2014 Rivers-Marie Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

Made up of the Mount Eden, Calera, 828 and Pommard clones from the Riddle Ranch and Manzanita Vineyard, this might be our most serious edition of the straight Sonoma Coast bottling to date.  There are no holes in this wine from first sniff to the last flash of finish.  If this is the bottling we use to gauge the quality of the vintage, we should be in good shape.  Dark garnet in color, the first thing that leaps out at you is a concentrated pomegranate/orange oil nose that has become our Occidental hallmark.  Sassafras and black tea creep in on the palate as does some grip which helps hold and prolong the finish.  The varietal trueness might be the wine’s greatest feature but there’s a lot to like here.  It feels like a familiar wine, very Sonoma Coast, very Pinot and very Rivers-Marie.