July 2018 Rivers-Marie Visit (At Mending Wall winery): Poured blind, in a flight of three which all turned out to be a Summa vertical. Some at the table thought this was flawed. I didn't find anything that bothered me about the wine. Juicy, still tangy, some cedary quality in the wine and it's doing fine.
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Earthy and resolved. Has some almost orange peel notes in there that give it a nice lifted quality that i enjoyed. Still kicking and really in a good place, not certain there's a ton of upside from here though.
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Cellared since release....MAN I have restraint! Love the muddled cranberry color....tart and fresh nose of wild berries, underbrush, dusty cherry/white pepper spice, lacquer finish, cold wine cave air. The fruit is still fresh and tart....strawberry, raspberry, cherry, rhubarb.....rustic and cloudy. Some exotic flavors of sandalwood, smoked underbrush, dried cranberry.....VERY pretty florals with funk....dried flowers/herbs, whole cluster, minerals........the acidity and tartness are pretty high in this...which I find refreshing and lively...goes well with some of the aged nuances....this is FANTASTIC juice!
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Quick TN: a bizarre experience with my final bottle. Over the course of the evening this wine oscillated between really good (with the typical Rivers Marie pinot highlights) and overly citrusy/acidic and seemingly oxidated. Strange. Not sure if this is in a weird place or heading over the hill.
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Man, the aromatics on this are gorgeous. Herb, spice, all kind of cool cracked spices. The palate is classic RM, with orange rind, pine needle, cranberry and some caramel. A richer styled wine, at least heading into that vein but it's got the great Summa flavors, balanced and no alcohol sticking out. Drinking excellent.
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Love this pinot! Wonderful sour cherries and earthy notes on the nose and palate, and what a nose, with long lingering finish. Fantastic with grilled cedar plank salmon.
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Drank alongside a much younger pinot. What a night and day difference. This bottle was very cloudy, old brick red color. Nose of funk, much more complex than the younger pinot, mushrooms, asian spices, dark cherries, with orange rinds. This is at it's peak, can't really see it getting any better. Drink em up.
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Cloudy, hawaiian Punch like in initiial taste. Wine was interesting in comparision to Foley Claret, Turley Mead Zin and Ovid Experiment. Showedsome terrific funk and pinot expressiveness that eh other wines just did not have. Wine went very well with Dim Sum on a sunday afternoon especially with an amzing Duck that they served at the end. I have to move on to the 06's now I guess, or should I skip to the 07's first?
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Decanted 90 minutes. Very cloudy cranberry red. Smile inducing nose of strawberry, pinot funk, spice and a vegetal element that walks between stems and rhubarb. Nice energy on the palate with forward, round red fruit, infused with mineral and acidity. This energy gives a sense of complexity that is punctuated on the aftertaste as the green element emerges from the minerally red fruit. Terrific with food.
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Saturday Tasting Group (Knightsbridge Wine Shop (Northbrook, IL)): Super cloudy color. Cranberry red with pinkish hues. Gorgeous beautiful funk. Pristine polish on the nose. Really pretty rock a minerality aromas coupled with cool climate ripe red fruit. Artisanal handcrafted eccentricity. Unique terroir. Awesome and layered with a funky brie cheese aroma. Finesse and refinement. So elegant and feminine, but still a tour de force in Sonoma Pinot. Great acidity but plush with a gorgeous mouth feel. Clean finish. Round and opulent. A complete wine. An excellent producer to keep on the radar. Highly recommended.
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A pomegranate and red berry profile, but, despite an orange peel note, not a bright one, because of the tea, cola, cumin, and redwood bark keeping it down to earth, for better or worse. Acids are nicely integrated but the wine is still a tad pinched on the back end with late arriving tannins. A singleton for me, and a nice bottle, but probably better still in 1-3 more years.
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Darker ruby. Nose of black raspberry, earth, licorice, tea. Medium-bodied with structured layers of blackberry, anise, raspberry, cinnamon, and earth presented with some degree of austerity. Moderate acidity and fairly integrated finish. Needs lots of time yet.
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Like the 2004, the graphite note again. After seeing this expression three times (03-05) in the glass, I mentioned to Thomas and he offered that the graphite, along with a loam, is likely a terroir that is site specific to the Summa vineyard. As I thought about it, I don't often recall getting graphite on pinot--syrah, yes---but pinot? Whatever the case, for me, the note is there. Berry, mixed fruits, kiwi, cranberry/strwaberry and filling acidity on the finish.
