2014 Rivers-Marie Chardonnay Sonoma Coast- USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (4/1/2016)
I LOVE this wine! My second bottle of the 4 I bought……TRB…I need a case please!! This is Burgundy minerality, lith, citrus…in perfect balance with Cali sun kissed fruit and the love of the oak barrel! Little cloudy and rustic….lemon citrus, white peach, apple, grapefruit….some tropics of candied pineapple and coconut……pretty white flowers….vanilla oak barrel notes show smoke and spice ala Coche Dury. Love the mineral/chalky cloudiness in this wine……the citrus energy……although riper fruit and oak treatment……toned down alc heat makes this a dead ringer in a blind Burg tasting. And all for what……$30 bucks!!! Amazing! (94 pts.)
I liked this a lot as well. Don’t think it would fit blind in a burg tasting though.
Russ, there is a lot of vanilla right now. Give it time. Fwiw, here is my note on the wine from earlier this week:
Really nice value here. Light golden in color. The nose has a nice vanilla potpourri quality. Sure that is from the oak, but it is not harsh and very pretty. Plenty of grapefruit as well. On the palate, the vanilla carries thru. Creamy texture. Good acidity. The oak is not harsh. certainly a lemon creamsicle quality to this wine at this point. But enough acidity that it worked well with hummus and vegetables for me. Normal,y, I don’t like wines with these descriptors but somehow this one worked and was very enjoyable. I think it was the elegance over power. 92
Saw your note on CT before here and commented. Great photo, beautiful cellar. I only picked up two of these, and regret not getting the max. This is fantastic.
