2013-2016 Rivers-Marie "Lore Vineyard" Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon Vertical

“Another killer effort from Rivers-Marie is the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Lore Vineyard, from a steep and rocky single vineyard in the Vaca foothills of eastern Napa above the Rudd Winery. The wine comes across with fabulous intensity and loads of blackberry, blueberry and cassis fruit, licorice, camphor and incense. This is great stuff, backward, as all of these 2013s tend to be. It’s the smallest of these cuvées, with about 250 cases, or ten barrels produced. This wine is another one to benefit from 4-6 years of cellaring and should keep for three decades or more. (RP) 97+” (10/2015)

“The undisputed crown jewel in this lineup, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Lore Vineyard is every bit as fabulous in bottle as it was from barrel. Here the impression is of explosive energy and pure verticality. A rush of dark red and black fruit, melted road tar, cloves, licorice and leather punctuates the explosive, creamy finish. All the magic of eastern Oakville comes through in spades. (AG)” (10/2015)

“Dark and winey, with good energy still, this offers plum cake, black currant paste and warmed fig notes carried by a streak of smoldering charcoal. Underscored by nice dark tobacco and espresso crema hints, the finish has latent drive and energy. (JM)” (09/2023)

“The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Lore Vineyard is another magnificent wine from the Oakville corridor on the hills near Dalla Valle and the Pedregral Vineyard of David Ramey. Wonderful notes of fruitcake, cedar wood, spice box, blackcurrant and blackberry along with espresso and spice jump from the glass of this terrific wine that is powerful, concentrated and multidimensional, but still somewhat youthful and backward. (RP) 96+” (10/2016)

“Thomas Brown's Lore is superb in 2014, revealing a lovely bouquet of ripe black cherry, pencil shavings and petroleum jelly; the prelude to an ample, texturally expansive wine framed by firm but fine tannins enrobed in ripe fruit. (WK)” (05/2017)

“The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Lore Vineyard is the deepest and most explosive of these 2014s. Vivid and chiseled in the glass, the 2014 exudes energy, with tons of intensely mineral and savory overtones. Rose petal, lavender, mint and sage all flesh out nicely in the glass. This collection of small parcels on the eastern hillsides of Oakville often yields wines of notable distinction. That is once again the case in 2014. This is a special wine. (AG)” (10/2016)

“Moving to the 2015s and pure perfection is the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Lore Vineyard. Made from 100% Cabernet aged in 90% new French oak, this blockbuster offers up a huge nose of blackcurrants, espresso, scorched earth, liquid violets and graphite. With a massive amount of fruit, full-bodied richness, and incredible tannin quality, this beauty glides over the palate and is a sensational, heavenly red that needs short-term cellaring and will keep for years.” (12/2017)

“Deep purple-black colored, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Lore Vineyard has a wonderfully expressive, savory nose of char-grilled meat, truffles, sautéed herbs and Bovril with a core of crème de cassis, blackberry tart, menthol, mocha and pepper. Medium to full-bodied, the palate simply sings with intense black fruits accented with loads of savory layers, framed by grainy tannins and wonderful freshness, finishing with epic length. (LPB)” (12/2017)

“One of the highlights in this range, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Lore Vineyard is deep, explosive and massively structured, as wines from this Oakville hillside site always are. Graphite, sage, lavender and black cherry are some of the many notes that run through this super-expressive, virile Cabernet Sauvignon. All of the Rivers-Marie Cabernets are compelling, but the Lore has a little (or a lot) more of everything. I loved it. (AG)” (01/2018)

“Another legendary wine from Thomas Rivers Brown, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Lore Vineyard matches the perfect 2015 and is as good as Cabernet Sauvignon gets. Reminding me a great vintage of Schrader’s Old Sparky, its deep purple color is followed by a sumptuous, other-worldly bouquet of crème de cassis, blueberries, violets, spring flowers, and camphor. Full-bodied and powerful, it’s the purity of fruit, poise, and balance that make this wine so special. With fine tannins and no hard edges, it satisfies both the intellectual and hedonistic parts of the brain and is magical stuff.” (01/2019)

“High above the Rudd Winery in the eastern hills of Oakville, Lore Vineyard is a steep, rocky site with multiple afternoon exposures. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Lore Vineyard is a little closed to begin, slowly unfurling to reveal notions of freshly crushed blackcurrants, redcurrant jelly, minted blackberries and mulberries plus wafts of espresso, chocolate-covered cherries, licorice and violets. Full-bodied and very firm, with wonderfully ripe, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, the palate is packed with muscular fruit, finishing long and layered. This should age fantastically! (LPB)” (07/2019)

“The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Lore Vineyard is sensational. Dark, powerful and explosive, the 2016 expresses all the best this rugged hillside site has to offer. Graphite, crushed rocks, menthol, licorice, smoke and dark spice explode from the glass. In most vintages, the Lore is massively tannic, but the 2016 has tremendous purity of fruit and exceptional balance. It is one of the best – maybe the best – Rivers-Marie Cabernet I have ever tasted. (AG) 97+” (12/2018)