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Wow--what a revelation. This was not, stylistically, a wine that I should have liked so much, but it totally worked for me. Plenty of acid, tart (but rich) fruit, and a lightness that I would normally call thin but in this case it just seemed lively. Totally great stuff and wish I had more of it!
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Spectacular nose of white flowers and candied berries. The acidity in this wine really packs a punch and at this stage is way out of balance with the rest of the wine. Not sure if this can resolve itself with time, but not a very pleasing wine to drink at this stage. Too bad, the nose was heavenly.
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Blind California Pinot Noir Tasting (Gary's House in Lisle, IL): Sight: Purple with brown colors, a bit cloudy. Smell: Intense black cherry fruit and mint on the nose. Taste: Not at all like the nose. The mint and eucalyptus was there but the wine was soft, earthy and suede-like Notes: Lighter finish. Drinking now. I found the differences from nose to flavor to be somewhat remarkable. Two different wines.
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Waterford "Connoisseur Gold" Pinot Noir. Tasted as part of a group Pinot tasting - tasting we performed blind with capsules removed and the bags taped around the neck. Wines were not revealed until after all were tasted. Cloudy medium red wine. On the nose there was a hint of mint/peppermint (weird!) and some stewed plum/prune action going on. There was definitely a spice rack character and a somewhat syrup-like note as well. On the palate I noticed that the wine coated your palate really well. Slight bit of heat that should blow off. has some fruit. Many in the group felt that this was obviously very young in taste. We think it needs some age and it will improve a point or two.
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Cloudy ruby in color. Cherry, cola and earth. The fruit is very stewed. Almost tastes like it is heat damaged (at least I hope it was). Truly awful. 14.2% alcohol. I personally do not see what people like so much about this producer and will happily relinquish my spot on this mailing list. Ce la vie.
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eBob California Pinot offline with Steve R. (Feast): Lovely rich nose o fearth and cherry herb. Tight earth and cherry on the palate with good complexity and a long finish. A small step up from the Occidental, but you can see the family resemblance. 93-94 pts.
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Chicago Pinot Dinner with Steve Rigisich (Feast Restaurant): Light ruby in color with a full effusive nose of dark cherries, herbs and mint. Palate is youthful, but complete with rich bright fruits, zesty acidity and fine tannins. Flavor profile echoes the nose with purity and focus. Good length.
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Rivers-Marie Dinner (Sage Restaurant - Newport Beach, CA): 45 cases produced. 100% new French oak. 13.7% alcohol. This wine seemed rather closed as it was not giving up much. Perhaps it was not decanted enough, which may indeed be the case. But as it was, it was a rather hard pinot to drink. Dark, almost cabernet-like aromas of currant, plum, and peppercorns. The palate mirrors the nose. Kind of unyielding and tough and, ultimately, one of my least favorite pinots of the evening.
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3/26/2024 - talbot61 Likes this wine:
Boston Wine & Poker, Brookline, NH: Tasted blind. Clearly Pinot Noir, new world. Cloudy. Older. Nice smokiness. Low acidity. From Michael C.'s cellar.
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7/26/2018 - Frank Murray III wrote:
July 2018 Rivers-Marie Visit (At Mending Wall winery): Poured blind, in a flight of three which all turned out to be a Summa vertical. Some at the table thought this was flawed. I didn't find anything that bothered me about the wine. Juicy, still tangy, some cedary quality in the wine and it's doing fine.
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1/25/2017 - IzeAgeComing Likes this wine:
Earthy and resolved. Has some almost orange peel notes in there that give it a nice lifted quality that i enjoyed. Still kicking and really in a good place, not certain there's a ton of upside from here though.
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9/30/2016 - Mrbuzz Likes this wine: 95 Points
Cellared since release....MAN I have restraint! Love the muddled cranberry color....tart and fresh nose of wild berries, underbrush, dusty cherry/white pepper spice, lacquer finish, cold wine cave air. The fruit is still fresh and tart....strawberry, raspberry, cherry, rhubarb.....rustic and cloudy. Some exotic flavors of sandalwood, smoked underbrush, dried cranberry.....VERY pretty florals with funk....dried flowers/herbs, whole cluster, minerals........the acidity and tartness are pretty high in this...which I find refreshing and lively...goes well with some of the aged nuances....this is FANTASTIC juice!
