Ill have to get thierot this time. Got purrington instead of theriot for 2020 vintage.
any reviews? I canât find any.
Looking forward to the notes!
For those that asked, here is tomorrowâs mailer w/ TNâs --will
Winter 2023
The hit parade continues in 2021 with our 15th vintage of Chardonnay. As good as the Pinot range is, a recent comprehensive tasting revealed the Chardonnays may be even better. They feature soaring aromatics, a firm almost red wine like texture and bracing natural acidity. Drought years can be tricky to manage but a slightly bigger than normal crop paired with a moderate growing season out on the coast allowed us to pick these wines in whatever style we most preferred. With this window, we could actually extract from the drought its few redeeming qualities, higher natural concentration, preserved freshness and elevated natural tannin for white wine that adds volume and focus throughout the palate impression. What the second consecutive drought year didnât do to this collection of wines was stamp them with a vintage character that overrides site expression. These wines are all very different from each other even if they share characteristics common to the vintage. A few are the best expressions of their sites to date.
The Six White Wines
2021 Rivers-Marie Chardonnay Sonoma Coastâ450 cases, $35
This wine speaks very clearly to the common blending notion that the sum is better than any of its component parts. Comprised primarily of Riddle and Chouette Vineyards, the resulting wine knits together the best elements of each of the two vineyards. Where Riddle might have been a little lean on its own, Chouette lends generosity to the palate and a natural weight that speaks to the warmth of the site. Chouette veers toward the white chocolate/brioche side of Chardonnay but Riddle provides plenty of citrus fruits and minerals to add a crystalline texture for balance and cut. With 0% new oak for either of the two ferments, what you get here is a clean, focused snapshot of the Occidental/Freestone area of the Sonoma Coast in 2021. Thereâs a firmness to the vintage that provides volume and the promise of a long aging curve. Once again this wine way overdelivers when you compare its quality to its price.
2021 Rivers-Marie âJoy Road Vineyardâ Chardonnay Sonoma Coastâ145 cases, $60
We never know what we are going to get with this tiny block of Chardonnay from Joy Road. The wine has veered from an almost Sauvignon Blanc like steeliness to a slightly botrysized warmer-sited white Burgundy in the 10 or so years weâve worked with it. In the past few though, we are finally seeing the real character of what this site best represents, a true west Sonoma Coast site focused on a wide mix of fruit characters provided by the site and the clone. Its location leans naturally toward the citrus/yuzu side of the varietal while the clone provides richer fruit flavors of peach, pineapple, mango and a light, floral lift. Itâs very unique in the line up and like Purrington Rued, tastes unlike anything else Iâve had from the area. It finishes with a chalky, white chocolate note that helps balance the acidity of the site.
2021 Rivers-Marie âBearwallow Vineyardâ Chardonnay Anderson Valleyâ325 cases, $60
In recent tastings it has become clear that both Bearwallow bottlings in 2021 (Chardonnay and Pinot) are the best Bearwallow bottlings to date. The only problem is, I have no idea why. Weâve always loved the site and the farming remains impeccable. Maybe it is vine age that contributes more depth and complexity moving the wine away from its banana candy/tropical fruit dominated palate to something more peachy and white flower dominated. Thereâs a slight reductive quality too that adds pear and almond paste with the slightest bit of spiciness lingering on the finish. This is a more multi-dimensional Bearwallow and hopefully something we can figure out soon so we can replicate it in future vintages.
2021 Rivers-Marie âPurrington Rued Vineyardâ Chardonnay Sonoma Coastâ90 cases, $60
Iâve never tasted anything quite like this from California. The Rued clone is known to produce unique Chardonnays but this is even more complex than past vintages. The Alsatian like tropical notes are there but the wine is even more dominated by lychee, salted pineapple and honeyed flowers. The acidity has never been this bright before grabbing the tannin of the vintage to add a firm, chiseled cut throughout the entire palate. Past vintages have started out a bit muted but here everything is amplified even the vibrant, pressed flower character that wraps up the finish. We seem to be stuck on 4 barrels from our tiny sliver of this old vine Sonoma Coast vineyard but if this is what it produces, we are grateful for every vintage.
