Poured into a decanter and consumed over 2 hours. Glass-staining deep ruby. Pronounced nose of blackcurrant, blackcurrant leaf, blueberry, orange peel, licorice, toast, tobacco, and crushed stone. Medium acidity, medium+ fine-grained tannins, and medium+ cedar-y finish. Not overripe and arguably even quite restrained with a sense of freshness, this is approachable now and the already dazzling complexity will probably develop even further with more age.
2021 River, Marie Herb, Lamb excellent wine too young to drink right now I open it January 16. The potential is enormous love the wine I think 2026 will be ready to drink.
Decanted three hours before serving. Deep ruby color. Very effervescent on the nose with dark fruit (almost like a fruit syrup) and chocolate notes prominent. Full body, medium-to-medium-plus tannins, medium acid. Lots of ripe fruit on the palate; cassis, blackberry, a hint of blueberry, with some interesting sandalwood and cedar notes on the finish. This was very tasty, but at times the fruit seemed to overpower everything else. I think this will be better with a couple more years to calm down.
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This was truly an exceptional wine. It brought California fruit but a sense of lift, freshness, and elegance that I don’t typically associate with Napa Cabs. It came off straddling the new and old world divide, but I’ll add that it felt relatively ready to drink now- this doesn’t seem to be a wine that will require a very long rest in the cellar.
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Gorgeous red-fruit on outer edges of the tongue. Opulence of cassis and herbs on the nose. 96 now could be better. I had it over 3-4 hours with a decant! It changed from grip of spices and acidity to luscious mouthfeel coating. Ready in 2-3 more years from the bottle or pop with a 3-4 hour decant. Delicious T.R.B. stuff. The tannins thinned out and became finer and non apparent as it was decanted this would be a 10 year wine max from what I am tasting so far.
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Pomegranate, little blackberry; finish of light pencil shaving; dry; medium- superfine polished tannins; medium acidity
Overall thoughts: Very primary and simple, but delicious and approachable with great concentration and mouthfeel. I hope it gains a bit more complexity and character with some age, although, the structure doesn't scream "long term ager" to me. Great wine!
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I consumed this on the eve of some bad news at work (layoff--med device sector), so I wanted to open something nice that had been taunting me from the cellar. Despite a 3 hour decant, this wine is not ready. Primary dark fruit on the nose, but nowhere near yielding the full package. Short finish turning tart.
This is not a knock on Rivers Marie, or Thomas Rivers Brown, I love their wines. I think the pieces are there, but need to meld together. I appreciated the others' review of this wine, but I'll be cellaring my remaining bottles for at least a year or two. The future is bright!
With that said a young 2018 Herb Lamb was sure good when I opened it on the young side (December 2020, if I remember correctly).
2023 Napa in the City: Tasting & Lunch (The Pool/Grill): This honestly surprised me. I have a clear memory of having a few of the TRB wines and I always thought they were much too one-dimensional (fruit) and not really made with the idea of aging them in mind. This therefore surprised me. It’s actually a bit lifted. Lighter bodied in fact than many of the other wines at the tasting. Still lots of red fruits but not in an overly ripe way. Actually could be quite interesting I think with some time. It does have the feeling of someone who is making a Napa cab for a Pinot palate. But I’d revisit to see how that goes with some more time.
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Beautiful, layered, complex and totally cohesive. Was fascinating to learn from the review below that TRB considers this one of his best two wines he has ever made.
Nose of dark fruit, cedar, cigar, and acidic lift. On the palate, there is very dark fruit, leather, graphite, cigar box. A masculine Cabernet here but not overpowering at just 14.5% ABV. It's early for this wine. A little tight yet, but this will only evolve and improve. Will revisit in a year or two.
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Tasted at the winery. Dark purple in the glass. Open aromatics with cinnamon and plum. chewy, structured tannins with a hint of dill on the finish. Not quite the fireworks of 2018 for me but still fabulous
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1st tasting on day 1 at Rivers Marie tasting facility with Elizabeth in Calistoga. The setting of the tasting room is absolutely beautiful. In addition, they used Grassl Cru stems for their Chardonnay, Zalto Den'Art Burgundy stems for their pinot and Zalto Den'Art Bordeaux stems for their Cabernet tastings. This was the best stemware I've seen to date!
