Ruddy brownish red. Fresh raspberry, cinnamon spice, and rose petal nose. Medium bodied, bright piercing cherries, pomegranates, sweet tannins, baking spices, good acid, and a medium to long finish. Excellent.
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Fading a bit but still a great Pinot. Taking on the aged budgandian characteristics depending on your preference you may want to drink now or let the aged wine take over
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Slightly more black vs red berry aromas and flavors with slightly sweet baking spice, especially on nose. Moderate concentration, but very good length and persistence. At a perfect place right now.
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Wow this is impressive! Wild cherry aromas with cornucopia of spices. Bright cherry flavors that really saturate the plate. Big fruits yet well balanced and focused. Stemmy spices add earthy appeal to the info finish. Special stuff and likely at its prime.
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Agree with Ken that this is an impressive 10 year old Pinot. The full nose is very typical Rivers Marie with rich red and black cherry, orange peel and loads of baking spice. Palate is medium bodied with rich fruit and, impressively, juicy adds to provide freshness and lift. A standout in the line up. Great stuff.
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Medium red color with medium transparency. Sweet cherry, raspberry, and light spice on nose. Palate has pomegranate, cherry, raspberry, and some spice that flows into a sweet medium finish that carries enough acid to refresh. I really liked this and consider it my best Rivers Marie pinot experience to date. Drink - in such a good place for my tastes right now.
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Bricking in color, mushroom on the nose. Although I enjoyed this enough, don't think I'd want to hang on to this much longer. Seemed fully developed and maybe trending down. My only bottle of this, and unlike other '07 RM in stage of development. Maybe an off bottle.
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Tuesday night in H-town with dontime (Lucio's BYOB, Houston): Great pinot funk nose with bright cherry, forest floor, hints of tea, spice, orange peel, and mushroom. On the palate medium bodied with red cherry, Asian spice, mushroom, and orange peel. Finishes long and balanced. My first RM and I will be seeking more.
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Great red fruit strawberry orange nose. Smooth and well balanced, drinking very well. Not over the top at all. Slight zing at the end. Reasonably complex. If you got these in the cellar, pop sway!
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To me this was a little thin. It seems like it was well made, and the berries have some very nice flavor profile with some red raspberry and dash of orange, but had a hollow midpalate and a clipped finish.
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Opened, not decanted. Medium purple in color, with a light cloudiness in the glass. Nice aromas of cranberry, orange peel, and forest floor give way to flavors of strawberry, black tea, citrus, and baking spice. Slightly lacking in the midpalate, however, it’s in balance and still exceptionally drinkable. Medium finish. 13.8% ABV.
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Opened and drank over 1hr. Very very perfumed nose of bright red fruits with some heat on the nose. Broad, creamy and fleshy palate of red cherries and raspberries. I have always liked Rivers (one of the few CA Pinots) and this is the reason. Bright acidity and a medium finish. The alcohol was there, but not overbearing.
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rasberry and bramble on nose. a bit cloudy. Pure sweet red and dark fruits with good acidity, integrated spice, herbs, bramble, and a baking spice finish with fine tannins. Very nice CA pinot, very smooth, rich and sweet with some complexity, manages to reign in the heat somehow.
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Fairly deep crimson color, with some cloudiness. The nose shows deep-pitched dark fruit, with a bit of a jammy note, and a nice spice background. The palate is a bit thick, syrupy and undefined. While the acid is good, the wine lacks focus and energy. I like the nose more than the palate. Not sure how people can view this as old world or burgundian. Still not sold on the RM pinots, they just don't seem to be my style -- I prefer a lighter, more focused and energetic wine, though I can see why some folks like RM (richly fruited). The one bottle which was quite impressive was the '07 Summa.
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All about the primary fruit, with a nose of Raspberry, strawberry, allspice, and a touch of smoke. Dark, almost brambly, with some stems. Silky smooth and soft - cool. Fruit verges on jammy - almost crystalline sweetness. Palate starts with the raspberry and strawberries as well, and then some smoke. Etherscreen is right on with her/his note: there is a aspect that reminds me of pine forest and minerals. Solid and fine tannins combine well with the primary fruit flavors. Good acidity and excellent mouthfeel. Quite ripe and sweet, almost jammy, but never could be considered overripe. Well structured finish shows off all of the elements - solid, well built, and focused. Moderately complex Pinot, and delicious. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 5/6, Je Ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 16/20 = 92/100.
