2008 Rivers-Marie Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Thomas Rivers Brown was the 2010 Food and Wine Magazine Winemaker of the Year. Notes from the producer: "The 2008 Rivers-Marie Cab is, in its early stages, driven by texture. Less opaque in the glass than the '07, the '08 begins with aromas of fully ripe raspberry and blueberry and is followed shortly with notes of sandalwood and pencil shavings. With air, the red-blue fruit notes dominate the nose. On the palate, the wine possesses a weighty entry and is already generous and expansive. This broadness is what we've come to like so much about the vintage. The mid-palate tannin sweetness is the real payoff before a textured finish of cocoa and graphite. Ultimately, this wine is really about the typicity of Cabernet."