Rivers-Marie 2018 Occidental Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
This feels like an anniversary themed mailer as this vintage represents Summa Old turning 40 and Summa and Occidental Ridge turning 20. This past year I’ve been thinking a lot about how the next generation will routinely be working with 50-70 year old Pinot and Chardonnay vineyards throughout Sonoma Coast. I have to admit that makes me a little jealous as I do believe vine age makes a tremendous difference with those two varietals. We are just beginning to see it with Occidental Ridge and the regular Summa bottlings as the consistent excellence of these two sites shines through in diverse vintages. Occidental Ridge in particular continues to ratchet up its intensity level while preserving the cool fresh fruit character and naturally high acidity that has become its hallmarks. There’s more of everything here but all in equal proportion. Pennyroyal mint and pine needles contribute a savory edge to complement the mostly black fruits of the vintage. There is once again a 10% whole cluster addition that adds texture and cut to the mid-palate.
