Roessler Cellars

Jon and Jan Brousseau started planting their vineyard in the Chalone AVA in 1981. At first, all the grapes were sold to neighboring Chalone Vineyard, but more recently the Brosseaus are selling to a few small boutique wineries, including Sonoma-based Roessler Cellars. The winery, founded in 2000 by restaurateur Roger Roessler, specializes in single-vineyard Pinot Noir from Mendocino County in the north to Santa Rita Hills in the south. Pinot specialist Wells Guthrie of Copain Wine Cellars is the consulting winemaker, although the day-to-day duties have been taken over by Scott Shapley.

Roessler gets his Brosseau Vineyard grapes from a Pinot Noir block planted in 1999 to the Mount Eden selection. Pinots from the Chalone AVA typically have a strong minerality, although I didn’t really find that in the Roessler bottling. The wine does, however, offer rich, ripe cherry flavors accented by vanilla and spice. The tannins are firm but approachable. This Pinot, which sells for $38, will benefit from a couple more years in the bottle, or you could drink it now with grilled wild salmon, roast chicken or seared duck breast.

Reviewed August 3, 2007 by Laurie Daniel.