The Herb Lamb was the highlight of the tasting for me. The bottle had approximately 1/4 missing from the top. There was no special preparation other than serving it at a tasting prior to ours. The color was dark purple. It had aromas of dark fruit, cigar box, minerality and an earthy undertone. The palate was of blue and black fruits, green bell pepper, earth, and minerality. There were fine grained tannins with good concentration. This wine is not a fruit bomb. Stylistically, it sits somewhere between old world and new world Napa.
We were told at the tasting that TRB believes the 2018 and 2019 HL are the best wines he's ever made. Unfortunately, the vineyard was lost in the 2020 fires but he also believes that the vineyard will come back stronger and better than where it was before the fire. If he is accurate then in a decade from now may be we are talking about the 2030 HL as the best wine he has ever made! Sorry to see the vineyard temporarily go but will patiently await its rebirth!
For my palate, I think the 2019 HL is drinking better than the 2019 Oakville Terraces. In addition, the 2019 HL is more in my wheelhouse than the 2019 OT but that could always change with time in the bottle, as they are both well made.
My score is 96+ on the day of the tasting but it has the potential to reach true greatness with time in the cellar. If you have any of this tightly allocated wine, i suggest holding and cherishing for a little while. If you didnt secure any for your cellar, seek some out before they are obsolete.
So glad I was poured this bottle and that I have 4 in my cellar!
This wine set the bar high for the rest of the 2 days of tastings!
Two hour slow ox and then 30 min in glass before tasting. Very deep dark purple color. Stemmy black cherry cobbler on the nose. Smooth, dry, plush palate, with pillowy acidity. Full tannins on the long finish.
This is a bit too green for me right now. Needs time to sort itself out.
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Decanted 8 hours. Very fruity, but a little longer in the mouth reveals a nice complexity. No earth. Got better over dinner, yet it's still not quite integrated. Expect it to improve in 2 more years. This will be an outstanding wine. Drink with foods that go with a fruitier wine at the moment.
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Opened in the bottle all day the first day and consumed over two nights. Dense and chewy/grippy on the first and really mellowed out nicely the second. Juicy red and black fruited with chalky cassis, dusty earth, vanilla, cedar and black tea. If I were to open another I’d elect a half day decant and drink in all the first day. Even with the price bump direct these remain nice value in Napa.
Tasted at the winery in Calistoga. Currently a 1 bottle max purchase per person. Notes on cedar, earth, savory herbs with dark fruit. Grippy tannins and very nice acid. Believe this will age nicely. Will try to hold on to bottles at least 5 years.
14.5 percent alcohol 370 case production
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Medium red with slight haze. Aromatic with cherries, sandalwood and roses. Dry, medium-full body, fresh acidity, medium tannins and good balance. Moderate flavors of red vines, green pepper, and cherries. Good! Tasted at the winery.
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Tasted with Will at Mending Wall. The wine was opened the day prior and had the benefit of an ~18hr slow-ox.
This was a very complete wine for being a youngster. Lots of blue fruit, tobacco, and slight chocolate. What was most surprising was the herbaceous character I thought might be present was nowhere to be found. Instead, this wine showed finesse, tannins were silky, and the wine showed wonderful balance at this stage. A pure joy to drink.
My only regret on this one is having only bought 3 bottles!
96pts now, with 1-2 more points with additional years in the cellar.
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3/20/2024 - billyloveswine Likes this wine: 95 Points
Poured into a decanter and consumed over 2 hours. Glass-staining deep ruby. Pronounced nose of blackcurrant, blackcurrant leaf, blueberry, orange peel, licorice, toast, tobacco, and crushed stone. Medium acidity, medium+ fine-grained tannins, and medium+ cedar-y finish. Not overripe and arguably even quite restrained with a sense of freshness, this is approachable now and the already dazzling complexity will probably develop even further with more age.
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3/16/2024 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 95 Points
All ready quite approachable though obviously young, but these wines always seem to drink well right out of the gate.
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1/15/2024 - hezi levy wrote:
2021 River, Marie Herb, Lamb excellent wine too young to drink right now I open it January 16. The potential is enormous love the wine I think 2026 will be ready to drink.