2021 Rivers-Marie âPlatt Vineyardâ Chardonnay Sonoma Coastâ230 cases, $70
This has a finished pH of 3.17. I keep turning that number over in my mind wondering how that number impacts a wine this dense. The wine shows its natural acidity in its lemon curd mid-palate but then quickly veers into honeycomb, ripe orchard fruit, apple blossom and toasted bread. The pedigree of the site really shows through in its multi-faceted personality packing in orange peel, mint, white chocolate, chamomile and dried flowers on the finish. Plattâs reputation has been made through the years with its various Pinot bottlings but in 2021 at least, Iâd argue the Chardonnay is the star of the vintage.
2021 Rivers-Marie âB. Thieriot Vineyardâ Chardonnay Sonoma Coastâ240 cases, $80
We finally coaxed this wine to full malo in mid-October. Long malolactic years tend to produce wines of great length and texture and in this case, suppleness. Stone and orchard fruit notes dominate the palate veering from pear to apple to nectarine but balanced by the classic salty minerality of Thieriot. The acidity provides a honeyed lemon character that complements the flint and white flower finish. An ethereal, âold vinesâ quality continues to dominate the wine in 2021. There is amazing palate presence but it never comes across as taxing. Freshness is probably the first thing we look for in our Pinots and Chardonnays and this wine always has that mouthwatering acidity that demands multiple sips. Thieriot started our Chardonnay program 15 vintages ago and we continue to see better and better wines coming from this special site in the future.
The Future
In an attempt to return to our normal schedule, we will release Cabernets the third Tuesday of July. The line up will look a different than it did two years ago. Herb Lamb is unfortunately gone but Jennifer and her team have quickly replanted the vineyard and we hope to continue our relationship with this amazing site when it comes back on line in 2024. In its place, we have two new wines, MBar Ranch from Oakville and Vidovich Vineyard in St Helena. We expect great things from both of these vineyards with the 2021s and beyond. Iâve worked with the Round Pond owned MBar Ranch since 2012. It is situated in that magical western Oakville bench surrounded by some of the greatest Cabernet vineyards in Napa and possibly the world. Vidovich is located in the heart of St Helena and touches Beckstofferâs Dr. Crane Vineyard. We feel very fortunate to have been offered this site and jumped at the chance to grab the fruit when we saw where it was located. After the Cab release we should get fully back to normal with 2022 Pinots January 2024 and 2022 Chardonnays February 2024.
A Couple Reminders
We are hoping this release makes it at least a week and with the larger quantities in 2021, I donât see any reason why it wonât. We will ship all orders starting in March in an attempt to beat any early warming trends. Weather will of course dictate when we can get wine to all parts of the country. Any questions, please reach out to Will Segui at will@riversmarie.com or our director of hospitality Frank Ingriselli at frank@riversmarie.com or 707-341-3127.
Thanks again for your continued support.
Thomas Rivers Brown and Genevieve Marie Welsh
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Will, thank you!
Looking forward to tomorrow.
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Great notes on Chards. Can you expound on Vidovich and MBar?
Thanks, Will! These sound phenomenal, as usual.
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Thanks for the notes canât wait!
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This is a great chardonnay line. if anyone is hesitating, jump in and you will be pleased. Really high quality.
Order in for 6.
3 Sonoma Coast
2 Purrington Rued
1 Bearwallow
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Order in! Mostly SC and Thieriot.
3 Sonoma Coast
2 Platt- I had the Platt back in August during a visit to RM and it was amazing
2 Thieriot
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This is usually a case order, 3 Thieriot and 3 Platts.
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3 Sonoma Coast (plus 1 wish list)
1 Platt
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Order in, smallest order with them
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I ordered 3 Sonoma Coast (plus 3 wait list), and 3 Platt. Always a favorite release! The Sonoma Coast is usually gone within the year, 2020 was deliciousâand based on the vintage 2021 should be better! Looking forward to popping a Sonoma Coast in late February/early March.
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had to go light on the order this year, but in for SC, Purrington, Platt, and Thieriot (six bottles total)
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Still up in the air. I have more Chardonnay than i drink in the cellar but these are so good and so reasonable. Plus I love supporting them. Will likely get a few but hmmmmmm
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I am visiting next month, and having never tasted these Chardonnay tempted to wait to see what is being poured at my tasting
Same hereâŚlove RM and everyone involved, but we just donât drink a ton of Chardonnay. We love the cabs and will likely go deeper this year.
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They probably wonât open the Sonoma Coast at the tasting and I think thereâs a good chance it sells out anyway. You might be able to email them to order 3 of those and hold it at the winery to pick up when you visit. I think the 4 bottle minimum is for shipping reasons.
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