Great work Steve and TRB. Only the second wine we have tried from Riverain.
Deep and dark purplish red. Lovely nose with some toasted elements with some black and white pepper, black olives, black cherries and cinnamon. Medium plus tannins (6.5/10) and full bodied. Very dry with flavors of dark berries, spices, olives, and light minerality. Long and lingering finish. Drink till 2024.
Great work Steve and TRB. Only the second wine we have tried from Riverain.
Deep and dark purplish red. Lovely nose with some toasted elements with some black and white pepper, black olives, black cherries and cinnamon. Medium plus tannins (6.5/10) and full bodied. Very dry with flavors of dark berries, spices, olives, and light minerality. Long and lingering finish. Drink till 2024.
Feb 11th, 2018
Riverain is Steve Nordhoff and Dean & Laurie Gray’s label that produces just a few hundred cases from some select vineyards in Northern California, including a Tench Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Gamble Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc.
According to Dean Gray, Riverain is a historically French term meaning “local & friendly people who reside near the river.” @Greg Ballington deserves credit for the reco, and while I’ve had a handful of Syrahs from the Cardiac Hill Vineyard in Sonoma County’s Bennett Valley, this is my first that’s made by Thomas Rivers Brown.
Screams old world, particularly Northern Rhône. Loved it from the get-go, but the acceleration at 90 minutes open is significant. Campfire grilled meat, finely ground pepper, black olive, and creosote, with a core of savory black fruit, and a beautiful secondary combination of cedar and lavender. There’s a distinctive combination of balance, purity of fruit, and savory structure that’s hard not to recognize.
Riverain is Steve Nordhoff and Dean & Laurie Gray’s label that produces just a few hundred cases from some select vineyards in Northern California, including a Tench Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Gamble Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc.
According to Dean Gray, Riverain is a historically French term meaning “local & friendly people who reside near the river.” @Greg Ballington deserves credit for the reco, and while I’ve had a handful of Syrahs from the Cardiac Hill Vineyard in Sonoma County’s Bennett Valley, this is my first that’s made by Thomas Rivers Brown.
Screams old world, particularly Northern Rhône. Loved it from the get-go, but the acceleration at 90 minutes open is significant. Campfire grilled meat, finely ground pepper, black olive, and creosote, with a core of savory black fruit, and a beautiful secondary combination of cedar and lavender. There’s a distinctive combination of balance, purity of fruit, and savory structure that’s hard not to recognize.
1 person found it helpfulJul 22nd, 2018
Bennett Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA
