2023 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Platt Vineyard

Also made from 100% Calera clone, the 2023 Pinot Noir Platt Vineyard is deeper and more savory with notes of brambly earth, dark berries, deep spice, smoky earth, and pine. It also has red-fruited lift and offers broader shoulders on the palate, but it has a compact structure, with a well-defined feel and a long, noble-feeling finish. Give this one another year or more and drink 2026-2040. 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.