My first of several. Plummy, purple fruit flavors, medium plus body, plush but acidity makes it lively rather than heavy and….a slight bit of Brett or stem gives this complexity.
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These have begun showing Brett/funk, but this bottle is clean. My first without the horseshit kiss. PnP. Forest floor, wet sticks, and a bramble pie cooling by a distant window. This is Autumn Pinot at its most perfect. Plush mouthfeel with viscosity like a mild reduction (not reductive). While the tannin has faded, the concentration provide more than expected structure.
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Dark ruby red in color. Nose of dark red and black fruits. Spice. Especially as it’s opened the spice and secondary notes have come out. Lots of wood smoke, and some thing green (herbs?) but in a good way. On the palate, dark red fruit driven with good density and grip. Touch of spice. A backbone of acid and rip tannin structure that is well integrated. This is clearly made in a warmer climate, but is very well balanced with mid palate concentration and mineral lift. Decent length on a fruit driven finish. In a good drinking window right now.
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Popped and poured. This needed about twenty minutes of air to get to its best. Beautiful, ethereal floral nose. The wine is medium bodied, silky and red fruited. Red cherry, herbs and spice. The wine is really well integrated and focused with good balance and acidity. This is in a perfect drinking window now.
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Pop and pour. Here's a restrained central coast pinot noir that is well balanced. It's pleasant enough, it doesn't have the nuance, lift or interest that I want in a $60 pinot noir. You might call it Burgundian but its missing the stony minerality.
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This has a green note on the nose, bell pepper or something like that. There’s also notes of red fruit, tomato and earth. Lean body, light and airy, shows lovely, spicy fruit and eucalyptus on the palate combined with chalk. The fruit is still primary and so this will develop more complexity with additional age in the cellar. Great wine.
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While this has had brett issues and this bottle isn’t immune, it’s just a very slight note and mostly fades with air. I’m not sure I’d even call brett, without knowledge of the history. Black cherry and toasted herbs aromas. Gevrey-like meaty palate flavors with serious concentration and density. Long, dense and power packed finish. Balancing structure suggests this can not only hold for a decade+, but also gain more nuance.
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PnP. Moderate nose of dark cherry, baking spice and a hint of brett. Still strong spine of acidity, supporting black fruits, spice and floral notes. Drinking well at age 11.
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Stood up for several weeks and decanted off sediment. Now 2h later. Aromas of the barest hint of barnyard brett, black cherries, blackberries, just a bare hint of balsamic vinegar, mild stems, and mild sous bois. Nice elegant, balanced palate w black cherries, ripe blackberries, bark, stems, mild earth and hints of sous bois. Medium+ body with nice acids and mild tannins give structure to the wine. Nice finish of blackberries, stems, earth, and a bit of sous bois. Nice balance with some elegance. Getting some aged characteristics and entering its optimal drinking window for my palate. Wish I had another bottle to open in 2-3 years. Lovely tonight though.
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My last bottle, and this was the only one of three I would say showed any significant brett. The nose was quite barnyardy and funky, not necessarily unpleasant, but definitely enough to obscure the fruit and any expression of the vineyard. That palate too was affected by the brett, with barnyard and a sight medicinal quality overriding any sense of bottle sweetness. Reading this note, it sounds worse than the wine in fact was. But nonetheless, it wasn't what it should have been.
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Beautiful floral aromas of cherries, nutmeg and spice come from the nose. Medium bodied, very pure and transparent, this wine is elegant and silky having reached early maturity. Layers of cherries, raspberry, with modest earthy secondary chrachteristic just starting to come to the fore. Very good but I think it’s best will be over the next five years.
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Mature with slightly oxidized color. Pleasant nose reminiscent of burgundy. A bit of acid and some soil and mineral notes, but somewhat short on the finish. Somewhat simple. I wouldn't hold on to these.
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Great to taste this again after 4+ years, although I only got to taste it on day 2 after opening. Underwood, dark cherries, smoke, and definitely getting the brett on the nose. However, I don’t find it off putting. In fact, it tastes like a great French red! Lovely palate of dark cherries and berries with some more underwood flavors. Good finish. Rhys recalled this, but I actually really like it and much prefer it to the 2010 Alpine next to it (although that may have been an off bottle). 94
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Fading slightly with slight browning on the rim and showing signs of oxidization. Moderate complexity with a short to medium finish. This bottle was well-advanced and it indicates this wine is on the back slope of its life.
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Strong darker red color. Nice nose of herbs and fruit. Palate has stemmy, savory and spicy fruit along with some earth and a little brett to add interest. This magnum was drunk a week ago along with a plethora of other wines of varying pedigree. It held up well against the finest. It was Excellent.
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At Mr. Wok's w Brian, Monica and Christie. Decanted 2 h prior to bringing to restaurant. Aromas of baking spices, earth, mild stems, ripe cherries, and a hint of brett. Palate showed more red cherries, earth, bark, baking spices. Mild tannins on the midpalate. Nice acids with excellent depth. More bass notes than the Anthill Farms Anderson Valley but also more concentration and depth of flavors also. Very enjoyable.
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PopnPour, tasted over 2 hrs -med dark red minimal edge clearing -expressive pretty, dusty black cherry, raspberry hard candy, oak spice, and prominent wet stone -med acidity, med weight frame holds a densely packed mid-palate full of sweet black cherry rhubarb, noticeable but not terribly intrusive oak and med/med- chewy tannins adorn the long-ish finish -little if any brett in this bottle, complex lovely and still early on its mature plateau, hopefully the oak will further integrate
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Was concerned at first, lots of bricking, and kinda bretty... seemed a little dumb, just not much there. After about 30 minutes, I think the color improved, as I am sure the palate did! lots of dark berry fruit, with a very nice touch of wood and crisp finish. At the end of the bottle it seemed like there was a lot of life left.... Big changes over the 2 hours we follow it.
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Light to medium bodied. The fruit is a bit muted- this doesn't have the intensity of our last bottle for a year or so ago. Not aging as well as I'd expect from this producer.
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We have opened 2 out of 9 bottles so far. Neither had signs of brett. Dark red color, Spicy red fruit with a touch of floral scent, medium weight red berry fruit, nice acidity, long fruity & spicy finish. Hope the next 7 bottles are clean as the first 2!
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A lot of barnyard and mushroom on the nose, almost like a chinon, but not so that I would call it flawed. Cherry with a tiny bit of spice on the finish. Would call the nose more interesting than the wine but a pretty good bottle all told.
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Just came across that this wine was recalled by Rhys so I decided to pop a bottle and check it out. Moderately affected by the Band-Aid-y version of brett which was too bad because it did fairly detract from the pretty red fruit underneath that seemed like it would be lovely.
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If you served me this wine blind, I would guess funky Chateauneuf, or maybe something a little slicker, perhaps Crozes but still with a serious, funky bent. So this is clearly one of the brett affected bottles, but interesting in its own right. It’s just not what I want from Pinot Noir.
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MNB: Whole cluster in Pinot (Home (Noe st)): (blind) Medium ruby - a bit dark in hue, slightly cloudy. Slight red - age at the rim. Ripe deep black and red cherry and ripe Ranier cherry / peach with modest dog fur Brett. Liquorice and road tar. Slight confected cherry. Slight bacterial lambic peanut - maybe low sulfur? The spicy brett and smoky reduction are well-integrated. This is a tasty nose. Does this have terpenes? Maybe - a floral dried peach note. Herbaceousness/stems? The nose has a savory tamari cherry that sucks you in. On the palate, medium minus body, 13% alcohol (actually 13.4%). Ripe black cherry and well-integrated furry brett. elevated acid, medium minus tannins - a bit papery and coarse.
Neutral oak. 50% whole cluster - there's a bit of a confected cherry. Burgundy 2015 - ripe year but lower quality (no oak) - village level. Nuits-St.-George? (rustic tannins). This is very well integrated and complex - if a low-sulfur wine, it's really impressing me.
Actually 2009 Rhys family farm 100% whole cluster 40% new French oak. Never would have guessed Rhys! I think the Brett is unusual but this is a great wine.
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The color is still showing a youngish wine, ruby red with just a bit of lightening on the rim. Cherry and plums with a hint of herbs, Slightly stemmy with bit of earth. There was a bit of noticeable alcohol that made this a bit sharp on the palate. I was also able to detect a very slight whiff of brett, but this was by no means unenjoyable. A rather pleasant accompaniment to food.
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Restrained, cool Pinot Noir. Well structured, focused red garden fruit. More relaxed and giving now but still running on its fruit. More complexity to come, no hurry. At home with the boys.
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My last '09 FF, which was not brett afflicted. I had good luck in that department as 3 out of my 4 bottles were clean. This one exhibited a prominent strawberry candy note from the get-go with some complementary earth, smoky leaves and cedar notes. On day 2, this had a trace of heat showing. At 13.4% abv, that was a surprise, though maybe not given it's an '09 wine. Also, flavor profile was less candied with cherry and tea added to the mix. Overall, another Rhys I preferred much more in its youth, so I'm glad I opened this sooner rather than later. It made a nice pairing with mushroom ravioli, so I did enjoy it well enough. But, prefer not to drink pinot with candied fruit flavors.
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vibrant with notes of eucalyptus and crushed raspberry on the nose. the palate follows suit with red fruit, anise, and just enough acid and tannin to hold the fruit in check. really enjoyable.
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Rhys 08/09/10 (Sun Wah BBQ, Chicago, IL): Full nose has a good dose of bretty horsiness, which does not ruin the wine but certainly brings the feel into the darker/blacker cherry spectrum. A bit more richness and density when compared to the 08 tasted side by side. Again the brett notes bring an earthier, darker taste profile. Tasted in a vacuum, this is solid wine. And it's not as bretty as other 09 FF bottles that I've had, but within the flight it's clear that it's defective and not as the winemakers intended.
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The Rotating Dinners, II.1: Rhys, 2008-10 (Chicago, IL): Not the brett bomb that some people have experienced, though there is definitely some of that here. However, this is mostly a plodding dull thud of a pinot. It lacks the lift and relative freshness of the 2008 and 2010. This is definitely a bit lacking in acidity as well, perhaps the best bet is to wait and see what happens with this.
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Medium bodied. Almost a syrah like profile of black olive tamponade, bacon and black cherry flavors. There are some firm tannins on the long finish. A bit atypical, but a nice bottle of wine-drank better alone than when paired with a pork roast dish.
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Medium dark ruby, translucent. Pronounced aromas of charred wood, blackberries, plums, leather and tobacco. Similar flavor characteristics, in a full-bodied but very balanced and smooth style. The flavors become more intense over 30 seconds, then into a deep, dark, smoky, slightly hot aftertaste. As an unknown, I would have with some confidence identified this as a CNDP. It's so characteristic of an excellent Pegau or Beaucastel. I've never tasted a pinot noir like this. In fact, I had to check the bottle (twice!) to be sure it's not a syrah or blend. Overall: excellent wine in the glass, just not at all characteristic of pinot noir. Ric
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After many years, this is the wine that made post my first TN on CT. I liked it so much that I wants to see how others had reviewed it and it's clear that it is a very controversial wine. No Brett here at all - just red fruit, Earth, smoke, terrific acidity and clearly a wine that has many years to go. I'm a Rhys fan in general but I was stunned by this one. The 94 may be too low...
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Definitely ready to drink with red fruits that are a bit candied. NR because this bottle had a ton of brett, so much that I actually found it a flaw (and I like brett). Hopefully the rest of the bottles will be more transparent.
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Tried both of the two bottles I purchased through the winery and both had brett all over them. Disappointed that neither was good to go to pair with my wife's Guinness Shepherds Pie.
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5th of 6, another pristine bottle. Very youthful red fruit and cherry nose, hints of smoke and leather. Palate rich, more red fruit, terrific tang and bite, open and sparkling. Yummy with pork hash. This has been improving the last few years, would be great in 5 or 10, but won't have any left.
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2nd 2009 FF in 4 days. There was some cherry and spice on the nose, but I mostly got notes of earth and mild barnyard. Like the last bottle it was a structured Pinot, again with dark red fruit, savory tones but this time with a touch of barnyard. This one wasn't quite as good as the first one from 4 days ago. Even so this was a very nice Pinot. Excellent.
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I had brett issues with this bottle. As time went on (90 minutes), the brett was more pronounced. When this happened with my last bottle, Rhys credited me immediately. When I contacted them this time, I asked to pay the difference for a '14 Alpine Chard instead of a credit. I just want to thank them publically for standing behind their wine. I was so hoping the FF would be enjoyed with family on Thanksgiving.
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My first Family Farm and happy to have held. Opened the bottle and smelled spice and red fruit compote maybe some earth and forest tones. No merde. Passed the bottle around to the family: "Anyone smell any merde? No?" Getting to this point I poured a taste and found a structured Pinot, likely from stem inclusion, with dark red fruit, and spice and earth tones just about merging into savory. This had some power but with that Burgundian lightness of body. Bravo! And bravo Rhys for standing behind your wine, giving me the confidence to hold it, despite all the bad bottles, knowing you would make good if it was one of them. Excellent.
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13.4% alcohol. Dark cherry color. Really gorgeous nose of cherry stone, black cherry, earthy spice, and minerals. In the mouth, plush and quite ripe seeming, with black cherry fruit showing a good degree of richness, buttressed by plenty of earth and spice. Good acidity and a quite good tannic grip on the finish. This is really pretty and not going anywhere soon. A-
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Mixed California Tasing: Tasting pour. Odd bottle -- the group discussed whether it was flawed but in the end decided against it. Definitely Burgundian in style, but even so this just lacked fruit and acidity, although it did show some spice.
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Showing very nice and Aging gracefully. Strawberry, minerals, forest floor. Wonderful balance for a California Pinot with a touch of the Grace and lightness that make French burgundies great while still having that great ripe California fruit intensity.
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I really don't get this wine. Brett? I am not sure I know what it is but there is definitely some funk, barnyard type smell. The fruit profile is just not what I like in a pinot. If it's flawed, then maybe I should not have scored it. I have been disappointed in several bottlings by this producer.
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Brett. Drinkable, brett was not above my tolerance level, but flawed. First two bottles from the case were OK. Still showing that "stemmy" characteristic.
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On the 11th bottle of a case, this wine was been like playing Russian roulette. When on, it's great, when off, it can be a Brett bomb, and everywhere in between. Last night this was definitely ON. Lovely nose of spice, mostly red fruits, and something almost like cedar. Great tangy fruit, softish tannins, and a smooth finish with just the right amount of acid and length. I think I'll hold my last bottle with the hope it too is special.
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Save the next one until 2020. This has great acidity, good fruit, and an enjoyable balance. It had some funk at the start that we rather enjoyed. It blew off and was a good wine that I am not all that capable of describing several days after the fact.
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Rhys @ QCH (Quality Chop House, London): Ripe, almost cola cube nose.denser and riper than the 08; darker fruited. A less clean line here. Mellows with air, but still not the class of the 08. ****
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Horribly bretty. Undrinkable. A shame that this bottling has had issues, given that everything else I've had from Rhys has been anywhere from very good to absolutely stunning.
