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…
Author: Tom Lee
The 2021 Once & Future Zins with Joel Peterson in Bedrock Vineyard
This past Sunday Joel Peterson was gracious enough to host me and my partner under a canopy in Bedrock Vineyard and we tasted through most of the 2021 Once & Future Zinfandel lineup. Although I met Joel a few times back in the days at Ravenswood those moments were fleeting and in passing. This was my first opportunity to sit…
Pick My Next Bottle – 2009 Châteauneuf-du-Pape
The August installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on Châteauneuf-du-Pape from the the 2009 vintage. As I mentioned in the first installment, the purpose of this series is to provide insight into specific wines or producers you may currently have in your cellar. The winning bottle will be opened on Saturday and a Bottle Note will be published the following week.…
The 2022’s Out of Barrel with Mike Officer at Carlisle
This past Saturday Mike Officer of Carlisle Winery was gracious enough to host me and a guest at the winery. We tasted through almost a dozen different wines from the 2022 vintage all of which were still in barrel. The 2022 growing season was moderate until a heat spike in early September that necessitated the quick picking of every vineyard…
The Week in Zinfandel (8/14/23)
Welcome to the latest installment of The Week in Zinfandel. If I missed your post or story please send me a link and I will be sure to include it next week. Happy reading! Happy reading!
2004 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon – Bottle Notes
Dalla Valle Vineyards was founded in 1986 by Gustav and Naoko Dalla Valle, who purchased 21 acres on the east side of Silverado Trail on Oakville Hill. They planted the vineyards to Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc and had their first crush in 1986. Dalla Valle produces a Cabernet Sauvignon and a very limited amount of a proprietary red named…
2016 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands – Bottle Notes
Kosta Browne was founded in the late nineties by Dan Kosta and Michael Browne and has always focused on Sonoma Coast and Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. The winery has changed hands several times. Most recently Kosta Browne was purchased by Duckhorn Wine Company. The waiting list for the Appellation wines is 18 months long and for the coveted 4…
The Week in Zinfandel (8/7/23)
Welcome to the latest installment of The Week in Zinfandel. If I missed your post or story please send me a link and I will be sure to include it next week. Happy reading! Happy reading!
2009 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Weir Vineyard – Bottle Notes
Williams Selyem Winery began when Ed Selyem and Burt Williams started making wine as a hobby in 1979 in Forestville, California. Their first commercial release was in 1981, and in less than two decades they created a cult-status winery of international acclaim. Setting a new standard for Pinot Noir winemaking, they put Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley at the forefront…
2019 Jean-Paul Thevenet Morgon Vieilles Vignes – Bottle Notes
Jean-Paul Thévenet is one of the Gang of Four of Beaujolais (the others being Guy Breton, Jean Foillard and Marcel Lapierre) and perhaps best embodies the traditional qualities that these winemakers have championed. Thevenet works a plot of extremely old vines in the Morgon appellation. The average age of the vines is 70 years and they are cultivated organically and…









