2011 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

(13.8% alcohol; from the northeast corner of Occidental, which Thomas Brown described as his warmest site in vintage 2011): Good medium red. Aromas of plum, mocha, sassafras and earth, with aeration bringing higher-pitched notes of cherry and raspberry. Classic Sonoma Coast flavors of cranberry, pomegranate, sassafras and forest floor are given added punch by a hint of blood orange. The mouthwatering finish shows noteworthy thrust and persistence. A terrific value in Sonoma Coast pinot noir.

The 2011 Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast) doesn’t suffer at all from being placed right in the middle of the vineyard designates. If anything, that just highlights what a fabulous wine it is! Juicy dark cherries, flowers, mint tobacco and sweet spies all come to life in a Pinot that is racy, sexy and just plain gorgeous. There is a lot to like – no, love – in this deeply expressive, Pinot Noir. For the money, Rivers Marie’s Sonoma Coast Pinot is one of the best values in domestic wine. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2019. Rivers-Marie stands out for many reasons, not the least of which is the exceedingly fair prices set by owners Thomas Rivers Brown and Genevieve Marie Welsh. Like all of his colleagues, Brown struggled to achieve normal levels of ripeness in 2011. The crop set was poor, and there was no heat to speak of the entire year. The Pinots were harvested in October, exceedingly late by Pinot standards. Yields came in at a tiny. 75 to 1 ton per acre. As for the wines, they are quite pretty, if naturally a bit more slender than normal. Tel. (707) 341-3127