Joe Rochioli Jr.

The Russian River Valley and Joe Rochioli Jr. are inseparably connected. Raised on his family's farm on Westside Road in Healdsburg, Rochioli never left, save for college and the Army. He was the patriarch of the region as well as an integral citizen of the city of Healdsburg. He became a proud hard working farmer who helped earn the Russian River Valley a reputation as a world class site for Pinot Noir. Rochioli passed away peacefully on August 18 at the age of 88 with Vivienne his wife of 41 years and his children by his side.

According to his son Tom, who now manages the estate along with his wife Theresa, Joe Jr. suffered a stroke in September 2020 and had been in and out of the hospital since. "He fought hard", said Tom. "He was a tough guy."

When the Rochioli family started making wine under their namesake label in 1985, they carved out their own style and proved quickly to be one of the top Pinot Noir producers in California. They were believed to be one of the first in the valley to divide their vineyard into parcels for site specific bottlings. Today the Rochioli bottlings are consistently in high demand among collectors around the world.

As a young boy Joe attended the rural Mill Creek school and spent many hours in the fields and vineyards on the family farm. He eventually grew to become a small-town sports star. When he entered high school, he was already 6' tall and 160 lbs. His linebacker build came from daily farm labor. His father, Joe Sr. was primarily in the hops business but also farmed beans as well as 50 acres of grapevines. Rochioli worked on the farm every day before and after school. Shortly before leaving for college at California Polytechnic State University, Rochioli organized the first Future Farmer Fair in Healdsburg, which is still held annually. He majored in animal science but took all the agricultural electives he could. In 1957 Joe was drafted into the army where he helped conduct research on radiated foods and vitamin deficiencies. After leaving the service in 1959 Joe returned home to work on the family ranch, and played semi-pro baseball for the Healdsburg Prune Packers. It was during this time that he worked alongside his father to begin transforming and planting the farm into a world class vineyard.

Rochioli was a humble proud farmer, committed to his land, usually waking at 4am, working 10+ hours a day, six days a week. Among his many talents was being the first and most proficient field budders around the County. Before the 1970's, grafting was done in nurseries, but Rochioli led the trend of 'field grafts' to meet demand. Stories tell of his grafting 500 vines per day at multiple properties in Sonoma County.

Joe loved country music, and his vintage car collection. He and his wife Vivienne made a regular appearance in the annual FFA Fair Parade, and together supported many local community and charity events. He was a member of the Sonoma County Winegrowers, Russian River Winegrowers, Eagles, American Legion, North Bay Italian Cultural Foundation, Trenton Druids, and The Healdsburg Historical Society. He was also an active supporter of the Healdsburg Future Farmers Country Fair and Healdsburg High School Greyhound Boosters.

Joe was preceded in death by his father Joe Rochioli Sr., his mother Neoma and brother Michael Rochioli. Joe Jr. is survived by his wife Vivienne and their five children. Son Tom Rochioli (Theresa), daughter Becky Richardson (Jeff), step children Lori Brendlinger (Bert), Sue Maddigan (Bob) and Tracy Tillinghast (Hilary). Grandchildren Rachael Rochioli, Ryan Rochioli, Taylor Richardson, Nicki Richardson, Kyle Nyholm, Kasey Nyholm, Emily Nyholm, Haley Maddigan, Audrey Maddigan Martin (Alex), Claire Torrez (Zach, Abby Tillinghast, and his sister Violet Wattles and numerous close family members.

The entire Family would also like to thank and recognize Dr. Harry Carr of Sutter Medical Center and Joe's amazing team of caregivers Danise, Sam & Julius of Caring Homecare in Santa Rosa. Together they provided endless hours of support and comfort. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in the memory of Joe Rochioli to the HFFCF PO BOX 763, Healdsburg 95448 or Healdsburg High School Boosters 238 Theresa Court, Healdsburg 95448.

Published in Healdsburg Tribune · August 29, 2022