Rivers-Marie
Occidental Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir
Sonoma Coast, Sonoma County, California, USA
My 2016 Rivers Marie Pinots are about gone…SummaOV is left. Occidental, Silver Eagle and SummaOV are always my favorites. I’m between a 93-94 here.
Great example of a Pinot that has a lot of power but plenty of balance. Deep black cherry colored in the glass but the aromatics are much more savory than expected. There’s an animalistic/feral quality to this initially (that I love) showing a smoked meat flair alongside dark blood orange and ripe black cherries. Commanding mouthfeel and great acidity. Continual back and forth of dark berry fruit and savory/herbal notes. The use of whole cluster is noticeable but it does a good job complimenting the wine (more high toned) and not taking center stage (as in, not overly stemmy/green). Wonderful lengthy finish. More brooding and savory than Silver Eagle but certainly not in the vein of a “cab lovers pinot” style. This was delicious and likely hangs in this window for at least 5+yrs.
My 2016 Rivers Marie Pinots are about gone…SummaOV is left. Occidental, Silver Eagle and SummaOV are always my favorites. I’m between a 93-94 here.
Great example of a Pinot that has a lot of power but plenty of balance. Deep black cherry colored in the glass but the aromatics are much more savory than expected. There’s an animalistic/feral quality to this initially (that I love) showing a smoked meat flair alongside dark blood orange and ripe black cherries. Commanding mouthfeel and great acidity. Continual back and forth of dark berry fruit and savory/herbal notes. The use of whole cluster is noticeable but it does a good job complimenting the wine (more high toned) and not taking center stage (as in, not overly stemmy/green). Wonderful lengthy finish. More brooding and savory than Silver Eagle but certainly not in the vein of a “cab lovers pinot” style. This was delicious and likely hangs in this window for at least 5+yrs.
This tends to be subdued for a RM. After 5 years much of the primary has faded though tertiary is barely emerging. Still a great blood orange element. Nice pizza wine.
This tends to be subdued for a RM. After 5 years much of the primary has faded though tertiary is barely emerging. Still a great blood orange element. Nice pizza wine.
Dec 13th, 2021
Abundant natural acidity adds a mouthwatering freshness that keeps the wine light without cutting into its concentration. Truly delicious!!!
Abundant natural acidity adds a mouthwatering freshness that keeps the wine light without cutting into its concentration. Truly delicious!!!
Jan 28th, 2020
Mother’s 83rd Birthday dinner and paired this wine with both a charcuterie platter(Italian meats, cheeses, grapes, olives, almonds, and rosemary sea salt bread) and my Paella of the Land on an open fire. This wine has the depth to accentuate both. Wonderful medium bodied that leaves a light taste upon the senses. Wish I had a cellar full of this wonderful wine! Rivers-Marie wines across the spectrum are great start to finish
Mother’s 83rd Birthday dinner and paired this wine with both a charcuterie platter(Italian meats, cheeses, grapes, olives, almonds, and rosemary sea salt bread) and my Paella of the Land on an open fire. This wine has the depth to accentuate both. Wonderful medium bodied that leaves a light taste upon the senses. Wish I had a cellar full of this wonderful wine! Rivers-Marie wines across the spectrum are great start to finish
Aug 19th, 2018I have a mag of this, and FOR SURE I will let that one sit for a while. This pinot is SUBSTANTIAL. Brambly black cherry and cola, a little mint. Herbal with a black peppery kind of finish. This wine can cut through just about any dish. The cola note in the middle of this wine is quite enjoyable, and goes to show you that this wine in 750 needs to hold 1-2 years, but needs to hold 10 years en magnum! So far, this is my favorite of the 2016 PN's from Rivers-Marie, although I'm actually not sure if I'm doing this a service or disservice by rating this one a 94 at the moment as I feel that it is likely capable of pushing higher than this (yes, for a pinot).
I have a mag of this, and FOR SURE I will let that one sit for a while. This pinot is SUBSTANTIAL. Brambly black cherry and cola, a little mint. Herbal with a black peppery kind of finish. This wine can cut through just about any dish. The cola note in the middle of this wine is quite enjoyable, and goes to show you that this wine in 750 needs to hold 1-2 years, but needs to hold 10 years en magnum! So far, this is my favorite of the 2016 PN's from Rivers-Marie, although I'm actually not sure if I'm doing this a service or disservice by rating this one a 94 at the moment as I feel that it is likely capable of pushing higher than this (yes, for a pinot).
May 12th, 2018