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Decanted for about 45 minutes and drank this wine at dinner. It was light and delightful. Reminded me of some better burgundies I've tasted. We drank this alongside a 2006 WH Smith Marimar vnyd. PN The votes were 60-40 favoring the RM. Nice balance and not overly fruity.
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Opened in error... thought I was opening the Occidental Ridge. This was my last Willow Creek. Nice Pinot nose and flavors of cranberry and cherry. Beautiful mouth watering acidity which begs for another sip. Not very complex or concentrated, but very enjoyable. Disappointed I opened my last one.
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Instantly recognizable as Sonoma Coast with a strong pine element amongst the more cranberry and cherry elements. Rich and dark, one of the seemingly more extracted RM's I've had or maybe just more richer fleshy fruited. Brawny, almost big. Maybe could have used a bit more acidity to balance it. Not a lot of complexity. This might get better with age but it didn't really hit me that way. Good Pinot but not TRB's best RM.
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Very impressive. Showing a svelt profile when first poured, with copious dried flowers, red fruits and sois bois; extremley fragrant. With airing, this put on more weight -- yet never heavy or unbalanced. Lovely Asian spice and dried citrus notes in the lingering finish. Complex and delicious.
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a true sonoma coast beauty. after following an '05 bouchard, this wine seems to pack so much more of everything than it normally would with a non-burgundy calibrated palate. dark purple in the glass fading to clear at the rim. my last note says it was translucent, but this is obviously much darker. an interesting evolution of color? an awesome nose of red fruits (most notably pomegranate), pine, citrus zest, baking spice, and minerals soars from the glass. palate follows the nose with red fruits and baking spices at the fore. some tannin present. crisp acidity - a quintessential element of california pinot noir. great balance. mouth watering acidity lingers on the finish. much better than my last bottle in april. worth a look right now. if you only have a few, patience will most certainly be rewarded. another stunner from trb.
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This shows mostly rich red fruit, with a soft, graceful texture. On day two some baking spices appeared. A tad hot. Pleasant, but not terribly interesting.
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i only have one of these, and frankly owning a single bottle so young just annoys me, so what the hell? in reality, i should've bought more.
popped and poured. one sniff and i suspect this will out class the '06. translucent raspberry in color. i love it when i can actually see my hand on the other side of the glass while drinking pinot. explosive and complex nose showcasing cranberry, cherry, and pomegranate on the fore. like walking through a pine forest. a hint of warm baking spices, citrus, and some mineral notes buried beneath the fruit. great energy yet soft in the mouth as the fruit overpowers the cranberry type tartness. the mineral note carries from palate through the red fruited and pine laden finish. this wine is reminiscent of some delingers i've enjoyed in years past. young yes, but worth a look at this point if you are sitting on a few.
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2/21/2021 - Margaux Bro Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still has life left, nothing earth shattering though.
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6/22/2019 - merryberry Likes this wine: 93 Points
Ruddy brownish red. Fresh raspberry, cinnamon spice, and rose petal nose. Medium bodied, bright piercing cherries, pomegranates, sweet tannins, baking spices, good acid, and a medium to long finish. Excellent.
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2/18/2018 - jfkwines wrote: 91 Points
Fading a bit but still a great Pinot. Taking on the aged budgandian characteristics depending on your preference you may want to drink now or let the aged wine take over
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3/5/2017 - Burgundy Al wrote: 91 Points
Slightly more black vs red berry aromas and flavors with slightly sweet baking spice, especially on nose. Moderate concentration, but very good length and persistence. At a perfect place right now.
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2/6/2017 - KenK Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wow this is impressive! Wild cherry aromas with cornucopia of spices. Bright cherry flavors that really saturate the plate. Big fruits yet well balanced and focused. Stemmy spices add earthy appeal to the info finish. Special stuff and likely at its prime.
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2/5/2017 - Nanda wrote: 93 Points
Agree with Ken that this is an impressive 10 year old Pinot. The full nose is very typical Rivers Marie with rich red and black cherry, orange peel and loads of baking spice. Palate is medium bodied with rich fruit and, impressively, juicy adds to provide freshness and lift. A standout in the line up. Great stuff.
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2/5/2017 - Burgundy Al wrote: 91 Points
Good Wine with an Exciting Super Bowl (Chez Kailin - Northbrook IL): Red and black berries are nicely mature with moderate weight, good hints of nuance and top notch balance. Best for the near-term.