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PnP. Medium light ruby. Faint nose, red fruits, touch of funk. Lovely on the palate full but light, gorgeous balance, with a slight tightness on the finish which may dissipate with more air, but as noted previously no real tannins to resolve. Finish does soften with time and air - not a very complex wine but lovely nevertheless. No Brett in this bottle!
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Previously have had two non-brett inflicted '09 FF bottles, which were probably the most charming and interesting FF's I've experienced to date. This one was tainted with the brett: a muddled mix of barnyard notes with muted red fruits. Drinkable but not really enjoyable.
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Corked unfortunately. However the winery was extremely helpful, quick to respond and offered a current year replacement. I was really looking forward to having this as it was aged nicely in my cellar but Rhys is a great Winery and great customer service.
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Would I have noticed the mild brett influence if I didn't know to look for it? Probably not, as it was still enjoyable, though maybe not to the level expected. Dark ruby color. Black cherry, spice, and funk on the nose. Palate was fine, concentrated dark red fruits, with a distinct Rhone-like quality that seemed to mute things slightly. moderate fruit and chalky finish. Structure was much softer than my last bottle 4yrs ago, but I think the known brett contamination took some of the shine off this one.
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Was concerned given previous posts but was fortunate that this bottle was not flawed. Yes, a different pinot style, but still full of fruit and nice clean finish. A bit more earthy than other Cali pinots that I've had but felt it was a well made and enjoyable.
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Less Brett than the last 3 bottles. Barnyard, red cherries, and stem notes on the nose and palate with a refreshing finish. Went surprisingly well with a black bean soup.
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Of the 4 bottles of this, this is the worst performing one todate. More brett though not really excessive, and a bit more oak showing or perhaps just less fruit showing. In any event not going in a good way if this is an indicator.
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The Brett monster got this one. Still has nice dark fruit, but the red fruit and spice are not there, and the Brett funk takes their spot at the table. Might be an interesting ringer in a Rhone tasting.
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This wine is like chamber music: each taste element playing a part, chiming in at just the right time: red fruit, acid, stem, moss. A thoughtful bottling.
Also: no brett in this bottle.
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I can certainly see the "California Burgundy" moniker that this wine receives by some. There was nice pure California fruit buffered by a dose of stems and nice supporting acid. Reserved and youthful, I believe the wine will age very well and transform into something more complex. (90+?)
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At first, nose was dominated by brett (although not enough to call it flawed), but the smell went completely away after 2-3 hours. After 2 hours: complex nose of cherries, mushrooms, red berries. Lovely palate with long finish and medium+ tannins.
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Rhys Tasting With The Gang--Part 2 (My Place): We opened two bottles of this, as one of the guys brought a backup. I've not been a fan of this wine and last night again confirmed my same feeling. This wine just exhibits a level of barnyard that I don't care for. One bottle is showed much stronger, less so on the other and there was some talk that the latter bottle was TCA'd but I smell tested both bottles at the end of the night when I was cleaning up and they both had levels of that aromatic. There was fruit in the better bottle, showing black cherry, strawberry but then saddle.
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This is the first bottle I've opened that has been too bretty to enjoy. The underlying fruit was barely recognizable. This reminded me of my last bottle of Pegau, and not in a good way.
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Initially strong earthy aromas which others have pointed out as heavy brett. The slight brettiness blew off after 30 mins and opened up beautifully with nice complex smooth red fruits. Drinking well now
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Was nervous about the 2 bottles I got after seeing all the reviews but it seems I lucked out. The wine developed very nicely in the glass and after about 2-3 hours was really hitting well. Very complex nose that would fool me for a burgundy as it was earthy but surrounded by subtle fruit flavors like strawberry, raspberry, some minerality. Very smooth and soft on the palate, low acidity, not overly rich but picked up some weight in mid palate. This is a very nice wine and much more Burgundian in style compared to a lot of other CA pinots.
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Fairly dense, but with space between; lovely perfume; blueberry, raspberry, rhubarb subtle sweet ripeness but not all spice and oak or overt fruitiness. Enjoyed the balanced. Brian and Jen's.
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-- popped and poured -- -- tasted non-blind over approx. 3.5 hours --
NOSE: high-toned florals; pomegranate; a noticeable gamey quality.
BODY: dark ruby color of medium-shallow to medium depth; medium-light bodied.
TASTE: muted fruits; hint of stems; hint of very fine tannin; 13.4% alc. not noticeable; good acidity; moderate brett; nice little floral spiciness on the mid-palate; mostly red-fruited, but perhaps just barely ticking into the purple fruits spectrum; seems like good raw material here, but the brett is strong enough to be both distracting and unfortunate.
Had with Thanksgiving dinner. Dry, tannic, subdued & overly bretty -- like being in a pony stable. Detracted from what was underneath, hoped for a better showing.
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Disappointing. While a very nice Pinot, not nearly as interesting or complex as the 2010 Alpine Vineyard (which was stunning) we had alongside this. The Family Farm was almost muted, wondering if it may be in a closed stage right now? At 5 years I'd assume it should be tasting great. Alas, this was my only bottle...
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Looks like I won the lottery with a bottle without any issues. It is a bit rustic but I am enjoying it. Somewhat restrained dark red fruit with great structure. Either I have a high tolerance for Brett or this bottle is unscathed.
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Yup. a good bit of brett, but the bigger issue was that the wine had a plummy quality. This faded a bit as it got more air, but it was anything but elegant that I expect from Rhys. Direct purchase and cellared since then. Will try a different bottle
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I guess I am lucky in that 2 for 2 don't have this brett issue. Nice solid Burgundian style Pinot. Not as complex as I wanted and seems young but needed to try again. Not great QPR but well made Pinot.
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Despite critics rave reviews this producers wines continue to fall short of expectations. 2 hours of decanting may have been too much for this one to handle. Brooding color, lacking on the nose and palate with an almost syrah texture but with flat characteristics. Didn't stand a chance against similar vintage Neely produced on vineyard likely no more than 5 miles away as the crow flies. Definitely one of the weaker sibling wines from Rhys.
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Decanted an hour before dinner and followed over two more. Dark berry fruit, mix of ripe and tart, layered with savory Indian spices. Maybe a touch darker and riper than my favorite Rhys Pinots but still delicious. Was looking for brett and didn't find it. I guess some of the savory, Indian spices could be brett but they could also be whole cluster influence.
One of my contributions that I brought to the Sun Wah Rhys tasting (along with 2008 Horseshoe PN). High levels of Brett masked what I sensed to be good fruit underneath. Was told that this bottling is known for having this problem. Brett detected by several tasters -- it was unmistakeable.
Was a bit disappointing that of 17 bottles at the tasting 3 had flaws (2 corked, 1 Brett). Not a great ratio, but sometimes these things happen.
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Russian roulette was unkind to me today with this bottle. Brett was overpowering. I kept the bottle uncorked thinking that it would blow off. Not the case today.
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Unfortunately second of three with high levels of Brett. I will take them up on their prior replacement offer. I neglected to add to this old note how great the customer service of Rhys was. Replaced the bad bottle and exchanged unopened ones that could have been fine. Never had another issue with their bottles!
Nose leads with barnyard and funk notes on top of black cherry fruit and more "hidden" herb notes. Palate has medium rich fruit and good structure ... but the funk is omnipresent. Tasted in a 7-10 Family Farm vertical, this is definitely the oddball with a barnyard/brett issue.
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An Epic Night of Rhys (Sun Wah BBQ, Chicago IL): Simply put, this was brett riddled. There was some fruit to it underneath and maybe it would've been written off as a funky pinot on its own. But, within the vertical of Family Farms it stood out as a flaw.
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Saw the brett notes but got little if any on this magnum. Smoky and earthy on the nose which got me really excited as an earthy nose is pretty much my go to in pinot. Unfortunately was lacking the depth to carry that, at least night one (saving a little just in case). Some fruit, some acid and a half decent finish, but again missing the depth that would've put it over the top. No sense of heat (mentioned by someone else) or tannins (pretty damned integrated if you ask me).
Day two added a bit of depth, but not enough to change the score.
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Noticeable brett, but not overwhelming and it seemed to blow off. Darker, richer fruit, with that signature mineral tone, and some sap. A touch of heat was noticeable. Not my favorite Rhys.
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PnP. Medium red. Restrained nose - upon vigorous swirling some red fruits, spice, and sandalwood. Full on the palate with lovely grapeiness; long soft finish. This really has changed over the last year. Drinking well now and no apparent tannins to resolve. Not a very complex wine but easy to drink.
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decanted for a couple of hours. dark cherry, spice, and mint frame the dry extract. really nice wine at this point but with plenty left to give. will wait a few years on my remain gin bottles.
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Deep translucent burgundy at the core to a clear rim.
Powerful nose of wild flowers, dried mint, Chinese five spice, camphor and vanilla.
Silky palate with predominantly red fruits and some wild blackberries. Noticeable spiciness, oak tannins and a bitter note on the end palate that I attribute to whole cluster. Broad shouldered wine, very long with lovely texture. Would benefit from more time to come together.
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Flaw. I'm 1/3 now good vs evil. The last bottle I had I detected no brett at all, this one is like the first, too bad, because as I know from bottle 2, there is a very nice wine underneath it all. I will say I've never run into issues with any other Rhys bottling and they take care of their customers.
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Lovely light color with nose of cherry, slight funkiness and cranberry. Had lighter more subtle cherry flavor with some citrus overtones and nice acidity
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Like it a lot. Different stylistically than what I normally drink. More balanced, and acidic. Did well with sushi. Wasn't floored however. Lot of hype. Will be intrigued to see how this ages. Subtle fruit.
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Took to a restaurant and popped and poured. Good cork. Modest nose. No Brett in this bottle. Wanted to try this early because of all the posted notes of Brett issues. Soft,elegant, with raspberry and some black raspberry flavors. Hint of vanilla added, light on the acid. In balance.
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Delicious. About 4 hours in the decanter helped it open up. Nose is restrained with cherries and damp earth. A little bretty but not a problem on this bottle. The palate is elegant and complex with layers of dark cherries. Great concentration and structure. Excellent finish. Long life ahead.
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I'm sorry to say that I had a brett issue with this. I really was looking forward to enjoying this at a dinner party last night. Even my non-geek friends just took a couple of sips before moving on to other bottles that I had available.
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Clearly had the silky fruit and structure to develop into an interesting wine, but marred by Brett that taints every aspect of the wine. A disappointment!
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This is showing some brett. Not overwhelming, but enough to deaden the wine on the nose, and give a bit of that drywall thing on the palate. Some deep fruit underneath it all, but it never gets a chance to truly shine. I was borderline on calling this flawed, but in the final analysis it's distracting enough to call it what it is.
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Dark red color. Ripe cherry aromas with a hint of leather and some toasty vanilla. Palate is a nice mix of blackberry, black raspberry, black cherry, and cherry with some hints of smoke and leather in the background. The brett. on this bottle was less intrusive than past bottles and this is the second-least affected of the four I've consumed. Great when the brett. is in the background (or not there at all). Drink.
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Some highly rated wines on a Saturday afternoon (Patrick's): Another chance to try this wine. I know there is some discussion about the Brett issues and when Dick mentioned that he had returned some, I guessed this must be the wine. Yes, there is some Brett, but not an issue with me or most of us at the table. Ruby in color. The nose is cherries with slight barn yard notes. Cherries and dark cherries on the palate. Nice finish. Still quite young and just starting to develop layers.
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Heavy dose of brett and funk. Difficult to evaluate. I'm not as sensitive and like the funky fruit, but many at our dinner couldn't even drink the wine.
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Very different than a previous enjoyable bottle. This one was distinctly bretty with very ripe, almost roasted fruit and blocky structure. Any whole cluster notes seemed subsumed by the brett.
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Wines at Chris and Renee's home. (Chris and Renee's): This bottle had been open for a while. The nose is nice, cherries, dark cherries. A bit tight on the palate, but showing layered complexity. No signs of brett or other flaws. Good fruit. I would hold these at this point.
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13.4% ABV. Translucent ruby garnet in the glass. Light red fruit nose with a touch of brett, earth, and stems. Somewhat feminine, but with some underlying structure. Pretty good. Better with more time I suspect.
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Enjoyed this more this time around, probably due to the additional bottle age. Ripe cherry and blackberry fruit on the nose with candied violets, baking spices, and a slight hint of Brett that is not dominating at all, but rather adds a nice, earthy complexity. Soft and rich on the palate, with baked raspberry and subtle, sweet spices. Not very long on the finish.
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My 2nd bottle. The 1st showed a touch of brett that actually added to the flavor profile. This bottle was too much brett as it overwhelmed any other flavors. Batting .500 with 2 750's and a mag still to go. Definitely a bummer, but no worries as Rhys customer service is world class. Since brett only gets worse with time I'll be consuming the remainder sooner than later.
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Dark red color with limited transparency. Slight hint of brett on the nose in the form of leather and smoke. Red berry notes join to provide a fruit component to the nose. The palate has the red fruit and brett notes in sufficient balance to keep this enjoyable. While not yet past the point of enjoyment for me, heading that way. Drink up.
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After the last 2 bottles were affected with brett, this one was lovely. Bright red fruits surrounded by soft, fine tannins. Opening this wine is a little like playing Russian roulette.
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Wine, Browns and my 55th Birthday (My Home): Beth brought this and was thinking that her bottles of this had been off. For some reason, I don't seem to own any of this (all the other vintages though). Not sure why. Anyway, I thought it was a very nice wine. I found no flaws in it. The nose is earthy, not huge with nice cherries and some macerated cherries. On the palate, it is young and tight but has a nice earthiness. Good cherry fruit. Beth drink a lot of Rhys, but seemed to feel this was a bit more earthy and funky than most. As it was my first time with this vintage, I am curious, but as I say, I thought it was outstanding.
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Plenty of red fruit and spice on the nose, really thought this was clean. Not so on the palate but what a show regardless. There is red fruit and some horse and leather that very elegantly compliments the herbs and earth. Still perfumed and light it shows great elegance with fresh berries in the background. With air it becomes savory, with berries, and a bacon finish with food. There is definitely a touch of brett to this compared to my previous tastes but it integrates so well and provides a food experience that is complimentary. It's like a great slightly tainted Rhone blend but with some beautiful pinot noir sensibility. This was a great bottle because the wine is spectacular and not even a small flaw could mask it.
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Dark red color with limited transparency. Aromas of cherry, roses, violets, blackberry, and a hint of briar. Palate has a hint of brett in the form of leather and smoked meat, but it isn't enough to detract from the blackberry, cherry, and floral fruit notes that carry into a medium-long finish. Opens with an additional day of air on the leftovers placed back into the cellar. This was not as clean as the first bottle sampled, but still enjoyable. Drink or hold, depending upon your tolerance for brett.
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My experience with Rhys has been a bit hit and miss, but this was a very good bottle. No cola, no gloppiness, not green from the stems. Instead, quite a lot of ripe berry fruit that reminds me most of sweet black raspberries, with good balancing acidity. The stems add spice and a twiggy earthiness that gives the wine more complexity. The extraction is gentle but the wine still has a fair amount of density, although there's not much structure. The lack of structure suggests this may not be a long ager, but it's quite good right now.
