raised in an Italian winemaking family — punching down and washing barrels by age ten — he worked briefly in Bank of America's agriculture department before convincing his father to bottle wine under the family name. The property was renamed Rochioli Vineyards in 1983, and Tom, largely self-taught and inspired by Burt Williams, became its winemaker; the 1985 estate Pinot Noir was named Best Pinot Noir in America by Wine Spectator on release. He takes a hands-off, 'traditional' approach, fermenting each vineyard block separately, and his single-vineyard wines are so sought-after they carry a years-long waiting list. His children Rachael and Ryan now represent the fourth generation.
Rachael Rochioli represents the fourth generation of her family on Westside Road. Promoted to general manager in 2023, she helps run the storied estate her great-grandfather Joe Sr. began farming in 1938 and her grandfather Joe Jr. planted to some of the Russian River Valley’s first Pinot Noir in 1968. The family honored her with “Rachael’s Vineyard,” a Chardonnay block that bears her name. Working alongside her father, winemaker Tom Rochioli, she carries forward a legacy of meticulous farming and tightly allocated, wait-listed wines that remain among the most coveted in California.
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Estate Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley — The flagship; a silky, classic-Rochioli blend of Little Hill, Sweetwater, West Block, East Block, and Big Hill.
West Block Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley — The most coveted block-designate, from the historic vines that helped define Westside Road.
Estate Sauvignon Blanc — Built on a rare old-vine clone — among the oldest Sauvignon Blanc plantings in California.
Estate Chardonnay, Russian River Valley — Rich and bright, partly from the prized Hanzell selection.
Estate Blanc de Noir — A traditional-method sparkling poured in the tasting room.
The Rochioli family's Russian River story begins in 1938 when Joseph Rochioli Sr., the son of Italian immigrants, leased land along Westside Road and began farming. He bought the property outright in 1959. In 1968 his son Joe Jr. planted the West Block of Pinot Noir, a foresighted bet that would become one of the most influential Pinot Noir vineyards in California. Through the 1970s the family sold grapes to Davis Bynum, Williams Selyem, Gary Farrell, and others, building a reputation that made "Rochioli Vineyard" a designation more famous than most wineries' own labels. The Rochiolis began bottling under their own name in 1982 after establishing the bonded winery in 1976.
Today third-generation Tom Rochioli is winemaker and co-proprietor; he joined his father in 1985 and has guided the wines since. The estate covers 125 acres of vineyard on Westside Road, planted primarily to Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc, with Sauvignon Blanc producing what many consider California's most age-worthy expression. The Pinot lineup is built around the iconic single-vineyard West Block, East Block, Sweet Water, Three Corner, and Little Hill bottlings, all allocated to a long waiting list. The tasting room is open Thursday through Monday with limited public availability — most allocation-list members visit by appointment. The setting is quiet, deeply pastoral, and unmistakably a working farm.
Tom Rochioli is the third-generation winemaker of one of the Russian River Valley's most revered estates, where his family has farmed the same Westside Road land since 1938. Raised in an Italian winemaking family — punching down and washing barrels by age ten — he worked briefly in Bank of America's agriculture department before convincing his father to bottle wine under the family name. The property was renamed Rochioli Vineyards in 1983, and Tom, largely self-taught and inspired by Burt Williams, became its winemaker; the 1985 estate Pinot Noir was named Best Pinot Noir in America by Wine Spectator on release. He takes a hands-off, 'traditional' approach, fermenting each vineyard block separately, and his single-vineyard wines are so sought-after they carry a years-long waiting list. His children Rachael and Ryan now represent the fourth generation.
Rachael Rochioli represents the fourth generation of her family on Westside Road. Promoted to general manager in 2023, she helps run the storied estate her great-grandfather Joe Sr. began farming in 1938 and her grandfather Joe Jr. planted to some of the Russian River Valley’s first Pinot Noir in 1968. The family honored her with “Rachael’s Vineyard,” a Chardonnay block that bears her name. Working alongside her father, winemaker Tom Rochioli, she carries forward a legacy of meticulous farming and tightly allocated, wait-listed wines that remain among the most coveted in California.
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