Thomas Rivers Brown and his wife Genevieve Marie Walsh have quickly made Rivers-Marie one of California’s most sought after Pinot Noir labels. The winery was founded in 2002 and the first release was the Rivers-Marie Summa Vineyard Pinot Noir. In addition to the line up of Single Vineyard Pinot Noirs, Rivers-Marie also makes a few single vineyard Cabernets and Chardonnay. Thomas is in high demand and serves as a consultant for a number of wineries including Schrader and Outpost.
Kanzler Vineyard is located in western Sonoma County, just south of Bodega Highway on Sander’s Road and was planted in 1996.
Crimson in color. 14.3% ABV. Pretty nose of red fruits, citrus, fresh tomatoes and forest floors. Medium body with exquisite acidity. Well balanced. Tremendous mouth feel. Sour cherry, rhubarb, spice and earth on the palate. Tremendous length on the finish. Delicious Pinot Noir but not what I expected when I pulled this bottle from the cellar. Drink over the next 1-2 years.
My rating: 92 points.
Rivers-Marie is no longer making a Kanzler Vineyard Pinot Noir. The rest of the 2019 Pinot Noir lineup will be released next Spring.
I have been on the Rivers-Marie mailing list for well over a decade. For me the Pinot Noir was always the main attraction here but the Cabernet program is really second to none when you factor in price and quality. Rivers-Marie wines are only available via their mailing list. Sign up for the mailing list if you have not done so already.
I’ve blogged about Rivers-Marie previously in the 2018 Zinfandel Chronicles Power Rankings and Updates from Rivers-Marie.
I always liked your power ranking!….did you retire?
When I was working on it last year it did not seem markedly different than the 2018 so I decided to wait a year. Hope to have a new version out by the end of Summer.