TN: 2007 Rivers Marie Thieriot Chardonnay - yet another data point

After reading a few TNs about the seemingly early aging of this wine, I decided to sacrifice my last bottle to science.

Medium Gold in color. Mild nose of citrus and citrus peel aromas, accompanied by some oxidative qualities (previously announced by the color), along with a touch of smoke. Additional hints of herb, spice and an interesting touch of pepper appeared within 30 minutes or so. Moderate palate coverage, medium-full slightly oxidized flavors. The wine also seemed to pick up a bit of weight on the palate within 30 minutes of opening. After an hour, the individual flavors became more pronounced, with an uptick in acid, and very nice sweet fruit tempered by a light tartness. Aside from (or, maybe in addition to) the slightly oxidative qualities, I really did like this wine. True, this type of profile is something I would expect to find in a 10 yr old Chard, rather than one at 4 yrs. Yet still, I could not look away.

I’d still love to know what accounts for what I would term as the premature aging of this wine. Others have spoken of bottle variation. But, I’m not sure I buy that. This seems as much a mystery as the white Burgundy pre-mox issue.

Thanks for the note Eric. I have a lone bottle that will need to be dug out in the name of science soon. Lots of mixed results out there.

Listen, if you’ve never had an old bottle of CA Chardonnay, don’t despair. One of the single-most enjoyable bottles of Chard I’ve had was a 1980 Conn Creek that sat in an ambient temp “cellar” for seven years. Funny, we seem to confer bowing and genuflection to older red wines. But, somehow never really seem to “understand” older whites.

I love older whites! It just seems like some are having issues with this getting old before the fruit even settles down. There is aged and there is prematurely oxidized. YMMV.

See the RM release thread for TRB’s explanation about this wine. Link

I’ve got one remaining bottle and will pop it this week to see what’s what.

I know what I’m opening tonight :slight_smile:

Cellartracker notes on this wine should be interesting this week.

prematurely aged? yes

provides a pleasurable experience now? absolutely

golden yellow - about the same color as a young sauternes. nose of lemon custard, sweet apples, and maple sugar. a tropical pineapple element presents after 30 min and increases in intensity from there. not a fan of tropical fruit in chard, and this was the first time i’ve seen it in a rm chardonnay and i’ve tasted '07-'10. med body. fatter in the mouth than in years past, although the fragile acid frame kicks up a notch on the mineral driven finish. i agree this won’t make old bones, however i still find it enjoyable at this stage. i’ll drink my last bottle in the next few months. after blowing through nearly a case (thank god for retail/auction) that have performed so beautifully, i can complain about nothing. my experience tonight is akin to the bittersweet final goodbye to a four legged old friend who needs to be put down - you’ve shared a ton of good times, but now it’s time to go.

just for fun, here’s my last note from '09:

brilliant yellow with a subtle lime hue. after only inspecting this wine in the glass one immediately knows it has something profound to say. precise nose of key lime pie, lemon oil, custard, minerals, and a small element of confectionary sweetness. this wine epitomizes the term fresh. wonderfully rich and creamy in the mouth, all the while gracefully supported by a perfectly constructed acidic backbone. lemon and limes predominate on the palate. the crisp acids firm up during the mouth watering finish where citrus and minerals lead the way. the overall harmony in this bottle is truly marvelous! this wine screams for food. sadly, however, it will be gone lone before dinner :wink: