gegster44 wrote:Thanks! My name is Megan Gunderson and I'm the winemaker for Roessler. I've been making wine in CA for about 10 years now, and am excited to be a part of such a great Pinot house.

Megan, great to cyber-meet you! As you know, Roessler and Scott's wines had/have a distinct 'house style' which has had success and created a following here on woot. Since you're the winemaker going forward, it would be helpful to all of us if you could tell us a little bit about yourself, your sense of what has been the Roessler style, how that compares with your sense of Pinot Noir style - generally and with respect to the specific vineyards you're sourcing fruit for Roessler Pinots, and where you see the Roessler Pinot style going under your leadership. A big ask, I know, but I think you'll go a long way towards making long-lasting and loyal friends by helping us get to know you and what to expect from your wines.

ThunderThighs wrote:Please note that the price has been lowered.

If you ordered prior to the price change, you will automatically be charged the lower amount although the pre-authorization charge will show the old price.

Smoooooth. Thanks!

Thanks for feedback, very useful.

cortot20 wrote:This is right up my ally, unfortunaelty so have a lot of other wines. The racks are full and so the CC is safe.

I know the Roessler bros sold the label a year or two ago, has anyone tried the finished wines that the new owner has produced?

edit: I remember tasting there in the fall of 2010 and tasted through the majority of the pinots they had. Did not try this though.

Retail is $32 per bottle on the website, so this is a nice discount.

I've tried some sample bottles of the 2010 pinots, which is the first made by Megan Gunderson (HALL, Dominus). They are mindblowing. The 2010 Blue Jay is the best vintage that I've tasted of this particular wine. I've also tried the 2010 Shea and Gap's Crown. I'm eagerly awaiting their release.

One of my first Wine.Woots almost two years ago was the '08 Bluejay, and it's been quite good. It sounds like this is somewhere along the lines of being that wine's energetic little brother. I think I'll give it a shot.

zekeroessler wrote:I've tried some sample bottles of the 2010 pinots, which is the first made by Megan Gunderson (HALL, Dominus). They are mindblowing. The 2010 Blue Jay is the best vintage that I've tasted of this particular wine. I've also tried the 2010 Shea and Gap's Crown. I'm eagerly awaiting their release.

Assuming ZEKE works for the winery? Appreciated input, but you just might be biased.

How much does this bottling have the classic Russian River PN character vs Sonoma Coast?

grapenutz wrote:Assuming ZEKE works for the winery? Appreciated input, but you just might be biased.

Presumably. Also these are not what's on offer, so no foul, imo.

k1avg wrote:One of my first Wine.Woots almost two years ago was the '08 Bluejay, and it's been quite good. It sounds like this is somewhere along the lines of being that wine's energetic little brother. I think I'll give it a shot.

the '07 was my first. great experience.

megan if you answer rpm's questions above i promise i'll be in for 1! probably will anyway but still. . .

rpm wrote:Megan, great to cyber-meet you! As you know, Roessler and Scott's wines had/have a distinct 'house style' which has had success and created a following here on woot. Since you're the winemaker going forward, it would be helpful to all of us if you could tell us a little bit about yourself, your sense of what has been the Roessler style, how that compares with your sense of Pinot Noir style - generally and with respect to the specific vineyards you're sourcing fruit for Roessler Pinots, and where you see the Roessler Pinot style going under your leadership. A big ask, I know, but I think you'll go a long way towards making long-lasting and loyal friends by helping us get to know you and what to expect from your wines.

Great to meet you as well! Vineyard expression, diverse portfolio, and the ability to consistently produce high quality wines have shaped the Roessler 'house style'. Our intention is not to change that, but to build upon what Scott set out to do. We are sourcing our fruit from the same vineyards and intend to let the site influence the style of the wine. Steve (Director of Winemaking) and I are firm believers in meticulous attention in the vineyard, hand sorting and gravity feeding all tanks during harvest, native primary and secondary fermentation, and going to bottle unfined and unfiltered. We like to call it 'non-interventionist' winemaking with limited, focused production. I am excited about our 2010 line-up, and hope that you will enjoy these wines as much as previous vintages of Roessler offerings.

For the various reps from Roessler, or others...

How would, and could you, compare this to the rather well received 2007 vintage or earlier 2006 offered on woot?

grapenutz wrote:Assuming ZEKE works for the winery? Appreciated input, but you just might be biased.

I understand your concern, but as a passionate purveyor of pinot I can honestly say that if my input was not genuine than I would simply not respond to the inquiry at all. I am well-versed on the Roessler portfolio and am familiar with multiple vintages on many of the wines. I can confidently say that I am excited for Roessler fans (and pinot noir fans in general)to try the 2010s.

zekeroessler wrote:I understand your concern, but as a passionate purveyor of pinot I can honestly say that if my input was not genuine than I would simply not respond to the inquiry at all. I am well-versed on the Roessler portfolio and am familiar with multiple vintages on many of the wines. I can confidently say that I am excited for Roessler fans (and pinot noir fans in general)to try the 2010s.

We're talking the 2009 here, not 2010, correct?

Still interested in your comparisons to the 2006 and 2007.

Thanks.

Thanks for your input guys BTW. The detailed responses on style and winemaking approach are most appreciated, and help a lot more than simpple cheerleading. We're a diverse lot, some like it hot (liking BIG alcoholic ripe wines), some liking burgundy, and others prefer red-fruited zippy fruit-drivenm CA wines. And everything in between.
Love to know that you're leeping terroir-driven wines, and how you're upping the quality, even, and the more info the better we'r elikely to bite!

Incidentally, why did Scott Shapley move on? I'km merely curious, if you're keeping on with the wine style. Excellent winemakers move on all the time (like Jeff from Buena Vista) when new owners come on, but it's always good to understand chifts in philosophy and management!

Well had to go in for 1 - although I'm abit overstocked..
since Wine David lowered the price a tad.. thanks
and Loved the BlueJay .. need to see if this is as good

ThunderThighs wrote:Please note that the price has been lowered.

If you ordered prior to the price change, you will automatically be charged the lower amount although the pre-authorization charge will show the old price.

Appreciate this -- and was in for one as a result!

rjquillin wrote:We're talking the 2009 here, not 2010, correct?

Still interested in your comparisons to the 2006 and 2007.

Thanks.

One thing I've noticed about these wines is that they age more gracefully than most CA pinot. The 2007 was generally more of a stand out vintage than the 2006, and compared to the 2008/2009s they have matured quite nicely. Generally, the earthy tones have become more prevalent. The 2007 Hein Family is my personal favorite vintage at the moment of 07-09 Hein Family. It is more supple and rich, with a great balance of earth and fruit tones. The finish lingers a bit longer with this one as well. I do believe that the 08s and 09s will shortly be drinking even better based on how the other single vineyard pinots are evolving.