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A gem, especially after the last brett bomb. Gorgeous tart cherries and other red fruit, floral and earthy notes, great texture. Much better on day 2. Too young, but too risky to wait.
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Popped because of all the brett talk. Clean as a whistle. Bright and sweet red fruit, pluot, baking spices, and a little earth. Paired well with round steak off the Traeger with a tarragon bernaise sauce. Loved the tarragon interaction with the wine, brought out a citrus note.
decanted 1 hour, consumed at central kitchen. really opening up compared to previous bottles. rich, spice-laden berry fruit with mint, herbs, and black pepper on the nose. the palate shows intense fruit, peppery spice, and anise with elegant structure and nice lift. this seems to just be starting to show what it's capable of. a treat now, can't wait to see where it's headed.
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Wow, really in a good spot right now. Effusive aromatics, impeccably balanced on the palate, more fruit than I was expecting but very light on its feet. Showing well but with many years ahead of it.
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Funky nose, cherry fruit, fresh green notes, like a Chinon, silky and black fruited, more obviously pinot as it bloomed in the glass. Enticing, exciting.
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Beautiful and perfectly clean. The fruit is showing off at this point, but there is plenty of structure. Decanting really helped get a read on this bottle, which was very, very compelling. Moderate complexity, but the weight, texture, and aromatics are the real thing.
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Too bad...was looking forward to this my 2nd bottle of Rhys while I wait for an allocation...the '07 Alpine was great stuff but this was undrinkable....
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As others note, I wanted to taste to scratch the itch of my anxiety over the reports of brett in some bottles, and I may have imagined initial reduction upon opening that blew off. I double decanted and put back sidewise for 6 hours. Pretty dark cherry fruit on the nose, with silky cherry juice backed by smooth tannins and a little spice on the palate. I left a glass for two days, but too much air for that little of wine.
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Popped and poured; given the comments on Brett, thought it worth opening a bottle. Nose is clean with intense cherry scent; medium red in color. On the palate echoes the cherries but with a bit of angular tannins; this smoothes and integrates over time into something with more black fruits and excellent texture and finish. Will be great.
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my god this was a proxy for organic fertilizer, gave this over 5 hrs in a decanter tasting periodically and the barnyard smell and taste never left, the taste was dark fruit surrounded by barnyard. I have read about this on WB and give the Rhys team loads of credit for admitting the issue and offering a refund (class act), while so many other wineries ignore production issues that adversely affect their wines. I will definitely take Rhys up on the offer to return my remaining 5 bottles.
nose - mostly toast, with some brambleberry mouth - powerful yet restrained dark berry and dark cherry fruit, which is more appreciable on the finish than the attack. overall very clean, good minerality. has a sort of iron fist in a velvet glove feeling. impressive wine.
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Dark red color, nearly opaque. Aromas of sweet cherry pie filling, mulberry, nutmeg, and allspice. Flavors are dense, ripe, and sweet with strawberry, cherry, mulberry, and allspice. No brett evident in this bottle but all of the reports led me to sample. Hard to find the structure under all of the fruit in this right now. Expect better assessment after another year or two in the cellar. Hold.
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Wow. What's with the brett? I have had several of these before (bought a case), and while some have had a charming whiff of brett, this one lost all its character (except for the brett).
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My second bottle from a case that is marred by brett. So heavily so that it wasn't drinkable, and I am fairly tolerant. In fact, if served blind I woud have guessed Pegau' or Beaucastel from the 90's. Shame as this is usually my favorite Rhys vineyard.
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There's was no "blowing off" with this brett; it was dug in like a tick. My wife didn't seem to mind (she just loved the silky texture of the wine), but for me, it obscured the lovely aromatics and flavors that only occasionally seemed to poke through. A real shame.
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Checking in earlier than I would normally, based on the complaints of brett. I'm not that sensitive to brett, but even looking for it, couldn't find it in this bottle. Showed a little reductive quality as opened that blew off in a half hour. "Stemmy" quality from the whole cluster shows through. Still heavy on the tannin. Nice acid backbone. Complex fruit profile. This bottle would have been much better in 5 years!
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Tuesday Night with a Special Guest (Dave's House): Popped and poured, light garnet colour in the glass. After reading so many reports, I have been hoping for a super brettanomyces tainted bottle. Well, we finally got it. On the nose, this was incredibly dirty, with notes of horse stable, leather, earth, crushed rocks, cranberry, pomegranate, orange rind, herbs, baking spice, and the lovely incense notes that stem inclusion adds. On the palate, such a svelte texture, medium acidity, with some mild drying tannin. Finish is long, accented by pomegranate, cranberry, mineral, orange rind, and spice. Best showing to date, and sadly these are all gone. If anyone wants to sell me their brett tainted bottles, I'm all over it!
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A Casual Tuesday (Dave's House): This is the third bottle of this wine I have tasted. First two had no brett. This one was definitely from the bretty batch. I have a very old world palate and having some brett is a huge plus in my books. When you add that to all of the other complexities of this wine it's really stellar. Nose is of incense, seaweed, red currants, cranberry, cherry, tobacco, leather, ash, coffee. Palate is excellent, enters sweet, mid palate is light, and finish is harmonious with acid refreshing, just enough tannin, and incense repeats on the long finish. What a great wine. Very well done Kevin Harvey! I'll take all the returned bretty bottles!
hmmm, obvious brett but not offensive. I've had quite a few Burgundies with similar bret profiles. There is some nice fruit under the earthiness. I'll call it flawed only because the winemaker did. The brett did get worse as the night went on to the point of offensiveness to the palate.
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Rhys and Ceritas Tasting (NYC): An overwhelming flavor and aroma of brett that reminded me of some of the more aggressively bretty wines from the Loire. It was possible to see a little bit of structure underneath the manure and green pepper flavors, but sadly it was not that enjoyable. The word is that the producer had some particular issues with this specific wine in 2009 and that all of the other wines are clean.
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Nose of red fruits and a hint of something I can only describe as "stuffy" which blows off soon. Very tasty red fruits with a long juicy finish. Very enjoyable.
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This wine is certianly a mystery. On first sniff there was a great nose of spies, wet forest floor, mushrooms that quickly turned to Brett (or something like it) before I even had a sip. The wine tasted nothing like it first smelled. No fruit, short, somewhat bitter. At first I thought it might just be the stems, but I'm not so sure. Waited an hour, and some fruit emerged only to again be overtaken by the bitterness. Recorked and tried the next day. Day 2: Again great nose that quickly faded. Taste not much better. My first bottle I had about 6 months ago I rated a 94 (a very high score for me). I hope this was just an off bottle, but after reading some other's notes, I don't feel as confident about my remaining bottles.
Don't think this will ever be the most complex of wines but it is beautifully fragrant. Not ashamed of where it comes from and not trying to be something it isn't. Beautiful fruit. Smooth texture. This is what I imagine a Ridge Pinot Noir would taste like!
My bottle is nothing at all like the notes by others. Brett has camouflaged all the fruit. It reminded me of a 2010 Lapierre Morgon, non-sulphured, that I couldn't drink. Couldn't drink this one either, and I'm not happy to have 3 more bottles of this. I will probably open another tomorrow night, and if it is the same as this bottle, then I am done with Family Farm, because the 2004 also suffered from Brett. However, tomorrow, I will have a back-up. Tonight I am drinking water.
I have a deep stash of Rhys in my cellar, but have been letting all of the Pinots rest; the only time I've tried any were at the winery. I decided to check in on this one as I have a few. Way too young, but still enjoyable. Expressive nose and palate with spicy red and raspberries. What blew me away were the non-fruit nuances; piney Northeastern forest floor, roses, moist tobacco. The tannins are substantial but sleek. While I don't think I'll open another for years, this is already stellar.
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Elegant and aromatic, medium body, medium-high acidity, dark cherry, cranberry, floral, whole cluster, pepper, with tannins adding texture. Very nice. Drink or hold.
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The 09 Family Farm is still extremely young, but is already starting to drink very well. To me, Rhys is making some of the most exciting pinot noir in North America. I opened the bottle about 6 hours before consumption (no decanting, just popped the cork), which really helped to open everything up. On the nose this wine gives off scents of molases and ripe berries, while on the palate this showed a medley of spices, tobacco, pine needles, blueberries, ripe raspberries, licorice, black pepper, and a touch of coffee. While the flavors were deep and rich, the wine was never heavy. A very nice effort by Rhys and I am looking forward to where this bottle will go with another 3-5 years of bottle aging.
Dark ruby. Floral notes and cherry on the nose. Very focused and very intense black cherry, lilac, and hint of earthiness on the palate. Medium mouthfeel and fairly long finish. Excellent now, will be great in 5 more years after it has shed some weight.
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Power without weight. Definitely closer to the old world and already open for business. Hopefully this is what happens to the tartness most Rhys display in early age. Some stemmy spiceness with cranberry or sourcherry tartness that been mostly absolved into the pinot goodness and just hangs around like mist in California hills.
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There seemed to be a potentially great pinot noir buried under all that brett. I recall a serious structure, but the earthy-fruity-etc. nose & palate got pretty well clobbered.
Consistent with previous notes. A very elegant bottle. Integrated and exotic spice profile. Gorgeous red fruit with a ton of floral lift, and a medium long finish of red/black cherry with hints of sour cherry. Good grip, what is so impressive is how the intensity of the fruit does not diminish as the wine gets lighter in body on the palate, ending almost weightless. Ripe, but with tremendous finesse. 93-95?
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Same bottle as 11/21. Now it is open more and resolved, and I still don't like it. Nose of spice, vegetal (green pepper?), orange zest, berries, brambles, tar/smoke. The vegetal component may be some sort of evergreen/menthol/eucalyptus that others have noted. I don't mind it in my cab, but cannot abide it in my Pinots. The palate is somewhat out of focus, but with nice acid and sweet fruit. just not my cup of tea.
Again, opened a day early to see how it develops. PnP. Ruby red. Nose of very very young U.S. Pinot Noir: some primary strawberry & cherry fruit, along with some sweet oak, and an unresolved chemical kind of smell. A bit of baking spice and stone. Reminds me a bit of an unresolved Volnay Champans. Also get a vegetal and green peppery thing at points as well. Palate is quite odd - a touch of sweet fruit and a lot of oak - but the chemical dominates. The mouthfeel is even worse - really disjointed and out of focus. We'll see if this comes around with a day or two.
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After being open for 3 hrs. Initially mute, even after being in decanter for > 1.5 hrs. Aromas of red and blue fruits, spices including cinnamon and a hint of brown sugar, and alcohol. Red cherries, blackberries, a bit of earth, hint of bark, elegantly packaged together through the mid-palate and on to a long finish of fruit and bark with some heat on the finish. Elegant and complex. Heat at the end mars the wine. 13.4% abv. Clones: Rhys Selection, Swan, 115 and Pommard
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Decanted about an hour before drinking. Dark ruby with some hints of garnet. Initial showing dark-fruited with vividly fresh black cherries and plums, and a floral component to add interest and complexity. Fruit carries through a very long, lingering finish with nice balancing acidity. Fine-grained tannins are present but not obtrusive. After a couple hours, the fruit is joined by a saddle leather and black tea component. Very nice bottle that's open for business now but promising some interesting development as well.
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my third bottle. decanted about an hour. this has shed the candied, floral character it had almost a year ago - the pastille fading into the background but still present in a subtle manner. now, it is showing as a more substantial and serious wine. on the nose there is red and black fruit, sap and evergreen notes, as well as anise and pepper. the palate shows red fruits emerging but a nice backbone of spice and pepper predominate. i think this is just starting to show its stuff and i'm glad i have several more bottles to follow over the next few years.
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Garnet to dark garnet color in the glass, fairly clear looking. Nose of dust, berries, thistle and a bit of plum. Flavors of berries, raspberries and plums. Medium acidity, medium tannins, medium to full bodied. Drink or hold.
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Popped and poured with grilled pork chops. Aroma has coca cola. Taste has black cherry, with a bit of earthiness. A decent amount of acidity on the palate, but not too lasting.
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Tasted non blind at home over several hours. Decanted for 3 hours before initial taste. Very bright nose with overwhelming floral notes intertwined with dark berries and a hint of exotic spices. The palate is similar with rose petals, spice, black tea, sassafras and a healthy dose of stony earth. Very consistent finish with the spice, sassafras and tea components persisting along with dark berries. Medium-firm tannins but drinking surprisingly well at this stage. I expect this one to evolve into a powdery texture eventually. Very nice effort and while it is showing well now, I would hold for 1-3 years before tasting again.
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Really lovely; one of the most enjoyable wines I've had from Rhys in some time. The fruit's certainly quite ripe and sweet, but also conveyed with a sense of real freshness and augmented by bright floral and higher toned stemmy elements that add to the complexity and depth here. The tannins are very fine grained making it very easy to drink, with bright acids beneath adding to the sense of refreshment here.
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I liked this better than did Lorena or Paul Lin. Red/dark red fruit with spice in the background. Good acidity. Held up well over 3 days, and to me was better on day 3.
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drunk with dinner at spruce. upon opening, still has an aroma of predominantly candied flowers and fruit (almost pastille-like) that overpowers everything else. with a couple of hours in the decanter this died back and red fruits, spice, and pepper began to emerge as the wine showed more complexity. the flavors were fairly reticent as well, but it really started showing some depth and complexity with spice, minerality, and herbs on top of the fruit after a couple of hours. i'd recommend a good 4 hour decant if you're going to drink this now. this has a lot of potential right now but it's not yet showing all it has to offer right out of the gate.
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It's been over a year since I last tasted this wine and having bought a handful of these in my order, I figured the blind dinner last night would be a good forum to see what people thought at the table. When I opened the wine at about 3 PM, it had an off note in the nose, like a rubber tire smell. I was a bit worried about it so I splash decanted the wine 2X and then funneled it back to the bottle, wrapped it in paper and put it aside. In my notes during the flight, I guessed Burgundy and based on my earlier comment on the aromatics, some of that funk hung around to fool me. Loamy, iron, burg-like nose, dark fruit, lots of character and saddle, shows a barnyard note. Not sure what to make of this wine at this stage. I may just open another one in a week or so and see if my experience is the same.
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Another Round of California Vs Burgundy Blind (Frank Murray's Casa): Served blind. Dark cherry with sulfur and iron. There is some heat and a clear note of brett. Not very expressive and very tight. Very tannic. The brett is noticeable here on the palate as well. Guessed Burg.
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Super complex, nothing like any other Pinot I've ever had. Ash, grapefruit, subtle coffee, very reserved fruit, salene, seaweed. Super minerally, Great wine that will definitely age well for 8+ years.
