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 several 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.
Ruby red in color. 14.3% ABV. Brooding nose of dark red fruits, cloves, cola and forest floor. Medium body with perfect acidity. A touch darker than expected but absolutely exquisite. Black cherry, black raspberry, sassafras and mushrooms on the palate. The finish is long and supple. The use of a little whole cluster fruit shines through here and this wine will certainly drink well for another 2-4 years.
My rating: 93 points.
The 2022 version of this wine will be released at some point later this year although I am unsure of the timing because the 2021 was released early after there was no 2020 vintage due to the fires.
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, A Visit to Rivers-Marie and Updates from Rivers-Marie.