2008 Rivers-Marie Summa Vineyard Old Vines Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

14.1% alc., Magnum. I reviewed this wine in June 2010 and raved about it: · “Enticing perfume of fresh red cherries and berries with nuances of dark chocolate, Moroccan spices, anise, smoke and savory herbs. The fruit is robust, virile and mouth coating and persists through a generous finish.” I tasted the wine again in July 2012, “Delicious black cherry core with very slight creosote and smoke flavors.” I also tasted the wine in March 2017: “Still rather bold with a copious core of very ripe cherry and berry fruits with a riff of smoke taint in the background.” This magnum was tasted recently. The wine opens initially with aromas of black cherry, mocha and stem but becomes flat rather quickly. Mid-weight plus in style and creamy on the palate with layers of black cherry, blackberry and pomegranate flavors framed by silken tannins. There is clearly some smoke taint evident on the finish. Many Sonoma Coast Pinot Noirs suffered smoke taint from wildfires in 2008. When tasted initially, this wine was terrific, but with age, smoke-tainted Pinot Noir tends to become less fruity and displays more evidence of creosote, something evident in this magnum tasted in 2020. That said, the wine was still quite enjoyable and probably only a wine critic would find fault in the wine. Score: 90. Reviewed August 27, 2020

Winery: Rivers-Marie
From article: California Old Vine Pinot Noir Vineyards: Sonoma/Napa Counties - R-W