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Slow ox'd in the bottle for 2.5 hours prior to consumption. Some good amount of stems and perfume like red fruits on the nose. Palate is dense and still filled with stems. At hour 4 the wine really started to blossom. Spicy and rich nose with gentle red fruits, vosne spice, light stems and moderate wood spice. On the palate is a wine with moderate richness, bit of bottle sweetness and some earthy components. Overall it is a very good wine but needs some air to come together and blow off some of the funk.
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Probably one of the most disappointing wines I've tasted this year. Sure it's young, but I can't see my way to this ugly duckling becoming a swan. On the first night, after aerating the patient as if it were nearly dead, it was massively disjoint: Some fruit, and a lot of stems. After two days under stopper (which says a lot about how tasty it was or wasn't) it came together a bit, but tasted like a $25 Oregon Pinot. Will it be better with age? Perhaps. But I'm not interested in getting tangled up in a long-term relationship with this wine. Great wines should taste good in their youth.
If this is the future direction of California Pinot Noir I'm not interested. Is it well made? I guess. Will I buy it again? No way.
Tight aromatically and on the palate. Some greener notes of stems and herbs. Day two it did open up, so I see some potential. I kept searching for that fruit purity I have been reading about. Given the hype, a disappointing tasting.
Very tasty. Lots of spice and cedar elements initially that fade a bit with time in the glass to reveal some nice, well balanced fruit with a lengthy finish. Should improve nicely over the next few years.
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nose - blackberry, dark cherry, coffee mouth - fleeting big dark berry and cherry fruit flavors hit, and then run leading one to double take, and while trying to decide what just happened a very minerally almost champagne like midpalate appears finishing with considerable dry tannins. This is a very interesting wine. Quite unlike most domestic pinots. Will not bowl you over, this is primarily aimed for those who seek out minerality in their wine. Burgundian? I haven't got a clue. Try again next year.
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30 minute decant. Heavy floral perfume (to the point where my wife compared it to hand soap). rich cherry flavors but good mix of sour cherry, cranberry, and pomegranate, keep it from veering into the overly fruity range. A really nice mix of "traditional" Pinot with noticeably California fruit. Judging by the 2nd day, I would guess 2014-2017 might be the sweet spot for this.
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Excellent. Wonderful balance between elegance and ripe fruit. Still quite primary this has many years of improvement ahead if it. Sort of what one hopes California can do with Pinot.
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PWTG California Pinot Noir Tasting (Wine Bank, Menlo Park): Blind flight of 5 CA Pinots and 1 Burg. Group's #4 wine, My #4. Easily identifiable as the Rhys, this one needed far more time and air. It came off as green and herbaceous. Eucalyptus and cranberry nose, Spice, oak, cherry and eucalyptus flavors.
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Kinda a light smoke and methol thing on the nose. Almost close to becoming off putting which actually makes it more interesting. I was told that these are rock hard right out of the gates but this is fairly soft and easy, rounded and good drinking right now.
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Floral, cherry, berry and light herbal elements on the nose. It's more than a bit hard/unyielding on the palate, but shows a depth of fruit through to the finish that I have confidence in laying my remaining bottles down for a few years to shed a bit of that tough shell.
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Pop and pour and followed over 5 hours. Vibrant color; quite floral on the nose with spice, suggesting whole cluster. This is quite intriguing, and inviting. Nice bright red fruit, some earthy notes and a citrus tang that keeps one called back to the glass for another sip. Bottle gone.
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Deep dark red. The floral notes everyone talks about is definitely noticeable. Tannins seems silky, serious fruit on the palate.. Acidity and Tannins are quite balanced. This was pop/poured so I will follow up tomorrow and see what air does for it.
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Translucent ruby garnet in the glass. Velvety light strawberry fruit with an earthy component stemmy nose component. Elegant and rather feminine, but with some underlying structure that I think is holding it back some. Probably better in a year or so.
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Tannin seems to have backed off since that early sample but this is still very tight and tensile and definitely showing the stems more than the underlying material. Need to try the leftovers tomorrow to get a better read on what's going on. // At that point you get a better sense of its proportions and can appreciate its slender form and silky texture--but it's still very reserved, best left alone for awhile.
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This really came off beautifully with a 5 hour slow-ox in bottle. Enormous nose of rich spices with tell-tale cool fruit and mild floral notes. The elegance on the palate is showstopping, reverberating the spice and fruit but it is like a feather on the palate. I can see where one might be distracted by the floral perfume but this is anything but candied, it is silky liquid fruit with strong floral perfume that is tempered by cherry pit acidity. Very powerful but with vanishing weight. I've not had anything like this from California, the wood, tannin, and acidity harmonize perfectly. So good I don't have a good feel for how great it can be, but just delicious and I will get more. 93-95.
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Wonderful complex nose, "enivrant" and "capiteux". Very dark color, dark cherries, pleasant but then the vanilla sweet oaky is throwing me off. Will it integrate later? Day 2 was much better leading me to think that it should rest much longer in the cellar.
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I found this a bit disjointed/angular on first pour. The second day it displayed more elegance. Just not showing any of its true possibilities right now, I hope.
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Hmmm. My first Rhys, but not quite what I was expecting. The nose is ripe, candied, heavily floral, and aldehydic. I also get a carbonic maceration note, kind of like Beaujolais Nouveau. Initially on the palate, ripe red raspberry and cranberry with Mexican vanilla and floral spices. With air, the palate started to tighten up and was actually less forthcoming on Day 2. Some fine tannins show up with air, and while there is decent acidity, the fruit is so candied and ripe that the overall impression is one of flabbiness. I can accept that this wine is young and needs more time, but I'm kind of turned off by the ripeness and perfume-like florals. Is this representative of the Rhys style? Or is this a manifestation of the vintage?
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Light garnet colour. Expressive nose of red fruit (cranberry, red current maybe some raspberry), maybe breadfruit with some funky stemmy notes and a slight floral note. Initially quite tight on the palate but over time opened up with some tasty dark cherry, cranberry and minerals flavours. Great acidity and smooth tannins. This wine just kept improving in glass and I'm looking forward to opening the next bottle in another 5+ years as I expect it to just keep improving.
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My first Rhys and I enjoyed very much. Sat in the decanter for 2 hours and consumed with raspberry glazed Salmon. Some red fruit on the nose as well as green tea, baking spice, vanilla, and flowers. More red sweet fruit on the palate along with a greeness, spice, vanilla, and tea. Nice mid palate with a long finish. Finished the last glass five hours after opening and still going strong. Decent acidity and tannins allowing for some age. Popped to decide whether or not to continue to buy. I won't fill the cellar but will continue to buy in hopes these age and add more secondary notes.
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Very impressed. Decanted for aproxamitliy 1.5 hours. What a beautiful Pinot. Great minerality on the nose. Smooth fruit with great structure on the palate with an outstanding acid backbone. Wish I bought more than one bottle. Will be buying more with great confinance in the future.
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Opened to get a better feel for the Rhys style in advance of the next mailer coming out. Strong fruit and stone/mineral nose. Great texture, smooth and very long. Very good.
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Restrained cherry liquor and stony minerality at the forefront with floral and spice notes. Fine lightly chalky tannins provide backbone. Well balanced. This is tightly wound now. After an hour, this is starting to unwind, offering a little more breadth and fruit. This is a polished, refined, and balanced wine that should unwind over the next few years into a silky, elegant Pinot. Great potential.
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Easily the best US Pinot Noir I have ever tasted and quite impressive stuff. What strikes me most is how constrained, elegant, structured and earthy this wine is. My mind is wandering towards the cooler climate Pinots of Jura with their floral aromatics and stony fruit even if there is just a bit more stuffing here. Absolutely delicious now but I'm sure this will be interesting to follow over a decade or more. Jason brought this bottle. With Jason at Foreign & Domestic in Austin.
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Christmas Run; 12/24/2011-12/26/2011 (Around the Bay): Decanted 90+ minutes in advance of a Christmas pork loin. Got a little interim taste along the way and it was broad, deep, and interesting. At dinner, it cinched up a bit and really very stemmy alongside the stemless Big Basin Bald Mt. More structure, earth and complex aromatics but overall less enjoyable at this point in time. 90-91
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Intense aromatics, very bright red fruit bordering on black fruit, with a strong spice component. The palate is bright, but intense; the whole-cluster fermentation really shows, lending a very firm structure. Great material, and this really begs for more time. A stark contrast to the 2009 Evesham Wood Puits Sec opened this same night, which was very much red-fruit driven and wrapped in a lighter package.
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Say what you want about California Pinot, but I'd mistake this one for a young 2003 Burgundy in the blind tasting. Seducing aromas, long finish, approachable now and has many years of joy ahead of it. Andy, did I say that you and your Rhys is always welcome? and you don't have to do the dishes the next time you bring it! ...and this is the highest pseudo score I can give! :)
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decanted for about an hour. still fairly primary. cherry, violets, woodsy spice and a hint of smoky herbs. driven by cherry and red/purple fruits with good acidity. curious to see the evolution.
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I didn't really get it before but I do now. The nose has some cherry elements but what is appealing about it to me is the strong earth and savory herbs component. The palate has some nice Brit cherry as well but again there is an earthy, mushroom note that while not intrusive, gives the wine tremendous character. Nice vanilla note as well. Tight and young but my favorite Rhys so far...yummy stuff.
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Thursday Night Blind Tasting in KW (Greg's House): Popped and poured, evolved in the glass over about 45 minutes. Dark black cherry, raspberry sorbet, wet stones, vanilla, with a hint of seaweed, giving it a sea water saline component. On the palate, more black cherries, minerality; exceptional balance, with racing acidity. Minimal tannic structure. A beautiful, elegant expression of pinot. Kicking myself now for only grabbing 2 of these, as the 2nd bottle isn't going to last long. While young, this is open for business.
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Popped and poured. Medium deep red; complex spicy nose and red and black fruits, stems, herbs, with the spicy herbal components dominant. Quite full and primary on the palate with some drying tannins on the finish. After an hour or so this has a pronounced sour cherry flavor and becomes a bit angular; still clearly a very young Pinot with lots of stuffing; this bottle clearly needs time to resolve the tannins and to meld.
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Starts off with a little Pinot "funk", almost bretty to me...kind of reminded me of the '04 Alesia Syrah a tad? But but but...ahhh, 100% whole cluster....yea, that's it! What's amazing is, initially I get that funk, but it's clean and good funk....then some nice cranberry acidity that you think is going to tingle(ala VA), but it doesn't. Or...an alcohol kick on the finish...but there isn't. This wine is smooooooth as satin sheets...really plays with your palate! Wonderful florals, dark spices, stems, green raspberry tea....to go along with the fresh and somewhat delicate(for Ca.) wild berry fruit. I like the total package....with the funk making you contemplate!
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Consumed over 2 nights. Light delicate floral nose with a "stemmy" quality with cherry pit. Fine polished acidic palate, slighty tart and austere with strong cherry pit and licorice quality--very pure clean and seeming concentrated while elegant fruit. Medium to long finish with fine polished tannins and chalky stoney character. Very good but too young and drinking a little below the hype level. That being said I think this will be a special wine in 5+yrs. Should improve greatly.
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Lots of green flavors of moss and grass. Dried Chinese plum/cherry. There's a grittiness to this wine. It reminds me of pebbles on a clear river steam. Understated, yet quite charming. Like a young flower that has yet to open. This will definitely get better with time. 13.4% alcohol is absurd for California point. 94 points with potential for more.
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Decanted for 4 hours. Second half of the bottle is for tonight. Wanted to try a bottle early, I know it is too young. Beautiful bright ruby color. Nose was a bit tight (some earth?), but very nice fruits (cherry / raspberry), some spice. Smooth and easy to drink right now. Still tight on palate too. Needs time to develop secondary characteristics hopefully, as a little simplistic today. Let's see how tonight is. Second night - similar commentary. Stemminess was there that others have mentioned. The time did it well though - darker and a bit more complex. Will wait a few years before touching again.
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Very nice bottle. The most striking aspect to me was the silky texture. Deep, pure red fruit on both the nose and the palate. Hints of earthiness linger in the background, giving me hope that this will become increasingly complex with age. Delicious now, seems like it will be better later.
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Wow. This had a brilliant nose of flowers and soil upon opening. Really nice acid with a long finish. Mellowed a bit after two hours in the decanter, but I thought it drank the best right out of the bottle. Drink or hold.
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Was expecting alot and this wine delivered. P&P'ed and the number one memory was pomegranate both in flavor and acidity. Great balance. Finished bottle within 1 hour.
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This is just a spectacular wine. The ripeness, weight of the fruit, balance of tannins and acidity are just... to borrow from an online acronym (but in a positive connotation), SMH - shaking my head. There is no shortage of oak spice but it has been applied with Swiss precision and it is this precision that frames the fruit so nicely, and boy is the fruit good. Ripe, sweet cherries, strawberries, and raspberries... all lush, textured, rich, and delicious. This bottle was open for business and I would recommend trying one now.
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Did I drink this too early? Of course I did, but I stocked up on this bottling so I could see how it develops over time.
Although tight and not giving much on the palate, it does have a pretty bouquet that is somewhat of a mix of herbs and fruit. My biggest take-away was that the wine was pleasant to drink because there are no noticeable flaws with this wine. A lack of negatives is a good thing, but I suspect the positive aspects will develop in time.
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This took a nice decant and two days to open up. Nose of spice and earth. On the palate there are plush cherries and raspberries with earth notes. There are hints of flower, vanilla and some oak spice on the finish. Needs time.
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Red fruit, spice and earth. Well made and very nice. Certainly a wine that will age well, but less structured than previous Rhys bottlings. I'd say give this a year or so in the bottle and it will really be singing.
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At this time, I couldn't get past the stemminess of the wine. There is plenty of fruit and acid structure that I expect it will resolve with time, but will hold the rest for a few years. Funnily, I tasted the same wine six months ago at the winery, and while the stems were present, they didn't dominate the way they do now. Give it time.
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Needs time IMHO. Double decanted and followed over two nights. Showed better on the first night with more red fruit showing with some stemmy notes. Second night, the fruit was in the background with the tannins becoming the more dominant feature. Fairly tannic and a bit rough at this point. When this finds some balance/harmony and the stems settle in, its going to be a wonderful bottle. Glad I bought all that I could.
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This is in a great place right now. Ripe, deep red fruits, some minerals, and nice acidity make this a fun, young Rhys. Addicting and gulpable. Medium bodied and open for business, this paired great with braised shortribs.
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Popped and poured, given about 2 hours aeration over the course of the evening, but no decanting. I haven't touched any of the Rhys '08s yet, trying to heed Kevin's advice that they need time and the '09s are much more open for business currently. Though I own a ridiculous amount of Rhys, I've only actually sampled a few (such is the nature of the blind faith myself and others put into this operation), and the only other FF I've tried is the '04. As expected, the Rhys team seems to have fine-tuned their winemaking over the past 5 years, and this edition seems more elegant, nuanced, and leaning less toward the riper "black fruit" end of the spectrum than the '04. Noticeable whole-cluster on the nose gives a stemmy/earthy impression initially, which seems to better integrate with aeration. Also, the wood is more obvious initially, but again, integrates over time. Red cherry, pomegranate, and floral notes on the palate with a medium-long finish and (as expected) not a trace of heat given the 13.4% alcohol. Balanced and accessible now, though with sufficient stuffing to improve with mid-term aging. While delicious, this seems to fall short of the complexity and minearality I've experienced in other Rhys vineyards, but lovely nonetheless. As a sign of a truly great wine, my wife finished her glass before mine.
