Bottle Notes, Chardonnay

2013 Rivers-Marie Chardonnay Sonoma Coast – Bottle Notes

Thomas Rivers Brown and his wife Genevieve Marie Walsh 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. Rivers-Marie also does several single vineyard Cabernets and a Chardonnay. In addition to making his own wine, Thomas serves as a consultant for a number of wineries including SchraderOutpost and Black Sears.

Golden in color. 14.1% ABV. Lemon, green apple and vanilla on the nose. Rich yet precise with sufficient acidity. Lemon meringue, pears and a hint of mineral on the palate. The finish is long and spicy. This wine completey over delivers at the $25 price point. Drink over the next 1-3 years.

My rating: 93 points.

At $25 this wine is one of the very best values in California Chardonnay. I think there are many wineries out there who wish they could deliver a wine like this using Sonoma Coast grapes at such a compelling price.

Rivers-Marie wines are only available via their mailing list. The 2014 version of this wine will be released next Spring.

I’ve blogged about Rivers-Marie previously in Zinfandel Chronicles Power Rankings

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