Bottle Notes, Chardonnay

2016 Rivers-Marie Chardonnay – Bottle Notes

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.

Sourced from Riddle, Platt and Lucky Well Vineyards.

Gold in color. 14.4% ABV. Pretty nose of stone fruits, green apple, lemon oil and minerals. Medium to full bodied with perfect acidity. Rich and plush with tremendous mouth feel. Tropical fruits, vanilla creme brulee and a kiss of toasty oak on the palate. Nice length on the finish. From memory this is better than a bottle I had a year ago. Impressive appellation Chardonnay. Best over the next 1-2 years.

My rating: 92 points.

The 2019 version of this wine 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 2020 Zinfandel Chronicles Power Rankings and Updates from Rivers-Marie.

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