Drank in increments over 3 days...best on Day 3. First 2 days it showed aromas of raspberry liquer, spice, woodsy cologne, new wood, a bit stemmy. This wine is very structured and has the stuffing to age for a bit. On day 3 the wine has softened a bit and has beautiful aromas of dried flowers, wood, spice box. Once it opened up, this wine blind could be mistaken as a burg.
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Opened and poured, the wine showed in an open, accessible style. The aromatics are detailed and provide red cherry, floral and spice notes with an underlying stem element. The color is a medium to dark ruby that is appropriate for the wines age. The medium bodied palate shows detail, balance and length on the finish. The tannins are well rounded and subtle with acidity present on the finish. This drinks well now and should benefit from an additional year or two of bottle age.
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I normally don't open the Rhys offerings this early, with the exception of the former Alesia line. But I was encouraged by the newsletter accompanying the shipment that suggested that the '09's could be consumed younger than normal. So, here we go:
On the nose - aromatic, perfumed, stems, spice. On the palate, richer and more lush than I was expecting. But that's probably a function of comparing this the Alesia bottlings I'm more familiar with. Mid-weight, but it feels heavier than that. Acids are subdued, but come across as more of an independent component rather than married into the body of the wine. This is very approachable now, all-in-all fairly integrated for a wine this young. That said, I think that a couple of years will further improve this wine. 91 points for now, 93+ points for potential.
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Pretty, medium-red color, with a touch of purple. Reticent nose, opening eventually to red fruit and spice. Elegant, noticeable tannins and stems, only showing a hint of sweetness with black cherry, cranberry toward the finish. Enjoyable now, and will improve with time.
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Rhys (Peking Duck House): Both of these 2009s were very austerely structured with tough, drying tannin that made it difficult to get a read on them and the stem influence still very much front and center. They also haven't quite fully integrated the wood yet. Here it manifests as a chocolatey flavor on the entry with the fruit sweetening up and coming to the foreground only on the finish. In proportions this is more slender and elegant than the Swan but it closes down in the glass and the structure takes over.
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Rhys Visit--All The 2009s From Bottle! (Rhys Estate (At The Winery)): 13.3%, 35% new oak, 100% whole cluster. Notably stemmy, kind of a soily/mulch note, what Tyler Rico (who was tasting with us) called "peat moss" or "peaty". He nailed it. Plump, juicier texture with a good size dollop of rocks. Zippy black cherry, strawberry, light pepper and cranberry. I love the rocky aspect of this wine.
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Tasted during pickup day. Wines were opened 24hr ahead of time, and slow-oxed. Powdery, open cherry fruit on the nose. Very fine and dusty tannins. Good structure. Light-medium weight which is a bit of a contrast compared to the overt aromas. Seems to be drinking better earlier than in previous vintages.
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Nose - incense/lavender/green wood, restrained dark purple fruit, pomegranate. Very floral with a delicate astringency. Lavender, purple basil, pomegranate, green wood and smoke, underlying hints of jujube and boysenberry, with cinnamon and lemon zest on the finish. Drink '14-'26.
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Rhys Pickup Day (Rhys Winery, Santa Cruz Mtns.): Explosive nose of sweet cherries, cherry licorice and a bit of menthol. Light to medium body, black cherries, cedar, juicy acidity and a bit of tannins on the finish. Good, but for my palate it needs some time for the stems and oak to integrate.
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Tasted at the Rhys pickup event, and no notes taken. This wine was loaded with sweet spice on the nose. While it does show some deep red/black fruit, apparently is was bottled just a couple of weeks ago, and it seemed a bit disjointed and difficult to evaluate. But it clearly does have some nice underlying material.
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11/14/2023 - grafstrb wrote: flawed
Bretty, but drinkable.
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2/15/2023 - Charlie Carnes wrote:
Too bad for FF 2009😫
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1/13/2023 - JRB1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
My first of several. Plummy, purple fruit flavors, medium plus body, plush but acidity makes it lively rather than heavy and….a slight bit of Brett or stem gives this complexity.
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8/19/2022 - grafstrb wrote: flawed
Bretty
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8/19/2022 - yaCellar Likes this wine: 94 Points
These have begun showing Brett/funk, but this bottle is clean. My first without the horseshit kiss. PnP. Forest floor, wet sticks, and a bramble pie cooling by a distant window. This is Autumn Pinot at its most perfect. Plush mouthfeel with viscosity like a mild reduction (not reductive). While the tannin has faded, the concentration provide more than expected structure.
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6/11/2022 - andrewdodd86 wrote: flawed
Undrinkable and flawed. VA on the nose. Funk barnyard on the palate. Got way worse with air.
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5/30/2022 - yaCellar Likes this wine: 92 Points
Little bretty
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5/26/2022 - dougie Does not like this wine: 80 Points
Bad! First Brett bottle one after a few good ones.
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2/5/2022 - SB5784 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark ruby red in color. Nose of dark red and black fruits. Spice. Especially as it’s opened the spice and secondary notes have come out. Lots of wood smoke, and some thing green (herbs?) but in a good way. On the palate, dark red fruit driven with good density and grip. Touch of spice. A backbone of acid and rip tannin structure that is well integrated. This is clearly made in a warmer climate, but is very well balanced with mid palate concentration and mineral lift. Decent length on a fruit driven finish. In a good drinking window right now.
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1/2/2022 - mclanew Likes this wine: 95 Points
Popped and poured. This needed about twenty minutes of air to get to its best. Beautiful, ethereal floral nose. The wine is medium bodied, silky and red fruited. Red cherry, herbs and spice. The wine is really well integrated and focused with good balance and acidity. This is in a perfect drinking window now.
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12/21/2021 - grafstrb wrote: flawed
Bretty.
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11/7/2021 - dave kammerer Likes this wine: 94 Points
Fantastic bottle, pure intense fruit tannins resolved, this is why I bought lots of Rhys. I wish all of the bottlings were this good.
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10/13/2021 - jwebtx wrote: flawed
Flawed. Band-aid. Shrill.
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9/10/2021 - galewskj wrote: 89 Points
Pop and pour. Here's a restrained central coast pinot noir that is well balanced. It's pleasant enough, it doesn't have the nuance, lift or interest that I want in a $60 pinot noir. You might call it Burgundian but its missing the stony minerality.
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8/24/2021 - llink wrote:
Popped and poured. Lot's of Brett, not a great bottle. Fruit is mellowing, saved 1/2 for another day.
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12/29/2020 - pbaek wrote:
This has a green note on the nose, bell pepper or something like that. There’s also notes of red fruit, tomato and earth. Lean body, light and airy, shows lovely, spicy fruit and eucalyptus on the palate combined with chalk. The fruit is still primary and so this will develop more complexity with additional age in the cellar. Great wine.
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12/14/2020 - Nanda wrote:
While this has had brett issues and this bottle isn’t immune, it’s just a very slight note and mostly fades with air. I’m not sure I’d even call brett, without knowledge of the history. Black cherry and toasted herbs aromas. Gevrey-like meaty palate flavors with serious concentration and density. Long, dense and power packed finish. Balancing structure suggests this can not only hold for a decade+, but also gain more nuance.
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11/11/2020 - ljl203 wrote: 89 Points
Band-aids, armpits, and sour cherries. I guess that's Brett. Spicy, drinkable enough.
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10/19/2020 - bobpsi Likes this wine:
PnP. Moderate nose of dark cherry, baking spice and a hint of brett. Still strong spine of acidity, supporting black fruits, spice and floral notes. Drinking well at age 11.
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7/10/2020 - Dmax808 wrote: 91 Points
Probably waited too long for this one. Faded fruit and none of the lively acidity from its younger self.
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4/26/2020 - James Kim Likes this wine: 92 Points
Stood up for several weeks and decanted off sediment. Now 2h later. Aromas of the barest hint of barnyard brett, black cherries, blackberries, just a bare hint of balsamic vinegar, mild stems, and mild sous bois. Nice elegant, balanced palate w black cherries, ripe blackberries, bark, stems, mild earth and hints of sous bois. Medium+ body with nice acids and mild tannins give structure to the wine. Nice finish of blackberries, stems, earth, and a bit of sous bois. Nice balance with some elegance. Getting some aged characteristics and entering its optimal drinking window for my palate. Wish I had another bottle to open in 2-3 years. Lovely tonight though.
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3/20/2020 - rcg62 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Pretty cool, smells (barn) and looks like an aged burg. Color still great. Drinking great. Black dried cherry. Lingers!
I see others talk about the Brett here. And yeah I guess that’s the barn there. But think it works here.
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3/14/2020 - jjct wrote:
This bottle was marred by brett.
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3/5/2020 - jjct Likes this wine:
Very open and relaxed. Pretty, fresh fruit. I didn't detect any sign of bret.
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2/29/2020 - BHP1994 wrote:
Another Brett bummer...
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1/16/2020 - jlm wrote:
My last bottle, and this was the only one of three I would say showed any significant brett. The nose was quite barnyardy and funky, not necessarily unpleasant, but definitely enough to obscure the fruit and any expression of the vineyard. That palate too was affected by the brett, with barnyard and a sight medicinal quality overriding any sense of bottle sweetness. Reading this note, it sounds worse than the wine in fact was. But nonetheless, it wasn't what it should have been.
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12/24/2019 - mclanew Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful floral aromas of cherries, nutmeg and spice come from the nose. Medium bodied, very pure and transparent, this wine is elegant and silky having reached early maturity. Layers of cherries, raspberry, with modest earthy secondary chrachteristic just starting to come to the fore. Very good but I think it’s best will be over the next five years.
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11/28/2019 - huberww wrote: flawed
brett bomb!! yuck!
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9/22/2019 - Matt T wrote: 88 Points
Mature with slightly oxidized color. Pleasant nose reminiscent of burgundy. A bit of acid and some soil and mineral notes, but somewhat short on the finish. Somewhat simple. I wouldn't hold on to these.
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9/18/2019 - glou.sf Likes this wine:
Great to taste this again after 4+ years, although I only got to taste it on day 2 after opening. Underwood, dark cherries, smoke, and definitely getting the brett on the nose. However, I don’t find it off putting. In fact, it tastes like a great French red! Lovely palate of dark cherries and berries with some more underwood flavors. Good finish. Rhys recalled this, but I actually really like it and much prefer it to the 2010 Alpine next to it (although that may have been an off bottle). 94
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8/13/2019 - Tubulus wrote: flawed
One of the Brett bombs.
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6/12/2019 - Matt T wrote: 89 Points
Fading slightly with slight browning on the rim and showing signs of oxidization. Moderate complexity with a short to medium finish. This bottle was well-advanced and it indicates this wine is on the back slope of its life.
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6/7/2019 - dougie wrote: 90 Points
Good. Not bretty.
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4/6/2019 - theRealPepe Likes this wine:
Strong darker red color. Nice nose of herbs and fruit. Palate has stemmy, savory and spicy fruit along with some earth and a little brett to add interest. This magnum was drunk a week ago along with a plethora of other wines of varying pedigree. It held up well against the finest. It was Excellent.
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2/24/2019 - Bordeauxman wrote: 93 Points
This wine was singing! Nose of violets and strawberries. Delicate but long taste of cherries and strawberries. Crisp finish.
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2/15/2019 - WetRock wrote:
Strong note of band-aidy, sweaty brett. Strong on the palate as well. This marred the wine pretty heavily even for my bretty tolerant palate.
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1/12/2019 - James Kim Likes this wine: 92 Points
At Mr. Wok's w Brian, Monica and Christie. Decanted 2 h prior to bringing to restaurant. Aromas of baking spices, earth, mild stems, ripe cherries, and a hint of brett. Palate showed more red cherries, earth, bark, baking spices. Mild tannins on the midpalate. Nice acids with excellent depth. More bass notes than the Anthill Farms Anderson Valley but also more concentration and depth of flavors also. Very enjoyable.
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12/23/2018 - Cote d'Or wrote:
PopnPour, tasted over 2 hrs
-med dark red minimal edge clearing
-expressive pretty, dusty black cherry, raspberry hard candy, oak spice, and prominent wet stone
-med acidity, med weight frame holds a densely packed mid-palate full of sweet black cherry rhubarb, noticeable but not terribly intrusive oak and med/med- chewy tannins adorn the long-ish finish
-little if any brett in this bottle, complex lovely and still early on its mature plateau, hopefully the oak will further integrate
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11/24/2018 - Brian Love wrote:
Not that interesting. Disappointed.
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10/10/2018 - gbauer wrote:
Another one without brett. The non-bretty bottles of this have been great.
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8/8/2018 - gzim Likes this wine: 90 Points
Was concerned at first, lots of bricking, and kinda bretty... seemed a little dumb, just not much there. After about 30 minutes, I think the color improved, as I am sure the palate did! lots of dark berry fruit, with a very nice touch of wood and crisp finish. At the end of the bottle it seemed like there was a lot of life left.... Big changes over the 2 hours we follow it.
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7/27/2018 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 88 Points
Light to medium bodied. The fruit is a bit muted- this doesn't have the intensity of our last bottle for a year or so ago. Not aging as well as I'd expect from this producer.
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7/23/2018 - indiscriminate palate wrote:
Rieslingfan’s note is spot on. Like a light, bretty chateuneuf. Rich, dark fruit, reasonable structure. Yummy, but weird.
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7/13/2018 - DugyDog Likes this wine: 93 Points
Incredible - yes there is some barnyard/brett but not at all over the top. Earthiness, mushrooms, dark but not over ripe fruit. delicious
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5/6/2018 - tanglenet wrote: flawed
M&A brought to an offline.
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3/30/2018 - Schwarzer Hund Likes this wine:
We have opened 2 out of 9 bottles so far. Neither had signs of brett.
Dark red color, Spicy red fruit with a touch of floral scent, medium weight red berry fruit, nice acidity, long fruity & spicy finish. Hope the next 7 bottles are clean as the first 2!
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3/29/2018 - floydtp wrote: flawed
Brett
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3/26/2018 - BHP1994 wrote:
Totally agree with Floyd on 3/11/18. Absolute Brett. Undrinkable.
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3/11/2018 - floydtp wrote: flawed
Most expensive bottle of band aids I've ever had.
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3/10/2018 - amoryb Likes this wine:
A lot of barnyard and mushroom on the nose, almost like a chinon, but not so that I would call it flawed. Cherry with a tiny bit of spice on the finish. Would call the nose more interesting than the wine but a pretty good bottle all told.
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1/19/2018 - Cote d'Or wrote: flawed
Just came across that this wine was recalled by Rhys so I decided to pop a bottle and check it out. Moderately affected by the Band-Aid-y version of brett which was too bad because it did fairly detract from the pretty red fruit underneath that seemed like it would be lovely.
