2024 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

VIN92 The 2024 Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast) is a very pretty wine. Macerated cherry, kirsch, sweet pipe tobacco, cedar and incense are some of the many notes that open with a bit of coaxing. All the elements are so well balanced. This mid-weight, nuanced Pinot delivers the goods, big time.
The core of the Sonoma Coast Pinot is from Riddle, with pieces from the other sites in the portfolio (except for Platt and Summa). This is a stellar wine by any measure, and one of the very best values you’ll find.

Estate Notes: The 2024 Rivers-Marie Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir serves as a comprehensive synthesis of the appellation’s diverse sites, incorporating fruit from Occidental, Bearwallow, Silver Eagle, and other notable vineyards to define the vintage’s regional profile. Thomas Rivers Brown employs a minimalist winemaking methodology—centered on native yeast fermentations, judicious use of whole clusters for structural complexity, and aging in primarily neutral oak—to prioritize transparency over cellar manipulation. The 2024 growing season provided a more bountiful crop than recent years, which, combined with the region’s cooling maritime influence, resulted in fruit that balances intensity with a distinct structural nerve. The final composition relies on a firm architecture of fine-grained fruit and stem tannins to provide weight and focus, ensuring the wine retains its character as it evolves. This approach results in a structurally integrated Pinot Noir that avoids over-extraction, allowing the specific terroir of these far-coast vineyards to remain the primary expression.