"Antonio Galloni, vinous.com 97/100
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Panek Vineyard dazzles from start to finish. Silky, plush tannins wrap around a core of red/purplish fruit as this opulent, full-throttle Cabernet opens in the glass. The Panek is a very typical Cabernet for this northern sector of St. Helena where the wines are plush and racy. All the elements come together so effortlessly. Bright acids and sweet floral overtones lift the finish. Best of all, the 2018 will be ready to deliver maximum pleasure pretty much upon release. This is the first year in which Rivers-Marie had access to all the fruit. I suspect being able to choose the best blocks explains much of the elevated quality here. In a word: stunning. Drink 2024 - 2033, reviewed January 2021
Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Panek Vineyard is deep garnet-purple in colour, offering expressive notes of fresh, ripe red and black currants, juicy plums and Black Forest cake with hints of tilled soil, underbrush, black olives and tar plus a waft of bay leaves. The palate is medium to full-bodied and built like a brick house, featuring very firm, finely grained tannins and bold freshness, finishing with long-lingering earthy/savoury nuances"
Thomas Rivers Brown is one of California’s most sought-after winemakers. He began his winemaking journey when he was hired at Turley Wine Cellars by Ehran Jordan in 1997. Since then, Thomas has become a renowned consultant winemaker for impressive Napa properties such as Schrader Cellars, Maybach, Double Diamond and Outpost to name a few. His own project is called Rivers-Marie, named after Thomas and his wife, Genevieve Marie.
The first ten vintages at Panek were drawn from five blocks, one acre parcels of clones 4, 6, 7, 169 and 337. These five blocks were all planted in 2006 and cane pruned since their inception.
In 2018, the Panek family offered Rivers-Marie the whole ranch, turning over the three older vine, cordon trained blocks in the back of the property. Not knowing quite what to expect, they vinified and barreled these separately. The naturally lower yielding parcels produced wines of enormous concentration and color. During blending they realised all of the wines were of single vineyard quality, some were even better than most of the blocks they had been working with for the last ten years!
Eventually they singled out a small block of clone 191 as the most logical addition to the 2018 Panek blend. This block added a tremendous amount of structure to the wine, something that is occasionally lacking from this site. It also darkened the fruit profile pushing the wine from a red/black profile to the a more purple/black expression. The vineyard signature is still there of course but feels fuller and more impactful. Purple flowers, graphite, cassis and smoke jump out of the glass at first inspection. The texture is more layered this year, due in part to both the vintage and the inclusion of a new block from the vineyard. The palate turns very stony early and then veers to blueberries, dark chocolate and some meaty, iron notes as the finish kicks in. The 2018 is at another level!