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1/16/2018 - Rieslingfan wrote:
If you served me this wine blind, I would guess funky Chateauneuf, or maybe something a little slicker, perhaps Crozes but still with a serious, funky bent. So this is clearly one of the brett affected bottles, but interesting in its own right. It’s just not what I want from Pinot Noir.
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12/6/2017 - Dwey wrote: flawed
brett bottle, flawed
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11/27/2017 - dbkitc wrote: flawed
Another disappointing bottle of brett dominated Rhys from 2009. Too bad.
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11/21/2017 - mdefreitas wrote: flawed
Very bretty bottle.
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11/13/2017 - RajivAyyangar wrote: 90 Points
MNB: Whole cluster in Pinot (Home (Noe st)): (blind)
Medium ruby - a bit dark in hue, slightly cloudy. Slight red - age at the rim.
Ripe deep black and red cherry and ripe Ranier cherry / peach with modest dog fur Brett. Liquorice and road tar. Slight confected cherry. Slight bacterial lambic peanut - maybe low sulfur? The spicy brett and smoky reduction are well-integrated. This is a tasty nose. Does this have terpenes? Maybe - a floral dried peach note. Herbaceousness/stems? The nose has a savory tamari cherry that sucks you in.
On the palate, medium minus body, 13% alcohol (actually 13.4%). Ripe black cherry and well-integrated furry brett. elevated acid, medium minus tannins - a bit papery and coarse.
Neutral oak.
50% whole cluster - there's a bit of a confected cherry.
Burgundy 2015 - ripe year but lower quality (no oak) - village level. Nuits-St.-George? (rustic tannins).
This is very well integrated and complex - if a low-sulfur wine, it's really impressing me.
Actually 2009 Rhys family farm
100% whole cluster
40% new French oak.
Never would have guessed Rhys! I think the Brett is unusual but this is a great wine.
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11/10/2017 - mdefreitas wrote: 90 Points
The color is still showing a youngish wine, ruby red with just a bit of lightening on the rim. Cherry and plums with a hint of herbs, Slightly stemmy with bit of earth. There was a bit of noticeable alcohol that made this a bit sharp on the palate. I was also able to detect a very slight whiff of brett, but this was by no means unenjoyable. A rather pleasant accompaniment to food.
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10/1/2017 - Frank Murray III wrote: flawed
Rhys @ My Place--Part 3 (My House In The South OC): This was flawed, and it showed the brett that has been affirmed by the winery previously.
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8/23/2017 - dougie Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very nice. Changed over 4 hours. 2 for 2 so far!
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8/16/2017 - floydtp wrote: flawed
Brett bomb. This is the worst one I have had so far.
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6/27/2017 - pbaek wrote:
Restrained, cool Pinot Noir. Well structured, focused red garden fruit. More relaxed and giving now but still running on its fruit. More complexity to come, no hurry. At home with the boys.
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6/16/2017 - wineaux2 wrote:
My last '09 FF, which was not brett afflicted. I had good luck in that department as 3 out of my 4 bottles were clean. This one exhibited a prominent strawberry candy note from the get-go with some complementary earth, smoky leaves and cedar notes. On day 2, this had a trace of heat showing. At 13.4% abv, that was a surprise, though maybe not given it's an '09 wine. Also, flavor profile was less candied with cherry and tea added to the mix. Overall, another Rhys I preferred much more in its youth, so I'm glad I opened this sooner rather than later. It made a nice pairing with mushroom ravioli, so I did enjoy it well enough. But, prefer not to drink pinot with candied fruit flavors.
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6/12/2017 - Richard P Howden Likes this wine: 91 Points
Consistent with last bottle. Very good. Youthful and yet silky and open.
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6/3/2017 - Acohen Likes this wine: 92 Points
Rich cherry with earthy mushroom notes
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5/28/2017 - kthornton78 wrote:
vibrant with notes of eucalyptus and crushed raspberry on the nose. the palate follows suit with red fruit, anise, and just enough acid and tannin to hold the fruit in check. really enjoyable.
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5/24/2017 - Nanda wrote: flawed
Rhys 08/09/10 (Sun Wah BBQ, Chicago, IL): Full nose has a good dose of bretty horsiness, which does not ruin the wine but certainly brings the feel into the darker/blacker cherry spectrum. A bit more richness and density when compared to the 08 tasted side by side. Again the brett notes bring an earthier, darker taste profile. Tasted in a vacuum, this is solid wine. And it's not as bretty as other 09 FF bottles that I've had, but within the flight it's clear that it's defective and not as the winemakers intended.
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5/24/2017 - acyso wrote: 85 Points
The Rotating Dinners, II.1: Rhys, 2008-10 (Chicago, IL): Not the brett bomb that some people have experienced, though there is definitely some of that here. However, this is mostly a plodding dull thud of a pinot. It lacks the lift and relative freshness of the 2008 and 2010. This is definitely a bit lacking in acidity as well, perhaps the best bet is to wait and see what happens with this.
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5/24/2017 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 90 Points
Medium bodied. Almost a syrah like profile of black olive tamponade, bacon and black cherry flavors. There are some firm tannins on the long finish. A bit atypical, but a nice bottle of wine-drank better alone than when paired with a pork roast dish.
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3/3/2017 - Blue Shorts Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent wine.
Popped and poured. Nice blend of fresh fruit and a touch of earth. This wine is in its infancy. It started to open up after about 2 hours.
Let it rest for a few more year, and even then, give it some air.
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2/4/2017 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 95 Points
Medium dark ruby, translucent. Pronounced aromas of charred wood, blackberries, plums, leather and tobacco. Similar flavor characteristics, in a full-bodied but very balanced and smooth style. The flavors become more intense over 30 seconds, then into a deep, dark, smoky, slightly hot aftertaste. As an unknown, I would have with some confidence identified this as a CNDP. It's so characteristic of an excellent Pegau or Beaucastel. I've never tasted a pinot noir like this. In fact, I had to check the bottle (twice!) to be sure it's not a syrah or blend. Overall: excellent wine in the glass, just not at all characteristic of pinot noir.
Ric
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1/15/2017 - dougie Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very nice. No Brett. Has a ways to go.
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1/11/2017 - Jumron Likes this wine: 94 Points
After many years, this is the wine that made post my first TN on CT. I liked it so much that I wants to see how others had reviewed it and it's clear that it is a very controversial wine. No Brett here at all - just red fruit, Earth, smoke, terrific acidity and clearly a wine that has many years to go. I'm a Rhys fan in general but I was stunned by this one. The 94 may be too low...
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1/8/2017 - Tree512 wrote: flawed
Definitely ready to drink with red fruits that are a bit candied. NR because this bottle had a ton of brett, so much that I actually found it a flaw (and I like brett). Hopefully the rest of the bottles will be more transparent.
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12/20/2016 - rcg62 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Big black cherry nose with sweet candy notes. Palate loaded with dark tart fruits, some smoke too. Tasty but maybe a little sweetness.
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12/18/2016 - mdaniel wrote: flawed
Tried both of the two bottles I purchased through the winery and both had brett all over them. Disappointed that neither was good to go to pair with my wife's Guinness Shepherds Pie.
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12/17/2016 - Richard P Howden Likes this wine: 92 Points
5th of 6, another pristine bottle. Very youthful red fruit and cherry nose, hints of smoke and leather. Palate rich, more red fruit, terrific tang and bite, open and sparkling. Yummy with pork hash. This has been improving the last few years, would be great in 5 or 10, but won't have any left.
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11/27/2016 - theRealPepe Likes this wine: 91 Points
2nd 2009 FF in 4 days. There was some cherry and spice on the nose, but I mostly got notes of earth and mild barnyard. Like the last bottle it was a structured Pinot, again with dark red fruit, savory tones but this time with a touch of barnyard. This one wasn't quite as good as the first one from 4 days ago. Even so this was a very nice Pinot. Excellent.
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11/24/2016 - dhammer53 wrote: flawed
I had brett issues with this bottle. As time went on (90 minutes), the brett was more pronounced. When this happened with my last bottle, Rhys credited me immediately. When I contacted them this time, I asked to pay the difference for a '14 Alpine Chard instead of a credit. I just want to thank them publically for standing behind their wine. I was so hoping the FF would be enjoyed with family on Thanksgiving.
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11/24/2016 - theRealPepe wrote: 92 Points
My first Family Farm and happy to have held. Opened the bottle and smelled spice and red fruit compote maybe some earth and forest tones. No merde. Passed the bottle around to the family: "Anyone smell any merde? No?" Getting to this point I poured a taste and found a structured Pinot, likely from stem inclusion, with dark red fruit, and spice and earth tones just about merging into savory. This had some power but with that Burgundian lightness of body. Bravo! And bravo Rhys for standing behind your wine, giving me the confidence to hold it, despite all the bad bottles, knowing you would make good if it was one of them. Excellent.
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11/13/2016 - gutt22 Likes this wine:
13.4% alcohol. Dark cherry color. Really gorgeous nose of cherry stone, black cherry, earthy spice, and minerals. In the mouth, plush and quite ripe seeming, with black cherry fruit showing a good degree of richness, buttressed by plenty of earth and spice. Good acidity and a quite good tannic grip on the finish. This is really pretty and not going anywhere soon. A-
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11/2/2016 - gzim Likes this wine: 88 Points
Sweet round fruit, a bit too new world for me. Need more structure and zing for balance.
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10/20/2016 - Nutty08 wrote: flawed
Spritzy, with thin metallic palate. Clearly brett afflicted and not enjoyable compared to my last bottle (and I am rather brett tolerant in Rhone!)
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9/21/2016 - beezer6 wrote: flawed
Flawed. (George) Brett.
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9/15/2016 - redwhiteandrich Likes this wine: 92 Points
Woot woot. No Brett in sight. Wish I held, so good.
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8/13/2016 - GoBlue2002 wrote: 88 Points
Mixed California Tasing: Tasting pour.
Odd bottle -- the group discussed whether it was flawed but in the end decided against it.
Definitely Burgundian in style, but even so this just lacked fruit and acidity, although it did show some spice.
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8/6/2016 - mclanew wrote: 93 Points
Showing very nice and Aging gracefully. Strawberry, minerals, forest floor. Wonderful balance for a California Pinot with a touch of the Grace and lightness that make French burgundies great while still having that great ripe California fruit intensity.
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8/5/2016 - zinnut wrote: 88 Points
I really don't get this wine. Brett? I am not sure I know what it is but there is definitely some funk, barnyard type smell. The fruit profile is just not what I like in a pinot. If it's flawed, then maybe I should not have scored it. I have been disappointed in several bottlings by this producer.
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5/27/2016 - jehirsch wrote: flawed
Undrinkable- brett. Poured it down the drain. First of 3 bottles.
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3/29/2016 - slmral wrote: flawed
Brett. Drinkable, brett was not above my tolerance level, but flawed. First two bottles from the case were OK. Still showing that "stemmy" characteristic.
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2/26/2016 - marka wrote: 90 Points
Earthy, dried cherries. Wonderfully aromatic nose. After 3.5 hours, some acidity started to show.
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2/23/2016 - Dale B. wrote:
On the 11th bottle of a case, this wine was been like playing Russian roulette. When on, it's great, when off, it can be a Brett bomb, and everywhere in between. Last night this was definitely ON. Lovely nose of spice, mostly red fruits, and something almost like cedar. Great tangy fruit, softish tannins, and a smooth finish with just the right amount of acid and length. I think I'll hold my last bottle with the hope it too is special.
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1/17/2016 - Jahull03 wrote:
Had a good one 2 years ago... Unfortunately this one was dominated by Brett.
Winery was beyond responsive/accommodating in replacing with current vintage
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1/16/2016 - marka wrote: 91 Points
Save the next one until 2020. This has great acidity, good fruit, and an enjoyable balance. It had some funk at the start that we rather enjoyed. It blew off and was a good wine that I am not all that capable of describing several days after the fact.
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1/4/2016 - dbkitc wrote: 89 Points
Good purity but lacked some generosity. I think a few more years will do this wine some good. (89+)
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1/2/2016 - mhauser Does not like this wine:
Disappointing. Similar to others, the Brett just kills the wine. Flabby, lacking acidity, fruit is masked by the funk.
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12/23/2015 - pjhr wrote: flawed
Beyond my tolerance for Brett!
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12/10/2015 - missionpk wrote: flawed
Brett.
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11/22/2015 - RonniePiemonte wrote: 90 Points
Beautifully made wine. Brilliant clear ruby color. Slightest effervescence.
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11/19/2015 - SimonG wrote: 91 Points
Rhys @ QCH (Quality Chop House, London): Ripe, almost cola cube nose.denser and riper than the 08; darker fruited. A less clean line here. Mellows with air, but still not the class of the 08. ****
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11/2/2015 - xwine wrote: flawed
Horribly bretty. Undrinkable. A shame that this bottling has had issues, given that everything else I've had from Rhys has been anywhere from very good to absolutely stunning.
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11/1/2015 - Dave Canada wrote: 93 Points
This wine is spectacular....bring me all your brett tainted bottles....spectacular cali pinot
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10/26/2015 - rosenst1 wrote: 92 Points
PnP. Medium light ruby. Faint nose, red fruits, touch of funk. Lovely on the palate full but light, gorgeous balance, with a slight tightness on the finish which may dissipate with more air, but as noted previously no real tannins to resolve. Finish does soften with time and air - not a very complex wine but lovely nevertheless. No Brett in this bottle!
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9/29/2015 - pjhr wrote: flawed
Wife poured this one down the drain!
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9/21/2015 - wineaux2 wrote: flawed
Previously have had two non-brett inflicted '09 FF bottles, which were probably the most charming and interesting FF's I've experienced to date. This one was tainted with the brett: a muddled mix of barnyard notes with muted red fruits. Drinkable but not really enjoyable.
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9/21/2015 - pakabear wrote: flawed
Corked unfortunately. However the winery was extremely helpful, quick to respond and offered a current year replacement. I was really looking forward to having this as it was aged nicely in my cellar but Rhys is a great Winery and great customer service.
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9/19/2015 - Nutty08 wrote: flawed
Would I have noticed the mild brett influence if I didn't know to look for it? Probably not, as it was still enjoyable, though maybe not to the level expected. Dark ruby color. Black cherry, spice, and funk on the nose. Palate was fine, concentrated dark red fruits, with a distinct Rhone-like quality that seemed to mute things slightly. moderate fruit and chalky finish. Structure was much softer than my last bottle 4yrs ago, but I think the known brett contamination took some of the shine off this one.
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9/15/2015 - Reno Wine Enthusiast Likes this wine: 90 Points
Was concerned given previous posts but was fortunate that this bottle was not flawed. Yes, a different pinot style, but still full of fruit and nice clean finish. A bit more earthy than other Cali pinots that I've had but felt it was a well made and enjoyable.
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9/15/2015 - pjhr wrote: flawed
Less Brett than the last 3 bottles. Barnyard, red cherries, and stem notes on the nose and palate with a refreshing finish. Went surprisingly well with a black bean soup.
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9/6/2015 - Chrisinroch wrote: flawed
Brett. I'd forgotten about previous experiences when I popped this.