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10/29/2015 - fredb Likes this wine:
Medium red color with medium transparency. Sweet cherry, raspberry, and light spice on nose. Palate has pomegranate, cherry, raspberry, and some spice that flows into a sweet medium finish that carries enough acid to refresh. I really liked this and consider it my best Rivers Marie pinot experience to date. Drink - in such a good place for my tastes right now.
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12/25/2014 - reichken wrote: 90 Points
Lush, fruity, sweet pinot fruit, cherry candy Medium weight, medium length. Nice easy drink
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7/27/2014 - Federsin Likes this wine:
Drinking well, better than the 2006
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4/30/2014 - siloak wrote:
Bricking in color, mushroom on the nose. Although I enjoyed this enough, don't think I'd want to hang on to this much longer. Seemed fully developed and maybe trending down. My only bottle of this, and unlike other '07 RM in stage of development. Maybe an off bottle.
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1/31/2014 - pjhr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Delicious ripe raspberry and cherry aromas and flavors with earthy and spice notes. Wonderful texture and acidity. Drinking beautifully!
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10/29/2013 - GalvezGuy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tuesday night in H-town with dontime (Lucio's BYOB, Houston): Great pinot funk nose with bright cherry, forest floor, hints of tea, spice, orange peel, and mushroom. On the palate medium bodied with red cherry, Asian spice, mushroom, and orange peel. Finishes long and balanced. My first RM and I will be seeking more.
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6/28/2013 - NTR wrote: 92 Points
Great red fruit strawberry orange nose. Smooth and well balanced, drinking very well. Not over the top at all. Slight zing at the end. Reasonably complex. If you got these in the cellar, pop sway!
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6/13/2013 - gzim wrote: 86 Points
To me this was a little thin. It seems like it was well made, and the berries have some very nice flavor profile with some red raspberry and dash of orange, but had a hollow midpalate and a clipped finish.
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9/13/2012 - scott davis wrote: 88 Points
Opened, not decanted. Medium purple in color, with a light cloudiness in the glass. Nice aromas of cranberry, orange peel, and forest floor give way to flavors of strawberry, black tea, citrus, and baking spice. Slightly lacking in the midpalate, however, it’s in balance and still exceptionally drinkable. Medium finish. 13.8% ABV.
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8/11/2012 - Al Ehrhardt wrote:
Excellent. Great acidity, my favorite tart red fruits, and great weight. It will hold and possibly improve a bit, but great right now.
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3/31/2012 - johnh1001 wrote: 92 Points
Opened and drank over 1hr. Very very perfumed nose of bright red fruits with some heat on the nose. Broad, creamy and fleshy palate of red cherries and raspberries. I have always liked Rivers (one of the few CA Pinots) and this is the reason. Bright acidity and a medium finish. The alcohol was there, but not overbearing.
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3/16/2012 - calnative Likes this wine:
rasberry and bramble on nose. a bit cloudy. Pure sweet red and dark fruits with good acidity, integrated spice, herbs, bramble, and a baking spice finish with fine tannins. Very nice CA pinot, very smooth, rich and sweet with some complexity, manages to reign in the heat somehow.
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12/29/2011 - chad1616 wrote: 94 Points
bright acidity and flows into cranberry and dark fruit
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11/6/2011 - atun53 wrote: 91 Points
Cloudy, pale color. Raspberries, cherries, and blood orange flavors. Not much in the way of tannin.
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9/11/2011 - xwine wrote:
Fairly deep crimson color, with some cloudiness. The nose shows deep-pitched dark fruit, with a bit of a jammy note, and a nice spice background. The palate is a bit thick, syrupy and undefined. While the acid is good, the wine lacks focus and energy. I like the nose more than the palate. Not sure how people can view this as old world or burgundian. Still not sold on the RM pinots, they just don't seem to be my style -- I prefer a lighter, more focused and energetic wine, though I can see why some folks like RM (richly fruited). The one bottle which was quite impressive was the '07 Summa.
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8/29/2011 - Seth Rosenberg wrote: 92 Points
All about the primary fruit, with a nose of Raspberry, strawberry, allspice, and a touch of smoke. Dark, almost brambly, with some stems. Silky smooth and soft - cool. Fruit verges on jammy - almost crystalline sweetness. Palate starts with the raspberry and strawberries as well, and then some smoke. Etherscreen is right on with her/his note: there is a aspect that reminds me of pine forest and minerals. Solid and fine tannins combine well with the primary fruit flavors. Good acidity and excellent mouthfeel. Quite ripe and sweet, almost jammy, but never could be considered overripe. Well structured finish shows off all of the elements - solid, well built, and focused. Moderately complex Pinot, and delicious. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 5/6, Je Ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 16/20 = 92/100.
