2011 Pinot Noir Summa Vineyard

(just 12.4% alcohol; from a tiny crop level and a late harvest): Dullish red. Aromas of strawberry, brown spices and earth. Sweet, supple and rather glyceral, but with strong acidity running through the red berry and earth flavors. Finishes with a saline quality. Good smooth pinot but a bit diffuse and in need of more definition and cut. There's just this one bottling of the Summa pinot in 2011 due to the very low yield. Incidentally, Brown and his wife Genevieve Marie Welsh purchased this vineyard in 2010.

The 2011 Pinot Noir Summa Vineyard emerges from the glass with autumn leaves, tobacco, dried cherries and savory herbs. Although made from fully de-stemmed fruit, the 2011 has a stemmy character in its aromas and flavors. High-toned floral and herbs notes add lift on the finish. Sadly, there is no Summa Old Vines in 2011. The best fruit went into this, the straight Sonoma bottling. Today, the 2011 comes across as a bit fragile, so it is best enjoyed sooner rather than later. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2016. Rivers-Marie stands out for many reasons, not the least of which is the exceedingly fair prices set by owners Thomas Rivers Brown and Genevieve Marie Welsh. Like all of his colleagues, Brown struggled to achieve normal levels of ripeness in 2011. The crop set was poor, and there was no heat to speak of the entire year. The Pinots were harvested in October, exceedingly late by Pinot standards. Yields came in at a tiny. 75 to 1 ton per acre. As for the wines, they are quite pretty, if naturally a bit more slender than normal. Tel. (707) 341-3127