Rivers-Marie

Summa Vineyard Pinot Noir

9.316 ratings
9.32 pro ratings
Sonoma Coast, Sonoma County, California, USA
Pinot Noir
Top Notes For
David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

First Summa Vineyard from my allocation. It is quite nice. Still needs a few years.

The body feels thicker than other Pinots I’ve had. Plum pudding, dry cranberries, poached strawberries, blackberries, black raspberries, highlights of pomegranate & blueberries, mix berry cola, licorice nibs, dry herbs, moist volcanic clay, limestone marl, dry twig, dry crushed rocks, some grilled meats, dry tobacco, used leather, barrel shavings, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon & vanillin, fresh & withering, dark, red, flowers, excellent round acidity and a well balanced, tensioned, structured with a well polished finish that lasts a minute.

First Summa Vineyard from my allocation. It is quite nice. Still needs a few years.

The body feels thicker than other Pinots I’ve had. Plum pudding, dry cranberries, poached strawberries, blackberries, black raspberries, highlights of pomegranate & blueberries, mix berry cola, licorice nibs, dry herbs, moist volcanic clay, limestone marl, dry twig, dry crushed rocks, some grilled meats, dry tobacco, used leather, barrel shavings, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon & vanillin, fresh & withering, dark, red, flowers, excellent round acidity and a well balanced, tensioned, structured with a well polished finish that lasts a minute.

Apr 21st, 2024
Shay A
9.4

Drinking really well at the moment. I popped and poured this, and while it could have used a 30min-1hr decant, it really came alive out of the bottle after the first glass.

My main thought here is how elegant this is. Not overpowering with fruit but certainly not thin in structure. Black cherries, plum, spiced rhubarb and some chamomile on the nose. The palate is open for business with a vein of acidity down the middle alongside underripe red and black fruits, herbal spice, black tea and some mint. I didn’t necessarily find some of that RM signature orange zest, but blood orange had its profile all over this in a restrained way. The way this bottle is trending, I could see this maybe showing a slight uptick in integration, but I’m hard pressed to say this will get better…just different. The only other 2016 RM Pinot I’ve had was Silver Eagle (darker, more rich than this Summa), so I wonder how the other Pinots are drinking…

Drinking really well at the moment. I popped and poured this, and while it could have used a 30min-1hr decant, it really came alive out of the bottle after the first glass.

My main thought here is how elegant this is. Not overpowering with fruit but certainly not thin in structure. Black cherries, plum, spiced rhubarb and some chamomile on the nose. The palate is open for business with a vein of acidity down the middle alongside underripe red and black fruits, herbal spice, black tea and some mint. I didn’t necessarily find some of that RM signature orange zest, but blood orange had its profile all over this in a restrained way. The way this bottle is trending, I could see this maybe showing a slight uptick in integration, but I’m hard pressed to say this will get better…just different. The only other 2016 RM Pinot I’ve had was Silver Eagle (darker, more rich than this Summa), so I wonder how the other Pinots are drinking…

Jan 13th, 2022
Aaron Rankin

Everything you expect, with an extra pop of acid and mint.

Everything you expect, with an extra pop of acid and mint.

May 16th, 2021
Brandon T

Not my favorite of the RM Pinot lineup - QPR goes to the Sonoma, IMO.. Plenty of red fruits but a bit dustier on the palate than I would prefer.

Not my favorite of the RM Pinot lineup - QPR goes to the Sonoma, IMO.. Plenty of red fruits but a bit dustier on the palate than I would prefer.

Jun 25th, 2020
TheSkip

More lean and fruit backward than the typical RM. Still quite enjoyable.

More lean and fruit backward than the typical RM. Still quite enjoyable.

Apr 12th, 2020
TheSkip

Tremendous. What else can I say?

Tremendous. What else can I say?

Sep 23rd, 2018
Grant Everett

Best young Pinot I have popped in a long time. Maybe ever.

Best young Pinot I have popped in a long time. Maybe ever.

Aug 22nd, 2018
Trent Fletcher

Over a 3.5 hour period on May 29, my wife and I (along with three kids in tow) had the pleasure of sitting down with Will Segui of Rivers-Marie and winemaker of his personal label William & Mary at the Mending Wall facilities in St. Helena to taste through seven wines from bottle. Will also graciously provided tastings of his 2016 and 2017 William & Mary varietals from barrel.

Drank after the 2016 Occidental Ridge; very different nose and palate; this is much more herbal and not quite as rich and powerful; the dark cherry fruit is more in-line with a nice herbal/stem/pine forest floor note as opposed to being the primary driver; this seems to be more heavily structured than the Occidental; still, a very smooth drinker right now; give it a couple of years

Over a 3.5 hour period on May 29, my wife and I (along with three kids in tow) had the pleasure of sitting down with Will Segui of Rivers-Marie and winemaker of his personal label William & Mary at the Mending Wall facilities in St. Helena to taste through seven wines from bottle. Will also graciously provided tastings of his 2016 and 2017 William & Mary varietals from barrel.

Drank after the 2016 Occidental Ridge; very different nose and palate; this is much more herbal and not quite as rich and powerful; the dark cherry fruit is more in-line with a nice herbal/stem/pine forest floor note as opposed to being the primary driver; this seems to be more heavily structured than the Occidental; still, a very smooth drinker right now; give it a couple of years

Jun 13th, 2018
Walt M Britt

Excellent Pinot that gets better the longer it is allowed to open up. Love Rivers-Marie wines and this one lives up to the following this boutique winery has fostered.

Excellent Pinot that gets better the longer it is allowed to open up. Love Rivers-Marie wines and this one lives up to the following this boutique winery has fostered.

Apr 25th, 2018
Mark Flesher

Missed out on acquiring this wine in 15, and damn sure didn't want to miss out on the 16's. But, perhaps my desire for this one to be an extra year in the bottle deceived me a little. This wine has excellent structure and balance. The start is a medicinal, herbal dirty black cherry with a nice, balanced middle and acidic finish. But umm....yeah, this one isn't really ready to go yet. Still VERY drinkable. The Coravin found its way to the first glass, and then I asked myself just WTF I was thinking and opened the rest of the bottle (who am I kidding??). Hindsight? Leave this one alone for 2 years. Since I obviously won't be able to hold the other 2 for as long as they should, I'll have to stalk people who have this wine and beg for a pour.

Missed out on acquiring this wine in 15, and damn sure didn't want to miss out on the 16's. But, perhaps my desire for this one to be an extra year in the bottle deceived me a little. This wine has excellent structure and balance. The start is a medicinal, herbal dirty black cherry with a nice, balanced middle and acidic finish. But umm....yeah, this one isn't really ready to go yet. Still VERY drinkable. The Coravin found its way to the first glass, and then I asked myself just WTF I was thinking and opened the rest of the bottle (who am I kidding??). Hindsight? Leave this one alone for 2 years. Since I obviously won't be able to hold the other 2 for as long as they should, I'll have to stalk people who have this wine and beg for a pour.

Mar 13th, 2018