Kutch, Rivers-Marie, Rhys Spring Releases

WINE TALK
1

With Kutch and Rivers-Marie both coming out next Tuesday and Rhys the following week I wanted to respectfully request (read: beg) Jamie, Will, and Kevin please share any notes or impressions they may have on the included wines/vineyards/vintages in their upcoming releases. This advanced info is always much appreciated.

Side Note: I always think this kind of detail is going to narrow down my selections, but usually it ends up getting me more excited about a bottle that I had previously overlooked and I end up spending more. Oh well, new year new credit card right? [cheers.gif]

2

Haven’t seen anything in the inbox about Rivers-Marie release, could you pass along any info about the release you might have?

3

From the Fall 2014 Newsletter:

“For Pinot, quantities are once again strong except for Summa. We were positive we had solved the low yield issue out there but apparently not. The lineup looks identical to the 2012 roster, allocations will shift a bit to reflect yield at certain sites. The Pinot mailer as usual will go out the third Tuesday of January.”

4

Rhys notes from Vinous, etc, are on their website for the 2012s.

5

For Rivers-Marie, the heads-up email goes out in the morning. That will have allocations & pricing (prices same as last year).

When the newsletter w/ TN’s is done, assuming it is done before the actual release on the 20th, I’ll post it here.

As always, if you have any questions, please email me - will@riversmarie.com

6

Patrick,
We have to yet write up our notes as well but I hope that customers will find this to be the most consistently strong lineup we have offered. Now that we have the Futures program most of our wines have a good number of notes on CellarTracker prior to the release.
I have tried to make a link here - Search wines for '2012 rhys' - CellarTracker
Also there is another thread on this release here - Rhys Spring release: Jan 27 - WINE TALK - WineBerserkers

If I were forced to pick two wines to highlight, I would probably choose Horseshoe Chardonnay and Pinot. I am quite excited about the wines recently produced from Horseshoe.

7

Antonio has also just tasted Rivers-Marie and Kutch and seems to have enjoyed them.
I’ll probably stick to Rhys for this round as space is very limited. Thinking of popping the '09 Swan Terrace to see what the fuss is about.

8

Opening last year’s RM SC PN tonight to see if I want to re-up.

9

Jancis Robinson just tasted and wrote the following about our upcoming release: "“Kutch 2013 Pinots are hugely distinctive – both from each other and from California Pinot Noir norm” "

Jamie Goode just wrote: I reckon his 2013s are his best wines yet and posted the following tasting notes on his website: The stunning 2013 releases from Kutch – Jamie Goode's wine blog

2013 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
12.3% alcohol. Lovely black cherry aromatics. Fresh and quite taut with sweet berry notes and a bit of spiciness. The palate is supple, smooth and quite elegant with ripe black cherry and plum fruit, together with some grippy structure under the fruit. Sweet and alluring with nice freshness and elegance. Lovely. 94/100 ~ Jamie Goode

2013 Fasltaff Vineyard Pinot Noir
12.1% alcohol. Fresh, juicy and bright with lovely texture to the raspberry and cherry fruit. Real freshness evident. Ripe, with sweet fruit, but showing lovely poise and balance. Really stylish and balanced with incredible focus, good acidity, but no hint of harshness. An elegant, focused style of Pinot Noir showing lovely floral aromatics and fine grained, expressive red cherry fruit. 95/100 ~ Jamie Goode

And finally, below are our own notes from our upcoming newsletter and prices (without any increases):

2013 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
Comprised of two distinct vineyards representing the extreme northwestern edge of the appellation in the remote coastal mountains near the town of Annapolis and the frigid southernmost tip of the AVA amongst the funneled winds of the San Pablo Bay, this mix of soil types, exposures, and climates create an alluring wine of focus, length and tension. High toned notes of red cherry, raspberry, orange peel, and exotic spices. Balanced acidity and broad tannins lift the sleek, vibrant fruit while traces of mineral and herb add to its charm. Immediately expressive and approachable but will only get better from here. 100% Whole Cluster, 12.3% Alcohol, 30% New Oak, Unfined and unfiltered. $39 per bottle

2013 Falstaff Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
Far and away our most marginal site, Falstaff sits on a ridge west of the Sebastopol Hills fully exposed to cool ocean breezes and dense coastal fog. The moderate growing season and shallow, Goldridge soils culminate to create a wine of understated elegance and transparent terroir. Stylish, lean, and graceful. Exuberant flavors of blood orange, blue fruits, and rose petals are backed by nervy acidity and a taut structure. While electric in its youth, this is a wine built for longevity. 100% Whole Cluster, 12.1% Alcohol, 100% Neutral Oak, Unfined and unfiltered. $59 per bottle

10

Oh you will want to re-up. Since some hard choices will need to be made this month, this will be the only R-M Pinot I purchase. This and the Kutch are QPR pinot giants.

11

Thanks Jamie, it’s awesome to hear a winemakers perspective on site and vintage. Getting that insight is one of the many great things about being a Berserker.

Anything you can tell us about your chard at this point?

12

Speaking of Horseshoe, how is the 2007 Horseshoe Pinot drinking right now? I plan to pop one soon before the spring order to see how things are evolving. Any decanting advice? champagne.gif

  • J
13

Not the same wine, but had the 2007 Alesia Falstaff last week… damn delicious… drinking time for sure as most of the tannins/heat are no longer present… soft/floral/yum…

14

Joel,
2007 was the first vintage of Horseshoe Pinot and like many of our 2007s it is still young. It shows well (but young) with air so I would recommend a one hour decant.

15

Patrick,

I replied about the specifics of our Santa Cruz Mountain Chardonnay in the other thread here: http://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1645707#p1645707

As for price point, I haven’t given it much thought yet. That said, I have already decided that I want to introduce the new variety to our customers as a blend rather than a single vineyard. Also, I can assure you that the the price will be REALLY fair as I wouldn’t be here without the support of so many. My guess would be that the wine will price at $39 and align with the price point of our Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir.

16

I had the 2012 Horseshoe Chardonnay at Rhys pickup day in November and it was absolutely amazing. Bony, chiseled, complex, just everything you would want in a chardonnay of that style. Better than any other Rhys chardonnay I’ve had (which includes three vintages of the Alpine).

17

IN!! [cheers.gif]

18

This month is going to hurt the budget. There are three producers that form a good portion of my pinot noir cellar but the flip side is that we all get to load a bunch of really great pinot noir into the cellar, too.

19

For those that were looking for the release letter (including TN’s), they are available here: Rivers-Marie - Winter 2023

Reminder: Offer goes live Tuesday, January 20th at 9:00 AM PST

20

Thanks so much for posting. Now I have to figure out what to buy!!! First time for RM for me. Any suggestions? Looking for wine that doesn’t need to cellar too long, but is unique and special.