2021 Rivers-Marie Bodega Thieriot

The 2021 Chardonnay B. Thierot Vineyard takes on layers of complexity, with a touch of almond nuttiness, as well as chalky earth and fresh white peach. Medium to full bodied, with a rounded feel and a soft mineral texture, it reveals notes of honeyed citrus and ripe apples and has a long finish. Long on the palate, it’s outstanding now, but it will benefit from time in bottle and has another 10-15 years of solid drinking ahead. 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 May to taste the wines for this report. Having been hit incredibly hard in 2020, their 2021s are showing even better than I could have anticipated from last year’s barrel samples. These are some of the best wines I have ever tasted from Rivers Marie, with exceptional balance and finesse.