2018 Rivers-Marie Bearwallow Vineyard Anderson Valley Chardonnay

Rivers-Marie is a boutique producer of Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir and Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon started a few years ago by by Thomas Rivers Brown, a Napa winemaker and winemaking consultant who has worked for such clients as Schrader and Turley. He and his partner Genevieve Marie Welsh work with vineyard owners to secure grapes. Their wines, produced in very small quantities, are generally available only by mailing list. In 2009 Eric Asimov of the New York Times called Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir ‘intense yet beautifully balanced, with lively acidity that makes them refreshing.”

North Coast AVA includes California’s most prestigious sub-appellations and vineyards. The three million acre area includes vineyards in six counties north of San Francisco and nearly 50 sub-appellations. The Napa Valley and Sonoma County AVAs are just two of the renowned sub-appellations included in the North Coast designation, which also includes the AVAs Diamond Mountain District, Howell Mountain, Oakville, Stag’s Leap and Rutherford, which are all among the most acclaimed wine producing districts in California. The North Coast AVA designation is generally used for wines made by blending grapes grown in several counties or AVAs. The appellation includes part of the counties of Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Marin, Solano and Lake.

This white variety originated in Burgundy, but is now grown around the world. Its flexibility to thrive in many regions translates to wide flavor profile in the market. Chardonnay is commonly used in making Champagne and sparkling wines.