2009 Rivers-Marie Cabernet Sauvignon Roberto Corona Vineyard

The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Roberto Corona Vineyard, from a site on the Oakville bench, is the richest of these 2009 Cabernets from Rivers-Marie. It bursts from the glass with jammy, opulent fruit and a big, full-bodied personality. Blue and black fruit, mint, licorice and sweet spices wrap around the finish. The 100% new oak comes through here. I am not sure this wine needs all the oak and makeup. There is plenty of pedigree already. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2021. Winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown and his wife Genevieve Marie Welsh are the duo behind the impressive Rivers-Marie wines. Brown is one of this generation’s most exciting young winemakers. His early work with Helen Turley and his first consulting clients, including Schrader, is well-known, but what is less well-known is the number of other winemakers whom he has inspired, directly and indirectly. Brown’s winemaking is deeply influenced by his knowledge and passion for the historic California Cabernets and Pinots of decades past, and the great reds of Burgundy and Piedmont, a perspective that is not too common among younger winemakers. The Rivers-Marie wines are made at Outpost, where Brown also makes the wines of his top-flight consulting clients. The Rivers-Marie Pinots will be reviewed in our February issue. For now, readers will find no shortage of great choices among these five stellar Cabernets. The only Cabernet I did not taste was the 2010 Napa Valley, which will be culled from the barrels that don’t make it into the top two selections. Tel. (707) 341-3127