Winery note:

2011 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast - 450 cases, 14.1% alcohol, 15% new oak
Is this the best Sonoma Coast to date? Everything about the vintage and where the wine was sourced from would suggest so. Coming from arguably the most successful part of Occidental, it is comprised of 8 barrels of Riddle Vineyard 828/Pommard, 5 barrels of Lancel Creek Vineyard 777 and 3 barrels of Occidental Ridge Vineyard 667. All the high toned notes of red and orange fruits are there with a freshness that comes from the delicate nature of the vintage. The SC bottling usually absorbs some sites that saw a bit too much heat to make the vineyard designate cut. It can render the final product a bit too heavy for some folks on the mailing list. This is not the case with the '11. Its persistent lightness is refreshing and mouth coating without weighing down the palate. It's basically what the 2010 would have been minus the late heat of that vintage.

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