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9/4/2015 - Louvin Does not like this wine:
Of the 4 bottles of this, this is the worst performing one todate. More brett though not really excessive, and a bit more oak showing or perhaps just less fruit showing. In any event not going in a good way if this is an indicator.
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8/3/2015 - BurgFan wrote: 88 Points
Decanted after noticing over powering Oak. - way to much (No brett for me). Even after 24 hours fruit mas masked. Hard to imagine I'm the only one.
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7/17/2015 - kultcha wrote: flawed
Not as bad as some bottles but definitely full of brett.
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6/28/2015 - BobS Does not like this wine:
Brett - 4 of last 4
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6/28/2015 - BobS Does not like this wine:
Brett again
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6/28/2015 - BobS wrote:
Brett - 1st bottle opened, not a good omen....
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5/18/2015 - Wine_in_HD wrote: 91 Points
A bit brambly, you could definitely taste the stems that the wine was fermented with. Interesting and with good fruit flavors.
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4/24/2015 - T.J.Burn wrote: flawed
The Brett monster got this one. Still has nice dark fruit, but the red fruit and spice are not there, and the Brett funk takes their spot at the table. Might be an interesting ringer in a Rhone tasting.
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4/24/2015 - alpha_ori wrote: 92 Points
This wine is like chamber music: each taste element playing a part, chiming in at just the right time: red fruit, acid, stem, moss. A thoughtful bottling.
Also: no brett in this bottle.
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4/13/2015 - pjhr wrote: flawed
Another bottle marred by Brett.
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4/8/2015 - dbkitc wrote: 90 Points
I can certainly see the "California Burgundy" moniker that this wine receives by some. There was nice pure California fruit buffered by a dose of stems and nice supporting acid. Reserved and youthful, I believe the wine will age very well and transform into something more complex. (90+?)
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2/8/2015 - Rieslingfan wrote: flawed
One of the brett bombs.
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1/18/2015 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 94 Points
At first, nose was dominated by brett (although not enough to call it flawed), but the smell went completely away after 2-3 hours. After 2 hours: complex nose of cherries, mushrooms, red berries. Lovely palate with long finish and medium+ tannins.
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1/17/2015 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Rhys Tasting With The Gang--Part 2 (My Place): We opened two bottles of this, as one of the guys brought a backup. I've not been a fan of this wine and last night again confirmed my same feeling. This wine just exhibits a level of barnyard that I don't care for. One bottle is showed much stronger, less so on the other and there was some talk that the latter bottle was TCA'd but I smell tested both bottles at the end of the night when I was cleaning up and they both had levels of that aromatic. There was fruit in the better bottle, showing black cherry, strawberry but then saddle.
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1/8/2015 - JFish Does not like this wine:
This is the first bottle I've opened that has been too bretty to enjoy. The underlying fruit was barely recognizable. This reminded me of my last bottle of Pegau, and not in a good way.
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1/7/2015 - beau11 wrote: 92 Points
Initially strong earthy aromas which others have pointed out as heavy brett. The slight brettiness blew off after 30 mins and opened up beautifully with nice complex smooth red fruits. Drinking well now
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12/10/2014 - SonnyChiba wrote: 92 Points
Was nervous about the 2 bottles I got after seeing all the reviews but it seems I lucked out. The wine developed very nicely in the glass and after about 2-3 hours was really hitting well. Very complex nose that would fool me for a burgundy as it was earthy but surrounded by subtle fruit flavors like strawberry, raspberry, some minerality. Very smooth and soft on the palate, low acidity, not overly rich but picked up some weight in mid palate. This is a very nice wine and much more Burgundian in style compared to a lot of other CA pinots.
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12/9/2014 - peternelson wrote: 91 Points
Fairly dense, but with space between; lovely perfume; blueberry, raspberry, rhubarb subtle sweet ripeness but not all spice and oak or overt fruitiness. Enjoyed the balanced. Brian and Jen's.
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12/2/2014 - grafstrb wrote: flawed
-- popped and poured --
-- tasted non-blind over approx. 3.5 hours --
NOSE: high-toned florals; pomegranate; a noticeable gamey quality.
BODY: dark ruby color of medium-shallow to medium depth; medium-light bodied.
TASTE: muted fruits; hint of stems; hint of very fine tannin; 13.4% alc. not noticeable; good acidity; moderate brett; nice little floral spiciness on the mid-palate; mostly red-fruited, but perhaps just barely ticking into the purple fruits spectrum; seems like good raw material here, but the brett is strong enough to be both distracting and unfortunate.
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12/1/2014 - pjhr wrote: flawed
Less Brett than the last bottle, but the palate and finish were a bit thin.
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11/27/2014 - DRS-Inc wrote: flawed
Had with Thanksgiving dinner. Dry, tannic, subdued & overly bretty -- like being in a pony stable. Detracted from what was underneath, hoped for a better showing.
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11/27/2014 - jwsmith wrote: 92 Points
Really nice a little heavy great wine
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11/26/2014 - IamNotDrinkingAny#@!%Merlot wrote: 88 Points
Disappointing. While a very nice Pinot, not nearly as interesting or complex as the 2010 Alpine Vineyard (which was stunning) we had alongside this. The Family Farm was almost muted, wondering if it may be in a closed stage right now? At 5 years I'd assume it should be tasting great. Alas, this was my only bottle...
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11/26/2014 - rdsboca Likes this wine: 90 Points
Looks like I won the lottery with a bottle without any issues. It is a bit rustic but I am enjoying it. Somewhat restrained dark red fruit with great structure. Either I have a high tolerance for Brett or this bottle is unscathed.
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11/14/2014 - Chrisinroch wrote: flawed
Yup. a good bit of brett, but the bigger issue was that the wine had a plummy quality. This faded a bit as it got more air, but it was anything but elegant that I expect from Rhys. Direct purchase and cellared since then. Will try a different bottle
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11/12/2014 - BonnieM wrote:
Brett
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11/12/2014 - BonnieM wrote:
All three bottles I had Brett affected - :-(
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11/2/2014 - Mike V wrote: flawed
omg I do not like this. Poop on the nose can't get past it. Mag left
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10/12/2014 - cpsmith33 wrote: 90 Points
I guess I am lucky in that 2 for 2 don't have this brett issue. Nice solid Burgundian style Pinot. Not as complex as I wanted and seems young but needed to try again. Not great QPR but well made Pinot.
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9/18/2014 - YankeeClipper wrote:
Despite critics rave reviews this producers wines continue to fall short of expectations. 2 hours of decanting may have been too much for this one to handle. Brooding color, lacking on the nose and palate with an almost syrah texture but with flat characteristics. Didn't stand a chance against similar vintage Neely produced on vineyard likely no more than 5 miles away as the crow flies. Definitely one of the weaker sibling wines from Rhys.
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9/17/2014 - Screameagle wrote: 88 Points
Joan liked this wine quite a bit but it sure didn't impress me. It was not flawed just not very enjoyable to me.
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9/16/2014 - Lanny21 wrote:
Great bottle
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9/13/2014 - zscheiner Likes this wine:
Decanted an hour before dinner and followed over two more. Dark berry fruit, mix of ripe and tart, layered with savory Indian spices. Maybe a touch darker and riper than my favorite Rhys Pinots but still delicious. Was looking for brett and didn't find it. I guess some of the savory, Indian spices could be brett but they could also be whole cluster influence.
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7/21/2014 - CMN wrote: flawed
One of my contributions that I brought to the Sun Wah Rhys tasting (along with 2008 Horseshoe PN). High levels of Brett masked what I sensed to be good fruit underneath. Was told that this bottling is known for having this problem. Brett detected by several tasters -- it was unmistakeable.
Was a bit disappointing that of 17 bottles at the tasting 3 had flaws (2 corked, 1 Brett). Not a great ratio, but sometimes these things happen.
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7/19/2014 - WG Johns@n wrote: flawed
Russian roulette was unkind to me today with this bottle. Brett was overpowering. I kept the bottle uncorked thinking that it would blow off. Not the case today.
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7/19/2014 - bruce61 wrote: flawed
Unfortunately second of three with high levels of Brett. I will take them up on their prior replacement offer. I neglected to add to this old note how great the customer service of Rhys was. Replaced the bad bottle and exchanged unopened ones that could have been fine. Never had another issue with their bottles!
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7/18/2014 - Nanda wrote:
Nose leads with barnyard and funk notes on top of black cherry fruit and more "hidden" herb notes. Palate has medium rich fruit and good structure ... but the funk is omnipresent. Tasted in a 7-10 Family Farm vertical, this is definitely the oddball with a barnyard/brett issue.
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7/18/2014 - KeithAkers wrote: flawed
An Epic Night of Rhys (Sun Wah BBQ, Chicago IL): Simply put, this was brett riddled. There was some fruit to it underneath and maybe it would've been written off as a funky pinot on its own. But, within the vertical of Family Farms it stood out as a flaw.
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7/4/2014 - mrmedoes wrote: 90 Points
Saw the brett notes but got little if any on this magnum. Smoky and earthy on the nose which got me really excited as an earthy nose is pretty much my go to in pinot. Unfortunately was lacking the depth to carry that, at least night one (saving a little just in case). Some fruit, some acid and a half decent finish, but again missing the depth that would've put it over the top. No sense of heat (mentioned by someone else) or tannins (pretty damned integrated if you ask me).
Day two added a bit of depth, but not enough to change the score.
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5/23/2014 - TLR Likes this wine: 92 Points
wonderful smoky with intense fruit and herbs. Nothing bad about the two bottles I had.
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5/21/2014 - rhit Likes this wine:
Noticeable brett, but not overwhelming and it seemed to blow off. Darker, richer fruit, with that signature mineral tone, and some sap. A touch of heat was noticeable. Not my favorite Rhys.
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5/6/2014 - rosenst1 wrote: 90 Points
PnP. Medium red. Restrained nose - upon vigorous swirling some red fruits, spice, and sandalwood. Full on the palate with lovely grapeiness; long soft finish. This really has changed over the last year. Drinking well now and no apparent tannins to resolve. Not a very complex wine but easy to drink.
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5/2/2014 - B Paul wrote: flawed
This was my last bottle of this wine and sadly it was flawed. All other bottles were great.
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4/6/2014 - kthornton78 wrote:
decanted for a couple of hours. dark cherry, spice, and mint frame the dry extract. really nice wine at this point but with plenty left to give. will wait a few years on my remain gin bottles.
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3/30/2014 - bobdobilina Likes this wine: 91 Points
Deep translucent burgundy at the core to a clear rim.
Powerful nose of wild flowers, dried mint, Chinese five spice, camphor and vanilla.
Silky palate with predominantly red fruits and some wild blackberries. Noticeable spiciness, oak tannins and a bitter note on the end palate that I attribute to whole cluster. Broad shouldered wine, very long with lovely texture. Would benefit from more time to come together.
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3/24/2014 - Lanny21 wrote:
Flaw. I'm 1/3 now good vs evil. The last bottle I had I detected no brett at all, this one is like the first, too bad, because as I know from bottle 2, there is a very nice wine underneath it all. I will say I've never run into issues with any other Rhys bottling and they take care of their customers.
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2/20/2014 - Wblessing wrote: flawed
Flawed
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2/9/2014 - Acohen Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lovely light color with nose of cherry, slight funkiness and cranberry. Had lighter more subtle cherry flavor with some citrus overtones and nice acidity
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2/9/2014 - andrewdodd86 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Like it a lot. Different stylistically than what I normally drink. More balanced, and acidic. Did well with sushi. Wasn't floored however. Lot of hype. Will be intrigued to see how this ages. Subtle fruit.
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2/9/2014 - rustyRudy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Took to a restaurant and popped and poured. Good cork. Modest nose. No Brett in this bottle. Wanted to try this early because of all the posted notes of Brett issues. Soft,elegant, with raspberry and some black raspberry flavors. Hint of vanilla added, light on the acid. In balance.
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1/30/2014 - ron m wrote:
Delicious. About 4 hours in the decanter helped it open up. Nose is restrained with cherries and damp earth. A little bretty but not a problem on this bottle. The palate is elegant and complex with layers of dark cherries. Great concentration and structure. Excellent finish. Long life ahead.
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1/29/2014 - curtispomeroy wrote: flawed
Corked.
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1/19/2014 - dhammer53 wrote: flawed
I'm sorry to say that I had a brett issue with this. I really was looking forward to enjoying this at a dinner party last night. Even my non-geek friends just took a couple of sips before moving on to other bottles that I had available.
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1/17/2014 - pjhr wrote: flawed
Clearly had the silky fruit and structure to develop into an interesting wine, but marred by Brett that taints every aspect of the wine. A disappointment!
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1/17/2014 - xwine wrote: flawed
This is showing some brett. Not overwhelming, but enough to deaden the wine on the nose, and give a bit of that drywall thing on the palate. Some deep fruit underneath it all, but it never gets a chance to truly shine. I was borderline on calling this flawed, but in the final analysis it's distracting enough to call it what it is.
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1/15/2014 - gbauer wrote:
Previous bottles were good (some with a little brett). This is the first one that was obscured by the brett.
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1/10/2014 - fredb Likes this wine:
Dark red color. Ripe cherry aromas with a hint of leather and some toasty vanilla. Palate is a nice mix of blackberry, black raspberry, black cherry, and cherry with some hints of smoke and leather in the background. The brett. on this bottle was less intrusive than past bottles and this is the second-least affected of the four I've consumed. Great when the brett. is in the background (or not there at all). Drink.
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1/3/2014 - silton wrote: flawed
Bretty past my point of tolerance.
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12/26/2013 - Lax wrote: flawed
Heavily impacted by brett. Very unfortunate had to dump this one.
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12/14/2013 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 93 Points
Some highly rated wines on a Saturday afternoon (Patrick's): Another chance to try this wine. I know there is some discussion about the Brett issues and when Dick mentioned that he had returned some, I guessed this must be the wine. Yes, there is some Brett, but not an issue with me or most of us at the table. Ruby in color. The nose is cherries with slight barn yard notes. Cherries and dark cherries on the palate. Nice finish. Still quite young and just starting to develop layers.
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12/8/2013 - soyhead wrote:
great wine, very clean & crisp with impressive concentration of fruit.
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11/29/2013 - shapida wrote: flawed
Flawed bottle
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11/28/2013 - Nanda wrote:
Heavy dose of brett and funk. Difficult to evaluate. I'm not as sensitive and like the funky fruit, but many at our dinner couldn't even drink the wine.
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11/16/2013 - 5laton wrote: flawed
Very different than a previous enjoyable bottle. This one was distinctly bretty with very ripe, almost roasted fruit and blocky structure. Any whole cluster notes seemed subsumed by the brett.
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11/2/2013 - Lessthanzero wrote: flawed
Brett!!!
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10/31/2013 - Dale B. wrote: flawed
Brett has reared it's ugly head with this one.
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10/27/2013 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 92 Points
Wines at Chris and Renee's home. (Chris and Renee's): This bottle had been open for a while. The nose is nice, cherries, dark cherries. A bit tight on the palate, but showing layered complexity. No signs of brett or other flaws. Good fruit. I would hold these at this point.