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1/6/2024 - timothynbond Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted three hours before serving. Deep ruby color. Very effervescent on the nose with dark fruit (almost like a fruit syrup) and chocolate notes prominent. Full body, medium-to-medium-plus tannins, medium acid. Lots of ripe fruit on the palate; cassis, blackberry, a hint of blueberry, with some interesting sandalwood and cedar notes on the finish. This was very tasty, but at times the fruit seemed to overpower everything else. I think this will be better with a couple more years to calm down.
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12/29/2023 - JWS84 Likes this wine:
This was truly an exceptional wine. It brought California fruit but a sense of lift, freshness, and elegance that I don’t typically associate with Napa Cabs. It came off straddling the new and old world divide, but I’ll add that it felt relatively ready to drink now- this doesn’t seem to be a wine that will require a very long rest in the cellar.
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9/9/2023 - Takeshi Likes this wine: 96 Points
Gorgeous red-fruit on outer edges of the tongue. Opulence of cassis and herbs on the nose. 96 now could be better. I had it over 3-4 hours with a decant! It changed from grip of spices and acidity to luscious mouthfeel coating. Ready in 2-3 more years from the bottle or pop with a 3-4 hour decant. Delicious T.R.B. stuff. The tannins thinned out and became finer and non apparent as it was decanted this would be a 10 year wine max from what I am tasting so far.
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6/11/2023 - JRockEsq Likes this wine: 93 Points
Pomegranate, little blackberry; finish of light pencil shaving; dry; medium- superfine polished tannins; medium acidity
Overall thoughts: Very primary and simple, but delicious and approachable with great concentration and mouthfeel. I hope it gains a bit more complexity and character with some age, although, the structure doesn't scream "long term ager" to me. Great wine!
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5/14/2023 - Jazz Nut Likes this wine:
I consumed this on the eve of some bad news at work (layoff--med device sector), so I wanted to open something nice that had been taunting me from the cellar. Despite a 3 hour decant, this wine is not ready. Primary dark fruit on the nose, but nowhere near yielding the full package. Short finish turning tart.
This is not a knock on Rivers Marie, or Thomas Rivers Brown, I love their wines. I think the pieces are there, but need to meld together. I appreciated the others' review of this wine, but I'll be cellaring my remaining bottles for at least a year or two. The future is bright!
With that said a young 2018 Herb Lamb was sure good when I opened it on the young side (December 2020, if I remember correctly).
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3/11/2023 - MC2 Wines wrote:
2023 Napa in the City: Tasting & Lunch (The Pool/Grill): This honestly surprised me. I have a clear memory of having a few of the TRB wines and I always thought they were much too one-dimensional (fruit) and not really made with the idea of aging them in mind. This therefore surprised me. It’s actually a bit lifted. Lighter bodied in fact than many of the other wines at the tasting. Still lots of red fruits but not in an overly ripe way. Actually could be quite interesting I think with some time. It does have the feeling of someone who is making a Napa cab for a Pinot palate. But I’d revisit to see how that goes with some more time.
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1/28/2023 - WineGold wrote: 96 Points
Beautiful, layered, complex and totally cohesive. Was fascinating to learn from the review below that TRB considers this one of his best two wines he has ever made.
Nose of dark fruit, cedar, cigar, and acidic lift. On the palate, there is very dark fruit, leather, graphite, cigar box. A masculine Cabernet here but not overpowering at just 14.5% ABV. It's early for this wine. A little tight yet, but this will only evolve and improve. Will revisit in a year or two.
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10/2/2022 - Ticker tape guy Likes this wine: 91 Points
very smooth dark inky color taste of red cherries some chocolate..really nice wine
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8/24/2022 - jviz wrote: 95 Points
Tasted at the winery. Dark purple in the glass. Open aromatics with cinnamon and plum. chewy, structured tannins with a hint of dill on the finish. Not quite the fireworks of 2018 for me but still fabulous
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6/16/2022 - JackCali wrote: 93 Points
Drank at winery, wonderful nose with moderate tannins and dark fruit
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3/8/2022 - JustBreathe680 Likes this wine: 96 Points
The Great Escape; 3/8/2022-3/9/2022 (Napa): Great Escape to Napa: 2 day getaway with my dad (3/8/22-3/9/22).
1st tasting on day 1 at Rivers Marie tasting facility with Elizabeth in Calistoga. The setting of the tasting room is absolutely beautiful. In addition, they used Grassl Cru stems for their Chardonnay, Zalto Den'Art Burgundy stems for their pinot and Zalto Den'Art Bordeaux stems for their Cabernet tastings. This was the best stemware I've seen to date!
