I attended a blind tasting the other night where the theme was Pinot Noir, and the focus was 2012-2015 wines from Rivers-Marie and Samsara. We knew that the wines were all Pinot Noirs, but had no information regarding the exact origins of the specific wines. An inexpensive New Zealand Pinot was added to the mix as a warm-up (wow was that a confected wine), and there were also two older bottles that were also Pinot-based, but not part of the main theme.
Overall the Rivers-Marie and Samsara wines were properly made (i.e. not faulty), but I did not like many of them. Most seemed to have candied, ultra-sweet fruit, that was at times jarring on the palate. A few seemed to break free of that, and show more depth and better balance. The best wines of the tasting for me were:
2012 Rivers-Marie Summa Vineyard Old Vines Pinot Noir
2012 Samsara Melville Vineyard Pinot Noir.
Both showed more depth, and did not have the jammy/candied feel to the fruit. They also had additional structure to hold the pieces in place.
The remaining wines fell into a diffuse group where I could not put one in front of another. They were all focused on the ultra-sweet, red cherry fruit, and did not show much in the way of balancing structure or additional nuances/flavors/aromas.
2012 Rivers-Marie Summa Vineyard Pinot Noir
2014 Rivers-Marie Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
2013 Samsara Las Hermanas Vineyard Pinot Noir
2012 Samsara Turner Vineyard Pinot Noir
2013 Samsara Rancho La Vina Vineyard Pinot Noir
2015 Rivers-Marie Silver Eagle Vineyard Pinot Noir
Of the “off-theme” (i.e. not R-M or Samsara) wines, a 1994 Arnoux Echezeaux was rather interesting. It was certainly mature, even past mature, but it showed some lingering red fruit, as well as earthy and spicy (cinnamon) elements that made it more than just an educational experience. A 1986 Evesham Wood Pinot Noir was on its last legs, but still standing!
I guess I should stay away from R-M and Samsara!
