Will be my first year buying RM, so I think, given the strength of the vintage, that I will probably do 4 NV, and then 2 Calistoga, 2 Panek and 1 Lore and 1 Herb. I need to save room (and $) for Di Co, William & Mary (hey Will!) and Memento Mori SVD releases. Then I think I’ll be done for the year…
Seriously, those tasting notes are amazing. I guess I’m gonna have to buy everything.
Has anyone seen any press on the release?
Gus, I know Jeb reviewed them, but I don’t have access to his notes/scores…
Ahhh, Rodrigo, thanks for reminding me about Di Co
Yes, I just checked Jeb Dunnuck’s website, and he has scores up.
He tasted barrels in January 2020. I joined his website because I wasn’t able to taste in Napa/Sonoma due to COVID-19.
2018 Rivers Marie Cabernet Sauvignon Larkmead Vineyard 94-96
2018 Rivers Marie Cabernet Sauvignon Lore Vineyard 97-99
2018 Rivers Marie Cabernet Sauvignon Herb Lamb Vineyard 97-100
2018 Rivers Marie Cabernet Sauvignon Panek Vineyard 95-98
His notes are enthusiastic, but in this case may be justified, considering the fine vintage. I know a lot of people think his scores are inflated. I usually read and align more with Galloni from a taste perspective. With that said I agreed 100% on his reviews of the 2017 Carlisle’s.
Yea, I know Jeb is a fan and always fairly generous to Mike’s and TRB’s wines, but they are also really good wine. Galloni had been enjoying the 18 Pinot and Chards from what I remember, while I still had my trial for Vinous. Wouldn’t be surprised if the trend continues for the cabs.
I know Galloni tasted barrel samples of Myriad and Quivet for 2018, and his scores were lower than Dunnuck’s. He did still sound enthusiastic about them though. More 90s-96s.
I am very much looking forward to the Rivers-Marie release! I’ve never gotten the Calistoga before, or the Herb Lamb (missed out on that by waiting too long), but have really enjoyed the 2016 Lore (though I think it’s shutting down now, based on Cellar Tracker reviews) and also the Panek.
The Panek has always been really good for me and I’ve been able to pick up some back vintages at good prices on KL auctions. I haven’t had the Herb Lamb so will probably go for that and the Lore. Have a lot of NV to drink from them and others so might even skip that. Finding I really like the Quivet NV and can’t drink everything!
Wow. Awesome Napa juice for under $150?! Is that even a thing these days?
How is that possible? What happened to silly fruit prices and mega cost of operations!? 
Maybe with a little luck Vinous will get a review out before ordering time.
Galloni liked the 2017s, he gave the Panek and Lore 94s, and the Napa Valley a 92. Very enthusiastic about the quality, taste, and variety of the bottlings. I can only hope 2018 is as good or better, considering the vintage!! Having Galloni and Dunnuck review the wines provide averages for me, and a bit more reality of the situation. With that said, I’ve never had a bad bottle of Rivers Marie cab, and will likely have to go pretty deep, despite cellar storage issues.
Probably going to take 2 of each. This is going to be an expensive month.
I just signed up for the mailing list so I didn’t expect to get an allocation and spent most of my near term 2018 Cab budget on Carter and Myriad. I think I’ll just buy a couple NV and a Herb Lamb. The wines sound great (even though I haven’t had a RM wine yet).
I had my first RM this year with the Pinots and I was blown away.
Thanks, Chris!
Thanks!
TRB really does write some of the best notes. The NV cab is consistently a solid value buy, and the 2018 version sounds better than ever.
Can anyone briefly describe the style of these wines? Or some wines they are comparable with? I’m a big fan of Scarlet cab - are these similar in any way?
Mike Smith learned under Thomas so you get that. I think Mike pushes the envelope a little further though. With that said I think if you like Scarlett you’ll no doubt enjoy Rivers-Marie.
I enjoy them both. My wife leans towards Scarlett and I lean towards RM… You should certainly give RM a try.