The tasting included:
RM Bearwallow Chardonnay 2020 (90-92 points)
Aston Estate Pinot Noir 2017 (90 points) & 2018 (93 points)
RM Panek 2019 (94 points)
RM Herb Lamb 2019 (96-98 points) &
Caterwaul Cemetery 2018 (94-95 points)
The Herb Lamb was the highlight of the tasting for me. The bottle had approximately 1/4 missing from the top. There was no special preparation other than serving it at a tasting prior to ours. The color was dark purple. It had aromas of dark fruit, cigar box, minerality and an earthy undertone. The palate was of blue and black fruits, green bell pepper, earth, and minerality. There were fine grained tannins with good concentration. This wine is not a fruit bomb. Stylistically, it sits somewhere between old world and new world Napa.
We were told at the tasting that TRB believes the 2018 and 2019 HL are the best wines he's ever made. Unfortunately, the vineyard was lost in the 2020 fires but he also believes that the vineyard will come back stronger and better than where it was before the fire. If he is accurate then in a decade from now may be we are talking about the 2030 HL as the best wine he has ever made! Sorry to see the vineyard temporarily go but will patiently await its rebirth!
For my palate, I think the 2019 HL is drinking better than the 2019 Oakville Terraces. In addition, the 2019 HL is more in my wheelhouse than the 2019 OT but that could always change with time in the bottle, as they are both well made.
My score is 96+ on the day of the tasting but it has the potential to reach true greatness with time in the cellar. If you have any of this tightly allocated wine, i suggest holding and cherishing for a little while. If you didnt secure any for your cellar, seek some out before they are obsolete.
So glad I was poured this bottle and that I have 4 in my cellar!
This wine set the bar high for the rest of the 2 days of tastings!
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1/18/2022 - Cuellar's Cellar Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nice wine. Obviously needs more time due to vintage. The fruit is just starting to arise. Needs more time to balance out. High acidity. Cheers
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1/14/2022 - AGELVIS Likes this wine: 94 Points
Two hour slow ox and then 30 min in glass before tasting. Very deep dark purple color. Stemmy black cherry cobbler on the nose. Smooth, dry, plush palate, with pillowy acidity. Full tannins on the long finish.
This is a bit too green for me right now. Needs time to sort itself out.
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1/8/2022 - happy712 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted 8 hours. Very fruity, but a little longer in the mouth reveals a nice complexity. No earth. Got better over dinner, yet it's still not quite integrated. Expect it to improve in 2 more years. This will be an outstanding wine. Drink with foods that go with a fruitier wine at the moment.
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12/13/2021 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 96 Points
Opened in the bottle all day the first day and consumed over two nights. Dense and chewy/grippy on the first and really mellowed out nicely the second. Juicy red and black fruited with chalky cassis, dusty earth, vanilla, cedar and black tea. If I were to open another I’d elect a half day decant and drink in all the first day. Even with the price bump direct these remain nice value in Napa.
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11/8/2021 - PghMike Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tasted at the winery in Calistoga. Currently a 1 bottle max purchase per person. Notes on cedar, earth, savory herbs with dark fruit. Grippy tannins and very nice acid. Believe this will age nicely. Will try to hold on to bottles at least 5 years.
14.5 percent alcohol
370 case production
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10/8/2021 - ColluraJ Likes this wine: 93 Points
Medium red with slight haze. Aromatic with cherries, sandalwood and roses. Dry, medium-full body, fresh acidity, medium tannins and good balance. Moderate flavors of red vines, green pepper, and cherries. Good! Tasted at the winery.
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9/24/2021 - tyfabes Likes this wine: 96 Points
Tasted with Will at Mending Wall. The wine was opened the day prior and had the benefit of an ~18hr slow-ox.
This was a very complete wine for being a youngster. Lots of blue fruit, tobacco, and slight chocolate. What was most surprising was the herbaceous character I thought might be present was nowhere to be found. Instead, this wine showed finesse, tannins were silky, and the wine showed wonderful balance at this stage. A pure joy to drink.
My only regret on this one is having only bought 3 bottles!
96pts now, with 1-2 more points with additional years in the cellar.
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