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| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.5 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 148 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by rosenst1 on 2/1/2024 & rated 93 points: PnP. Medium light greenish gold. Nose of citrus and mineral. On the palate this is more orchard fruit driven with a lovely roundness to the fruit and finishes with good acidity. The balance is spot-on; would be more likely to think Old World given the restraint and lack of oak influence. One of the best Rhys Chards I've tasted. Will last a few more years but likely at peak. (735 views) | | | Tasted by drrobvino on 10/24/2023 & rated 93 points: Last had this wine about 4.5 yrs ago, this wine is shining and quite nice.
Orchard fruits, some citrus, roasted nuts, and sage.
Nicely supportive acidity, drink through 2028+. (1006 views) | | | Tasted by Bakerbd on 7/30/2023 & rated 92 points: Slightly flinty, Meyer lemon, med body and med + avid, balanced (1331 views) | | | Tasted by BigTex22 on 7/26/2023: Cork showed signs of leakage. Tastes a little off but still developing. Will let it warm up a bit and hope it settles down. (1277 views) | | | Tasted by Richard P Howden on 7/13/2023 & rated 91 points: Last bottle, still charming taut and energetic. After drinking a lot of Chablis lately I was really surprised at the richness of this wine. Pretty tasty. (1343 views) | | | Tasted by GrapeScott on 6/17/2023 & rated 92 points: From 500mL bottle. Leaking likely due to faulty cork. Despite the loose cork and previous seepage, the color was a medium shade of yellow, appropriate for its age, with no signs of premature oxidation on the nose or palate. Flinty nose with quince and pear notes. Burgundian in style, dry almost austere finish, clean and subdued oak regimen, laser-like focus. Shows notes of seashell, lemon, ginger and apple skin on the palate. To my taste, among the best in CA chard. (1339 views) | | | Tasted by xwine on 4/21/2023: Cork was loose and the screw simply pushed the cork into the bottle. Somewhat advanced (no surprise), some lemon notes. Good structure, but hard to really evaluate under the circumstances. (1316 views) | | | Tasted by jlm on 4/17/2023: Best cork I've had on a 2013 Rhys Chardonnay; this did not have signs that it had soaked through to the top. And the wine itself showed as well as it always has. Deep, full aromas with citrus oil, nut, and cream. The palate is full and rich, with oily viscosity and zingy acidic snap. The long finish is focused on the center palate and has waves of flavor in retroolefaction. Really nice, and as compelling a bottle of Alpine Chardonnay as I've had from any vintage. My last one, but I wish I had more. I have not had any bottles that seemed to be prematurely advanced. (1139 views) | | | Tasted by iDrum4Wine on 1/25/2023 & rated 93 points: Deep yellow hue that exudes tart green apple and dried apricot flavors. Crisp and chalky notes on a lingering finish. (1442 views) | | | Tasted by mclanew on 12/25/2022 & rated 95 points: Popped and poured. Remarkably youthful, fresh. Cool nose of white flowers, lime and a little marine comes through. The wine is tightly coiled, energetic, showing little oak and decent length. Chablis like in style. May get even better in time.
After three days in the fridge this is still is pretty good shape. (1250 views) | | | Tasted by James Kim on 10/16/2022 & rated 92 points: Decanted and took 1h for the wine to start opening up. From memory of wine 2h after decanting. Aromas of just ripe apples, unripe pears, nice green herbs, minerals, and oak spice. Palate is similar to aromas with a nice mineral streak and some vanilla toward the back end. Medium-full vody w nice acids to balance the fruit. The oak is definitely there and hasn't completely integrated in. Reminescent of a 1er cru Meursault in terms of richness and body. I think with time, the wine will integrate even further. Despite this, there is a lot to enjoy to now. Open next bottle in 3-5 yrs. (1526 views) | | | Tasted by glou.sf on 9/30/2022 & rated 96 points: Gorgeous nose with green apple, lemon, white pepper, toast, minerals, and butter notes. It’s rich, yet well balanced. On the palate, there’s lovely acidity along with notes of lemon zest, lime, chalk, apple, and a slightly bitter note. Long finish. This is drinking like a Grand Cru Burgundy, impeccably balanced with the oak well integrated, plenty of acidity, fruit, and power. Wow! (1493 views) | | | Tasted by mzimberg on 9/4/2022 & rated 94 points: Gorgeous pale golden. Fancy vanilla aromas. Smells like springtime with tiny wildflowers and a small bit of lemon. Fresh baked brioche palate with incredible density but still so delicate. Super long finish (1469 views) | | | Tasted by talbot61 on 4/3/2022 & rated 94 points: I pulled this one out early because the cork seemed distended. The cork was wet but the wine is fine -- slightly spritzy at first, lean and acidic, but with great intensity, structure and complexity. There is a slight chalkiness, and to the extent that it is fruity, the fruits are green apples and pears. But mostly, there is a savory minerality, mouth-watering, with a nutty aftertaste. This is like a high-quality Chablis. It is delicious now, but it still has a long way to go. (2074 views) | | | Tasted by thelostverse on 3/7/2022 & rated 93 points: While putting bottles into the new cellar after moving, I saw this was leaking and decided to open one to check on it. Drinking well, but saw here that this is obviously a prevalent issue with this bottling. (1923 views) | | | Tasted by grafstrb on 2/28/2022: -- popped and poured --
-- tasted non-blind over 2 to 3 hours --
NOSE: bright; light to medium-light oak; expressive.
