Thomas Rivers Brown and his wife Genevieve Marie Welsh 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.
Gold in color. 14.1% ABV. Gorgeous nose of tropical fruits, lemon oil and pears. Medium to full bodied with exquisite acidity. Rich and plush with mouth coating fruits. Pineapple, vanilla creme brulee, Meyer lemon and spice on the palae. Nice length on the finish. So much to like here. Chardonnay does not get any better at the $30 price point. Best over the next 2-3 years.
My rating: 92 points.
The 2019 version of this wine was released to the mailing list just last week. I bought my allocation.
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.