2023 Rivers-Marie Chardonnay Bearwallow Vineyard
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Tasting notes
The 2023 Chardonnay Bearwallow Vineyard is soft, open-knit and quite attractive, making it a fine choice to drink over the next handful of years. Light tropical inflections, white fruit, mint, acacia and light honeyed notes all race across the palate. Brisk acids pull it all together on the close.
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Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Hailing from the Anderson Valley, the 2023 Chardonnay Bearwallow Vineyard is a brilliant silver/yellow hue and opens to notes of starfruit, fresh apples, lemon balm, wet stones, and subtle hints of jasmine. Medium to full-bodied, with refreshing acidity, it’s a clean, focused, pristine white but never sacrifices ripeness. It has a gorgeous and refreshing feel and is perfect for drinking now or over the next 8-10 years. Owned by Thomas Rivers Brown and Genevieve Marie Welsh and based in Calistoga, Rivers Marie specializes in single varietal, single vineyard expressions of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon. One of Sonoma's most prolific winemakers and consultants, Thomas Rivers Brown grew up in South Carolina and later went on to work at Turley before carving his own path forward. I met with Thomas and Will Segui, the assistant winemaker, at the Calistoga winery this spring to taste the wines for this report.