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. 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.
Gioia is a 2-acre vineyard just west of Occidental on Joy Road, about a mile from Summa Vineyard.
Maroon in color. 14.1% ABV. Splendid nose of red fruits, pine needle, cloves and baking spices. Brooding, dense and sappy. Medium to full bodied with ample acidity. Black cherry, anise, cranberry and rhubarb on the palate. Tremendous length on the finish. Delicious Pinot Noir with a long live ahead of it. Best over the next 4-6 years.
My rating: 92 points.
Rivers-Marie wines are only available via their mailing list. The 2016 version of this wine will be released early next year. Sign up for the mailing list if you have not done so already
I’ve blogged about Rivers-Marie previously in the 2017 Zinfandel Chronicles Power Rankings.
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