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6/27/2015 - Nanda wrote: flawed
Corked!
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9/20/2013 - JFish wrote:
Quick TN: a bizarre experience with my final bottle. Over the course of the evening this wine oscillated between really good (with the typical Rivers Marie pinot highlights) and overly citrusy/acidic and seemingly oxidated. Strange. Not sure if this is in a weird place or heading over the hill.
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3/19/2012 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Man, the aromatics on this are gorgeous. Herb, spice, all kind of cool cracked spices. The palate is classic RM, with orange rind, pine needle, cranberry and some caramel. A richer styled wine, at least heading into that vein but it's got the great Summa flavors, balanced and no alcohol sticking out. Drinking excellent.
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11/14/2011 - Loren Sonkin wrote: flawed
Saturday afternoon with friends: Sadly, this was corked.
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9/6/2011 - pjhr wrote: 94 Points
Love this pinot! Wonderful sour cherries and earthy notes on the nose and palate, and what a nose, with long lingering finish. Fantastic with grilled cedar plank salmon.
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8/14/2011 - OCgasman wrote: 90 Points
Drank alongside a much younger pinot. What a night and day difference. This bottle was very cloudy, old brick red color. Nose of funk, much more complex than the younger pinot, mushrooms, asian spices, dark cherries, with orange rinds. This is at it's peak, can't really see it getting any better. Drink em up.
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7/3/2011 - jfkwines wrote: 90 Points
Cloudy, hawaiian Punch like in initiial taste. Wine was interesting in comparision to Foley Claret, Turley Mead Zin and Ovid Experiment. Showedsome terrific funk and pinot expressiveness that eh other wines just did not have. Wine went very well with Dim Sum on a sunday afternoon especially with an amzing Duck that they served at the end. I have to move on to the 06's now I guess, or should I skip to the 07's first?
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3/13/2011 - thomaskeil wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 90 minutes. Very cloudy cranberry red. Smile inducing nose of strawberry, pinot funk, spice and a vegetal element that walks between stems and rhubarb. Nice energy on the palate with forward, round red fruit, infused with mineral and acidity. This energy gives a sense of complexity that is punctuated on the aftertaste as the green element emerges from the minerally red fruit. Terrific with food.
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2/19/2011 - beezer6 wrote: 93 Points
Saturday Tasting Group (Knightsbridge Wine Shop (Northbrook, IL)): Super cloudy color. Cranberry red with pinkish hues.
Gorgeous beautiful funk. Pristine polish on the nose. Really pretty rock a minerality aromas coupled with cool climate ripe red fruit.
Artisanal handcrafted eccentricity. Unique terroir. Awesome and layered with a funky brie cheese aroma. Finesse and refinement. So elegant and feminine, but still a tour de force in Sonoma Pinot.
Great acidity but plush with a gorgeous mouth feel. Clean finish. Round and opulent. A complete wine. An excellent producer to keep on the radar.
Highly recommended.
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8/1/2010 - silton wrote: 90 Points
A pomegranate and red berry profile, but, despite an orange peel note, not a bright one, because of the tea, cola, cumin, and redwood bark keeping it down to earth, for better or worse. Acids are nicely integrated but the wine is still a tad pinched on the back end with late arriving tannins. A singleton for me, and a nice bottle, but probably better still in 1-3 more years.
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7/19/2010 - SMG Likes this wine: 90 Points
Pop and pour. Cranberry, pomegranite, raspberry, and strawberry along with a bit of earth. Nice acidity and very food friendly.
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2/15/2010 - DougLee wrote: 89 Points
Darker ruby. Nose of black raspberry, earth, licorice, tea. Medium-bodied with structured layers of blackberry, anise, raspberry, cinnamon, and earth presented with some degree of austerity. Moderate acidity and fairly integrated finish. Needs lots of time yet.
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7/25/2009 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Like the 2004, the graphite note again. After seeing this expression three times (03-05) in the glass, I mentioned to Thomas and he offered that the graphite, along with a loam, is likely a terroir that is site specific to the Summa vineyard. As I thought about it, I don't often recall getting graphite on pinot--syrah, yes---but pinot? Whatever the case, for me, the note is there. Berry, mixed fruits, kiwi, cranberry/strwaberry and filling acidity on the finish.