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8/19/2011 - Bill in Chicago wrote: 93 Points
Just nice. A nice balance of fruit and earth. Not too packed but still very full in body.
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6/2/2011 - OCgasman wrote: flawed
corked!!!
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5/29/2011 - OCgasman wrote: 92 Points
Love this wine. That's all.
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5/3/2011 - OCgasman wrote: 92 Points
Pop and pour. Light to medium color. Nose of red berries, slight earthiness. Medium finish. Delicious. Drinking well now.
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9/13/2010 - davidn wrote: 95 Points
Wow! Wonderful red fruits with an old world feel and finish. I love this wine. I again am very impressed by Thomas Brown.
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6/6/2010 - pkbackman wrote: 91 Points
2 hour decant. Brambly fruit and incredibly smooth. Delicious.
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5/25/2010 - NDrulz wrote: 88 Points
Very cloudy
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4/12/2010 - rockyrd wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for about 45 minutes and drank this wine at dinner. It was light and delightful. Reminded me of some better burgundies I've tasted.
We drank this alongside a 2006 WH Smith Marimar vnyd. PN The votes were 60-40 favoring the RM.
Nice balance and not overly fruity.
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2/28/2010 - Old Sparky wrote: 89 Points
Opened in error... thought I was opening the Occidental Ridge. This was my last Willow Creek. Nice Pinot nose and flavors of cranberry and cherry. Beautiful mouth watering acidity which begs for another sip. Not very complex or concentrated, but very enjoyable. Disappointed I opened my last one.
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9/12/2009 - WetRock wrote:
Instantly recognizable as Sonoma Coast with a strong pine element amongst the more cranberry and cherry elements. Rich and dark, one of the seemingly more extracted RM's I've had or maybe just more richer fleshy fruited. Brawny, almost big. Maybe could have used a bit more acidity to balance it. Not a lot of complexity. This might get better with age but it didn't really hit me that way. Good Pinot but not TRB's best RM.
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8/22/2009 - etherscreen wrote:
last bottle. so sad. note consistent with previous note. need to buy more.
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8/16/2009 - mdefreitas wrote: 94 Points
Very impressive. Showing a svelt profile when first poured, with copious dried flowers, red fruits and sois bois; extremley fragrant. With airing, this put on more weight -- yet never heavy or unbalanced. Lovely Asian spice and dried citrus notes in the lingering finish. Complex and delicious.
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7/23/2009 - etherscreen wrote:
a true sonoma coast beauty. after following an '05 bouchard, this wine seems to pack so much more of everything than it normally would with a non-burgundy calibrated palate. dark purple in the glass fading to clear at the rim. my last note says it was translucent, but this is obviously much darker. an interesting evolution of color? an awesome nose of red fruits (most notably pomegranate), pine, citrus zest, baking spice, and minerals soars from the glass. palate follows the nose with red fruits and baking spices at the fore. some tannin present. crisp acidity - a quintessential element of california pinot noir. great balance. mouth watering acidity lingers on the finish. much better than my last bottle in april. worth a look right now. if you only have a few, patience will most certainly be rewarded. another stunner from trb.
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4/25/2009 - jwwinec wrote:
This shows mostly rich red fruit, with a soft, graceful texture. On day two some baking spices appeared. A tad hot. Pleasant, but not terribly interesting.
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4/15/2009 - etherscreen wrote:
not giving up nearly as much only a month ago. hold.
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3/23/2009 - Cheryl wrote:
Short finish, lighter than the rest. Sharp. Okay.
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3/13/2009 - etherscreen wrote:
i only have one of these, and frankly owning a single bottle so young just annoys me, so what the hell? in reality, i should've bought more.
popped and poured. one sniff and i suspect this will out class the '06. translucent raspberry in color. i love it when i can actually see my hand on the other side of the glass while drinking pinot. explosive and complex nose showcasing cranberry, cherry, and pomegranate on the fore. like walking through a pine forest. a hint of warm baking spices, citrus, and some mineral notes buried beneath the fruit. great energy yet soft in the mouth as the fruit overpowers the cranberry type tartness. the mineral note carries from palate through the red fruited and pine laden finish. this wine is reminiscent of some delingers i've enjoyed in years past. young yes, but worth a look at this point if you are sitting on a few.
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