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.
The Sonoma Coast Chardonnay is a blend of fruit from Riddle Vineyard and Lucky Well Vineyard.
Gold in color. 14.1% ABV. Tremendous nose tropical fruits, lemon oil and vanilla creme brulee. Full bodied with exquisite acidity. Rich, creamy and well balanced. Pear, Meyer Lemon, pineapple and vanilla bean on the palate. Tremendous length on the finish. Delicious Chardonnay that is easy to drink. Always a great value. Best over the next 2-3 years.
My rating: 92 points.
The 2020 version of this was released a month or so ago at a price of $30.
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.