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3/12/2009 - Screameagle wrote: 88 Points
Very cloudy wine as is typical with the R-M pinots. Quite acidic and definitely a food wine. Very nice now but hopefully will improve with some age.
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3/12/2009 - MarkC wrote: 91 Points
Wow--what a revelation. This was not, stylistically, a wine that I should have liked so much, but it totally worked for me. Plenty of acid, tart (but rich) fruit, and a lightness that I would normally call thin but in this case it just seemed lively. Totally great stuff and wish I had more of it!
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4/24/2008 - TomTom wrote:
Spectacular nose of white flowers and candied berries. The acidity in this wine really packs a punch and at this stage is way out of balance with the rest of the wine. Not sure if this can resolve itself with time, but not a very pleasing wine to drink at this stage. Too bad, the nose was heavenly.
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1/22/2008 - budman wrote: 88 Points
Slightly cloudy. Rhubarb and strawberry flavors. Probably needed more air time. Not bad, but I was hoping for more.
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11/30/2007 - Steve Jones wrote: 87 Points
Blind California Pinot Noir Tasting (Gary's House in Lisle, IL): Sight: Purple with brown colors, a bit cloudy.
Smell: Intense black cherry fruit and mint on the nose.
Taste: Not at all like the nose. The mint and eucalyptus was there but the wine was soft, earthy and suede-like
Notes: Lighter finish. Drinking now. I found the differences from nose to flavor to be somewhat remarkable. Two different wines.
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11/30/2007 - KeithAkers wrote: 91 Points
Blind Cali Pinot night (Lisle(gary's house)): real dark red color. a bit cloudy too
nose: massive fruit forward nose. dark cherry, red fruit, and peppermint. Also getting a bit of sambuca like notes on the nose
taste: anise, fennel, eucalytus, and a bit of cherry components on the mouth too. It really coates your pallate
overall: excellent. the mouthfeel on this is just great. Has some real finesse to it and a real good finish
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11/30/2007 - Claudio161 wrote: 89 Points
Waterford "Connoisseur Gold" Pinot Noir. Tasted as part of a group Pinot tasting - tasting we performed blind with capsules removed and the bags taped around the neck. Wines were not revealed until after all were tasted. Cloudy medium red wine. On the nose there was a hint of mint/peppermint (weird!) and some stewed plum/prune action going on. There was definitely a spice rack character and a somewhat syrup-like note as well. On the palate I noticed that the wine coated your palate really well. Slight bit of heat that should blow off. has some fruit. Many in the group felt that this was obviously very young in taste. We think it needs some age and it will improve a point or two.
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10/12/2007 - kstoddard wrote:
Cloudy ruby in color. Cherry, cola and earth. The fruit is very stewed. Almost tastes like it is heat damaged (at least I hope it was). Truly awful. 14.2% alcohol. I personally do not see what people like so much about this producer and will happily relinquish my spot on this mailing list. Ce la vie.
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8/14/2007 - winefool wrote: 93 Points
eBob California Pinot offline with Steve R. (Feast): Lovely rich nose o fearth and cherry herb. Tight earth and cherry on the palate with good complexity and a long finish. A small step up from the Occidental, but you can see the family resemblance. 93-94 pts.
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8/14/2007 - Nanda wrote: 93 Points
Chicago Pinot Dinner with Steve Rigisich (Feast Restaurant): Light ruby in color with a full effusive nose of dark cherries, herbs and mint. Palate is youthful, but complete with rich bright fruits, zesty acidity and fine tannins. Flavor profile echoes the nose with purity and focus. Good length.
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7/28/2007 - Paul Lin wrote: 86 Points
Rivers-Marie Dinner (Sage Restaurant - Newport Beach, CA): 45 cases produced. 100% new French oak. 13.7% alcohol. This wine seemed rather closed as it was not giving up much. Perhaps it was not decanted enough, which may indeed be the case. But as it was, it was a rather hard pinot to drink. Dark, almost cabernet-like aromas of currant, plum, and peppercorns. The palate mirrors the nose. Kind of unyielding and tough and, ultimately, one of my least favorite pinots of the evening.
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