Updates from Rivers-Marie

A couple weeks ago my wife and I had a chance to sit down and taste with Will Segui of Rivers-Marie. For the record, Will is the only employee at Rivers-Marie. Members of the mailing list probably know him best for handling allocations and customer service. We met Will at the Mending Wall Winery on the Silverado Trail. Thomas Rivers Brown runs the Rivers-Marie Cabernet Sauvignon program from this facility while the Pinot Noirs are made out of Tamber Bey Winery.

Will tasted us through a number of wines and I managed to take brief tasting notes while talking about wine, sports, family, fatherhood, Napa Valley and Wine Berserkers.

2014 Rivers-Marie Chardonnay B. Thieriot Vineyard – Gold in color. 13.8% ABV. Rich and lush with exceptional acidity. Tropical fruits, green apple and smoke on the nose. Apple, lemon meringue, minerals and spice on the palate. Delicious. My rating: 93 points.

2013 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Occidental Ridge Vineyard – Red in color. 13.9% ABV. Great nose of red fruits, cloves, Asian spices and anise. Medium body with tremendous acidity. Cherries, cloves, cranberry and pomegranate on the palate. Gorgeous Pinot Noir. My rating: 93 points.

2013 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Summa Vineyard – Light red in color. 13.8% ABV. Stunning nose of red fruits, forest floor and citrus. Light to medium body with acidity in spades. Strawberries, blood orange, tea and minerals on the palate. Needs time. My rating: 94 points.

2014 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Summa Vineyard Old Vines – Light red in color. 13.3% ABV. Breathtaking nose of red fruits, pine needle, orange zest and damp forest floor. Light to medium body with exquisite acidity. Cherries, cola, cloves and earth on the palate. Just a baby. One of the very best examples of the variety being made in California. My rating: 96 points.

What a treat to try this stunning set of wines.

Rivers-Marie has broken ground on a winery not far from T-Vine Winery in Calistoga. The hope is to open the doors next August. Plans include a tasting to room to host members of the mailing list. The new winery will also allow for Thomas to make all his wines in a single facility.

Several new wines are in the works including a single vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Platt Vineyard and a single vineyard Chardonnay from the Purrington Rued Vineyard. The first vintage for each wine was 2017 and the wines will be released to the mailing list in 2019.

I was shocked to learn that there is not a waiting list to purchase Rivers-Marie wines. New comers to the list can expect the same case allocation that longtime members receive. Sign up for the list. Thank me later.