2023 Rivers-Marie Panek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon | St. Helena Napa Valley California 750ml

Winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown has a history of high praise and huge scores with Napa Cabernet Sauvignon he has crafted for prestigious labels such as Schrader, Revana, Pulido-Walker, Maybach...and a stable of others. The wines for his own label Rivers-Marie are no exception. He selects fruit from the vineyard sites he sources with such a studious calculation that his winemaking efforts are focused on framing the raw material to simply show it in context. | Falling Bright

It's nice to welcome our old friend back after a one-year hiatus. Panek has reemerged after a difficult 2022 that saw all blocks declassified to our Napa bottling. It turns out to be a great year for a comeback. Panek always fares best in more structured years, adding a layer of complexity to the wine that the soil and climate in northern St Helena rarely contributes. The general leaning for this site has always been a mix of red and black fruits, brown sugar, espresso roast and blackcurrants but here there's a textured mid-palate that comes up through the tannin of the vintage adding dimension and more herbal character. This may also be a vine age thing now that these blocks are nearing their 20 year mark. Scorched earth, charcoal, white flowers and burnt sage fill up the aromatics before the generosity of the area kicks in giving the wine a decadent turn. The 2023 vintage stamp comes on strong at the end curtailing the youthful exuberance of the wine and adding a weightier note to the finish. It's good to see this wine back in the fold and we have no doubt it will take its place among the greatest Panek bottlings to date. | Rivers Marie

...deep, inky hue as well as ripe, powerful aromatics of black fruits, darker cherries, leather, graphite, and spicy, cedar pencil nuances. It's medium to full-bodied on the palate, with a layered, elegant mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and a great finish. This impressive St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon will evolve beautifully over the coming 20+ years - and it's undeniably brilliant today! There are 515 cases produced. | 97 Jeb Dunnuck for jebdunnuck.com