2021 Rivers Marie - Chardonnay Sonoma Coast Bearwallow Vineyard

Rivers-Marie was founded in 2002 by Thomas Rivers Brown and his wife, Genevieve Marie Welsh, and quickly grew into one of California's most sought-after small producers. Brown is widely known as a consulting winemaker for several top Napa Cabernet programs, including Schrader and Outpost, but Rivers-Marie itself began with a single-vineyard Pinot Noir and has since expanded into a tightly focused lineup of single-vineyard Pinot Noir, Cabernet, and Chardonnay.

Bearwallow Vineyard has been part of the Rivers-Marie program since 2016, planted with a small block of Wente clone Chardonnay in Anderson Valley, just north of the cooler Sonoma Coast sites that make up the bulk of the winery's portfolio. The site is farmed with unusual care on just a small acreage, and the resulting fruit is fermented and aged without any new oak, allowing the vineyard's saline, mineral-driven character to come through clearly rather than being masked by barrel influence.

The 2021 shows a golden hue in the glass, with a lifted, smoky perfume of wild herbs, resinous earth, lime candy, and yellow apple. The palate carries roasted nut and saline notes alongside bright acidity and real textural depth. It pairs nicely with roast chicken, seafood pasta in a creamy garlic sauce, or a fresh herbed goat cheese.