Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Occidental Ridge 2007 750mL

Good deep red. Raspberry, maraschino cherry and smoke on the nose. Sweeter, deeper and more intense than the Willow Creek offering, with a sappy quality in the middle palate and riper, darker flavors of pomegranate and sassafras. A step up in density. Finishes with dusty tannins and very good lift. This one comes from owner/winemaker Thomas Brown’s warmest pinot site, and yet it has the lowest pH in 2006 at 3.38. The fruit here always retains acidity, Brown explained, adding that it used to go to sparkling wine. (like the Willow Creek, this was aged in 50% new oak)

– Stephen Tanzer