Bottle Notes, Cabernet Sauvignon

2011 Rivers-Marie Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley – Bottle Notes

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.

Purple in color. 14.2% ABV. Sublime nose of red and black fruits, licorice, scorched earth and chocolate. Medium to full bodied with nice acidity. Restrained, elegant and exceedingly approachable. Currants, cherry, cranberry and spice on the palate. Tremendous length on the finish. Delicious Cabernet Sauvignon but not necessarily what I expected. Serve this to that person in your life that says all Napa Cabernet tastes like a blueberry milkshake. Sometimes a bottle from an off vintage really delivers albeit in a surprising fashion. Best over the next 2-3 years.

My rating: 92 points.

The 2019 version of this wine will be released this Fall.

I have been on the Rivers-Marie mailing list for well over 15 years. 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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