BODY: leaker, with a slightly pushed cork (this has been stored perfectly since I took receipt of it directly from winery upon release); medium yellow color --- does not appear advanced; medium-light to medium bodied.
TASTE: apple-pear combo, but clearly Chard. (i.e.: not going to mistake it for a Chenin); 13.5% alc. is well-hidden; moderately dense, but fruit certainly seems ripe; some smoky mineral; acidity seems to be medium+; a bit loose; not as good as the bottle from Nov. '20, but still quite nice. Drinking well now. (1912 views) | | | Tasted by JPH104 on 1/22/2022: Drinking really well. No bottle/cork issues. (1996 views) | | | Tasted by jlm on 12/28/2021: The cork on this bottle did not seem as problematic as other 2013s. Soaked halfway up, bit the seal was tight still. No evidence of leakage. And the bottle showed very similar to my note from 18 months ago, principally in that it took the wine a good two hours to open up and become more interesting. The material seems very good here, and were it not for the cork concerns I would say this needs time. (1868 views) | | | Tasted by hiker_guy on 12/25/2021: Served with broiled lobster tails at Christmas dinner. The pairing was spot on...
Nose is showing lots of lemon-vanilla oak notes that seem well integrated. Very full and oily nose.
Palate is full, very rich with an oily sensation on the tongue that is quite nice. The flavors are lemon oil, with a touch of vanilla. Very well integrated oak and the wine is at its peak for my palate.
The pairing with dinner was outstanding and worth a perfect score as a whole.
Would buy again. (1670 views) | | | Tasted by fisk15 on 12/12/2021 & rated 92 points: A surprising 92 as there were visible signs of leakage and the foil was ballooned outwards. Cork was in moderate condition but really soft. The wine was tasty, and had not turned the corner towards the toastier versions of Rhys that I've had lately. I pulled my 2 remaining bottles of this (that also showed signs of seepage) from storage so and hopefully will enjoy them over the holidays. (1776 views) | | | Tasted by djlevin on 9/26/2021 & rated 94 points: This is the highest rating I have given a white wine. The wine is dinking so well right now. The first bottle in 2017 showed so much promise and I feel like that promise has been realized. I am not sure I will ever drink a young Rhys chardonnay again. I hope all their vintages age like this! The nose is full of rich candied lemon and pineapple aromas. The palate is of candied lemon rind, pineapple and papaya leading to a lemon mousse finish that is very fruity. This a wonderful expression of New World Chardonnay that takes on just enough Old World character to make it fit in both categories. The acidity is still very high, so would be perfect for parings with seafood, or dishes with white sauces, but to pick-up the nuances, drink this wine on its own and find a new flavor with every sip. The mouth-feel is fully developed. The viscosity is like melted butter (where did that come from?), developing since the first bottle in 2017. This may mature well in the next couple years, but drinking now will not disappoint. (2312 views) | | | Tasted by snsharma on 9/12/2021 & rated 92 points: Gharter’s tasting note below is a perfect description (1848 views) | | | Tasted by joshabramson on 8/11/2021 & rated 94 points: I like this a lot. Burgundy vibes, really nice ripe tropical fruits, round with nice acidity. Too bad more California whites don’t taste like this! Very nice. (2205 views) | | | Tasted by gharter on 8/8/2021 & rated 93 points: My last bottle and the best yet. Unlike most California Chardonnays, these need time to come together. Pnp. Very aromatic with citrus, tropical fruits, lemon, pineapple, and a hint of minerality. Loaded with citrus flavors with lemon, pineapple, mineral, tropical fruits. Slight oak noted. Nice mouthfeel with great acid balance. Long smooth finish. Really good now, but would not worry about holding at least another 5+ years. (1971 views) | | | Tasted by Wine Gombie on 7/10/2021 flawed bottle: Big Bummer!! Cork is protruding out of bottle with wine stains around the cork. Sad.... really, really sad. :( (1960 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Rhys Producer websiteChardonnay The Chardonnay GrapeAlpine Vineyard On weinlage-infoUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Santa Cruz Mountains Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association | Wikipedia
Once referred to by wine writers as the Chaine d'Or -- or "golden chain" -- the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA sits above Silicon Valley, running along the craggy range next to the Pacific on some of the prettiest parts of Northern California. The area supports more than 75 wineries, despite being limited by geography and high land prices.
In 1981 the Santa Cruz Mountains Viticultural Appellation became federally recognized, one of the first American viticultural areas to be defined by geophysical and climatic factors. The appellation encompasses the Santa Cruz Mountain range, from Half Moon Bay in the north, to Mount Madonna in the south. The east and west boundaries are defined by elevation, extending down to 800 feet in the east and 400 feet in the west. |
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