2018 Rivers-Marie Bearwallow Vineyard Pinot Noir

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.”

Mendocino AVA was established in 1984 and amended in 1989. It includes numerous sub-appellations. Mendocino AVA is entirely within Mendocino County, and the AVA is known for its Mediterranean climate. Vintners successfully grow Carignan, Charbono, Grenache, Zinfandel, Petit Sirah and Syrah. In cooler parts of the region Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are also grown. Mendocino County is home to nearly 600 vineyards, and many have been certified organic for decades, thanks to the region’s famous “green and sustainable” approach to agriculture and nearly everything else. Mendocino was named for 16th century explorers, a pair of brothers whose last name was Mendoza. Winemaking, however, didn’t start until the 19th century when some would-be gold miners decided it was more profitable to make wine than to pan for gold. Italian immigrants in the late 19th century continued to establish winemaking ventures.

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.