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10/25/2013 - Lanny21 wrote:
Clean, fantastic bottle. Let these sit.
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10/24/2013 - OneLastSyrah Likes this wine:
13.4% ABV. Translucent ruby garnet in the glass. Light red fruit nose with a touch of brett, earth, and stems. Somewhat feminine, but with some underlying structure. Pretty good. Better with more time I suspect.
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10/22/2013 - gharter wrote: flawed
4 for 4, all Brett, all dumped. Have higher hopes for the last 2.
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10/20/2013 - mye wrote: flawed
Brett filled unfortunately. 2009 is a hit/miss year for this wine..
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10/19/2013 - gbauer wrote:
2 hour double decant. No brett. Showing very nicely with air.
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10/16/2013 - cartime Likes this wine: 90 Points
Enjoyed this more this time around, probably due to the additional bottle age. Ripe cherry and blackberry fruit on the nose with candied violets, baking spices, and a slight hint of Brett that is not dominating at all, but rather adds a nice, earthy complexity. Soft and rich on the palate, with baked raspberry and subtle, sweet spices. Not very long on the finish.
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10/10/2013 - Mike Dildine Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is the last of four bottles and the best - light, focused, with a great acidic backbone.
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10/9/2013 - lolo66 wrote: flawed
Flawed.. Brett.
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10/4/2013 - RussW wrote: flawed
My 2nd bottle. The 1st showed a touch of brett that actually added to the flavor profile. This bottle was too much brett as it overwhelmed any other flavors. Batting .500 with 2 750's and a mag still to go. Definitely a bummer, but no worries as Rhys customer service is world class. Since brett only gets worse with time I'll be consuming the remainder sooner than later.
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10/2/2013 - fredb Likes this wine:
Dark red color with limited transparency. Slight hint of brett on the nose in the form of leather and smoke. Red berry notes join to provide a fruit component to the nose. The palate has the red fruit and brett notes in sufficient balance to keep this enjoyable. While not yet past the point of enjoyment for me, heading that way. Drink up.
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9/30/2013 - Mike Dildine Likes this wine: 91 Points
Clean, lacks a bit of depth in the mid-palate.
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9/27/2013 - Dale B. wrote: 94 Points
After the last 2 bottles were affected with brett, this one was lovely. Bright red fruits surrounded by soft, fine tannins. Opening this wine is a little like playing Russian roulette.
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9/23/2013 - AndrewSGHall Does not like this wine:
Didn't get brett, but the wine was very blocky and chunky and left a stemmy chew in my mouth. I didn't like it.
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9/23/2013 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 91 Points
Wine, Browns and my 55th Birthday (My Home): Beth brought this and was thinking that her bottles of this had been off. For some reason, I don't seem to own any of this (all the other vintages though). Not sure why. Anyway, I thought it was a very nice wine. I found no flaws in it. The nose is earthy, not huge with nice cherries and some macerated cherries. On the palate, it is young and tight but has a nice earthiness. Good cherry fruit. Beth drink a lot of Rhys, but seemed to feel this was a bit more earthy and funky than most. As it was my first time with this vintage, I am curious, but as I say, I thought it was outstanding.
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9/18/2013 - kenhoeve wrote: 93 Points
Plenty of red fruit and spice on the nose, really thought this was clean. Not so on the palate but what a show regardless. There is red fruit and some horse and leather that very elegantly compliments the herbs and earth. Still perfumed and light it shows great elegance with fresh berries in the background. With air it becomes savory, with berries, and a bacon finish with food. There is definitely a touch of brett to this compared to my previous tastes but it integrates so well and provides a food experience that is complimentary. It's like a great slightly tainted Rhone blend but with some beautiful pinot noir sensibility. This was a great bottle because the wine is spectacular and not even a small flaw could mask it.
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9/15/2013 - fredb Likes this wine:
Dark red color with limited transparency. Aromas of cherry, roses, violets, blackberry, and a hint of briar. Palate has a hint of brett in the form of leather and smoked meat, but it isn't enough to detract from the blackberry, cherry, and floral fruit notes that carry into a medium-long finish. Opens with an additional day of air on the leftovers placed back into the cellar. This was not as clean as the first bottle sampled, but still enjoyable. Drink or hold, depending upon your tolerance for brett.
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9/15/2013 - coremill wrote: 90 Points
My experience with Rhys has been a bit hit and miss, but this was a very good bottle. No cola, no gloppiness, not green from the stems. Instead, quite a lot of ripe berry fruit that reminds me most of sweet black raspberries, with good balancing acidity. The stems add spice and a twiggy earthiness that gives the wine more complexity. The extraction is gentle but the wine still has a fair amount of density, although there's not much structure. The lack of structure suggests this may not be a long ager, but it's quite good right now.
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9/9/2013 - Dale B. wrote: flawed
Moderate brett, but stll drinkable for now. Shame, as there is a core of bright fruit under everything else.
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9/8/2013 - WST wrote: 92 Points
A gem, especially after the last brett bomb. Gorgeous tart cherries and other red fruit, floral and earthy notes, great texture. Much better on day 2. Too young, but too risky to wait.
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9/2/2013 - Vinsant wrote:
Popped because of all the brett talk. Clean as a whistle. Bright and sweet red fruit, pluot, baking spices, and a little earth. Paired well with round steak off the Traeger with a tarragon bernaise sauce. Loved the tarragon interaction with the wine, brought out a citrus note.
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8/25/2013 - domco wrote:
Not undrinkable like the first bottle, but definitely some brett. Not bad at first, but more noticeable as the wine warmed up. Too bad
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8/17/2013 - Rupert wrote: 91 Points
The same as a fortnight ago. Funky and green, and yet absolutely compelling as the balance off fruit and grip and acidity and sweetness is just right.
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8/15/2013 - kthornton78 wrote: 93 Points
decanted 1 hour, consumed at central kitchen. really opening up compared to previous bottles. rich, spice-laden berry fruit with mint, herbs, and black pepper on the nose. the palate shows intense fruit, peppery spice, and anise with elegant structure and nice lift. this seems to just be starting to show what it's capable of. a treat now, can't wait to see where it's headed.
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8/13/2013 - blaine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wow, really in a good spot right now. Effusive aromatics, impeccably balanced on the palate, more fruit than I was expecting but very light on its feet. Showing well but with many years ahead of it.
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8/6/2013 - Rupert wrote: 91 Points
Funky nose, cherry fruit, fresh green notes, like a Chinon, silky and black fruited, more obviously pinot as it bloomed in the glass. Enticing, exciting.
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8/6/2013 - keelegl Likes this wine: 93 Points
Thankfully no signs of Brett. Really tasty wine with ripe, but balanced fruit and a earthy tart finish. Great stuff.
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8/4/2013 - 14Frimaire wrote:
Beautiful and perfectly clean. The fruit is showing off at this point, but there is plenty of structure. Decanting really helped get a read on this bottle, which was very, very compelling. Moderate complexity, but the weight, texture, and aromatics are the real thing.
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7/24/2013 - Mike Dildine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very clean and well delineated. Should continue to develop nicely for several years.
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7/19/2013 - fisk15 wrote: flawed
Flawed with Brett. Luckily I opened this after reading CT notes that warned of Brett rather than storing it for 10 years and being disappointed.
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7/15/2013 - jrkennedy37 wrote:
Superb execution as Rhys always does it, this is highly concentrated and needing more time to shake out. At the same time, it's delicious now.
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7/11/2013 - Jbird73 wrote: flawed
Too bad...was looking forward to this my 2nd bottle of Rhys while I wait for an allocation...the '07 Alpine was great stuff but this was undrinkable....
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5/23/2013 - hiker_guy wrote: flawed
Sadly, this one also affected by the Brett contamination. At least they were very nice about replacing all the affected bottles. Nice people at Rhys.
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5/22/2013 - dgriffin3480 wrote:
As others note, I wanted to taste to scratch the itch of my anxiety over the reports of brett in some bottles, and I may have imagined initial reduction upon opening that blew off. I double decanted and put back sidewise for 6 hours. Pretty dark cherry fruit on the nose, with silky cherry juice backed by smooth tannins and a little spice on the palate. I left a glass for two days, but too much air for that little of wine.
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5/11/2013 - rosenst1 wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured; given the comments on Brett, thought it worth opening a bottle. Nose is clean with intense cherry scent; medium red in color. On the palate echoes the cherries but with a bit of angular tannins; this smoothes and integrates over time into something with more black fruits and excellent texture and finish. Will be great.
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5/10/2013 - JLL wrote: flawed
my god this was a proxy for organic fertilizer, gave this over 5 hrs in a decanter tasting periodically and the barnyard smell and taste never left, the taste was dark fruit surrounded by barnyard. I have read about this on WB and give the Rhys team loads of credit for admitting the issue and offering a refund (class act), while so many other wineries ignore production issues that adversely affect their wines. I will definitely take Rhys up on the offer to return my remaining 5 bottles.
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4/26/2013 - soyhead wrote: 92 Points
nose - mostly toast, with some brambleberry
mouth - powerful yet restrained dark berry and dark cherry fruit, which is more appreciable on the finish than the attack. overall very clean, good minerality. has a sort of iron fist in a velvet glove feeling. impressive wine.
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4/23/2013 - fredb Likes this wine:
Dark red color, nearly opaque. Aromas of sweet cherry pie filling, mulberry, nutmeg, and allspice. Flavors are dense, ripe, and sweet with strawberry, cherry, mulberry, and allspice. No brett evident in this bottle but all of the reports led me to sample. Hard to find the structure under all of the fruit in this right now. Expect better assessment after another year or two in the cellar. Hold.
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4/20/2013 - Lessthanzero wrote: flawed
Wow. What's with the brett? I have had several of these before (bought a case), and while some have had a charming whiff of brett, this one lost all its character (except for the brett).
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4/14/2013 - Dale B. wrote: flawed
My second bottle from a case that is marred by brett. So heavily so that it wasn't drinkable, and I am fairly tolerant. In fact, if served blind I woud have guessed Pegau' or Beaucastel from the 90's. Shame as this is usually my favorite Rhys vineyard.
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4/14/2013 - jwsmith wrote: 91 Points
Good a little hot on the finish. Needs time
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4/12/2013 - Billigan wrote: flawed
There's was no "blowing off" with this brett; it was dug in like a tick. My wife didn't seem to mind (she just loved the silky texture of the wine), but for me, it obscured the lovely aromatics and flavors that only occasionally seemed to poke through. A real shame.
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4/7/2013 - slmral wrote: 92 Points
Checking in earlier than I would normally, based on the complaints of brett. I'm not that sensitive to brett, but even looking for it, couldn't find it in this bottle. Showed a little reductive quality as opened that blew off in a half hour. "Stemmy" quality from the whole cluster shows through. Still heavy on the tannin. Nice acid backbone. Complex fruit profile. This bottle would have been much better in 5 years!
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4/2/2013 - alittle wrote: 94 Points
Tuesday Night with a Special Guest (Dave's House): Popped and poured, light garnet colour in the glass. After reading so many reports, I have been hoping for a super brettanomyces tainted bottle. Well, we finally got it. On the nose, this was incredibly dirty, with notes of horse stable, leather, earth, crushed rocks, cranberry, pomegranate, orange rind, herbs, baking spice, and the lovely incense notes that stem inclusion adds. On the palate, such a svelte texture, medium acidity, with some mild drying tannin. Finish is long, accented by pomegranate, cranberry, mineral, orange rind, and spice. Best showing to date, and sadly these are all gone. If anyone wants to sell me their brett tainted bottles, I'm all over it!
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4/2/2013 - Wine Canuck Likes this wine: 95 Points
A Casual Tuesday (Dave's House): This is the third bottle of this wine I have tasted. First two had no brett. This one was definitely from the bretty batch. I have a very old world palate and having some brett is a huge plus in my books. When you add that to all of the other complexities of this wine it's really stellar. Nose is of incense, seaweed, red currants, cranberry, cherry, tobacco, leather, ash, coffee. Palate is excellent, enters sweet, mid palate is light, and finish is harmonious with acid refreshing, just enough tannin, and incense repeats on the long finish. What a great wine. Very well done Kevin Harvey! I'll take all the returned bretty bottles!
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3/28/2013 - hiker_guy wrote:
hmmm, obvious brett but not offensive. I've had quite a few Burgundies with similar bret profiles. There is some nice fruit under the earthiness. I'll call it flawed only because the winemaker did. The brett did get worse as the night went on to the point of offensiveness to the palate.
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3/14/2013 - Pablo33 wrote: flawed
Unfortunately, this bottle was Brett contaminated and not drinkable.
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3/1/2013 - rm wines wrote: flawed
Rhys and Ceritas Tasting (NYC): An overwhelming flavor and aroma of brett that reminded me of some of the more aggressively bretty wines from the Loire. It was possible to see a little bit of structure underneath the manure and green pepper flavors, but sadly it was not that enjoyable. The word is that the producer had some particular issues with this specific wine in 2009 and that all of the other wines are clean.
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2/18/2013 - JOJ wrote: flawed
Definitely tainted by Brett. A shame, because there appears to be a good wine lurking underneath.
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2/15/2013 - pismo45 wrote: 91 Points
Nose of red fruits and a hint of something I can only describe as "stuffy" which blows off soon. Very tasty red fruits with a long juicy finish. Very enjoyable.
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2/15/2013 - rerail84 wrote:
A bit of Brett on the nose but it blew off after 30 min or so. Not as bright and fresh as last time but still a solid Pinot.
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2/2/2013 - Dale B. wrote: flawed
This wine is certianly a mystery. On first sniff there was a great nose of spies, wet forest floor, mushrooms that quickly turned to Brett (or something like it) before I even had a sip. The wine tasted nothing like it first smelled. No fruit, short, somewhat bitter. At first I thought it might just be the stems, but I'm not so sure. Waited an hour, and some fruit emerged only to again be overtaken by the bitterness. Recorked and tried the next day. Day 2: Again great nose that quickly faded. Taste not much better. My first bottle I had about 6 months ago I rated a 94 (a very high score for me). I hope this was just an off bottle, but after reading some other's notes, I don't feel as confident about my remaining bottles.
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2/1/2013 - don_quichotte Likes this wine: 89 Points
Don't think this will ever be the most complex of wines but it is beautifully fragrant. Not ashamed of where it comes from and not trying to be something it isn't. Beautiful fruit. Smooth texture. This is what I imagine a Ridge Pinot Noir would taste like!
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1/31/2013 - jimkay21 wrote: flawed
Earth followed by stems. No fruit. No improvement with time. Not enjoyable
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1/31/2013 - Diane (LI) wrote:
My bottle is nothing at all like the notes by others. Brett has camouflaged all the fruit. It reminded me of a 2010 Lapierre Morgon, non-sulphured, that I couldn't drink. Couldn't drink this one either, and I'm not happy to have 3 more bottles of this. I will probably open another tomorrow night, and if it is the same as this bottle, then I am done with Family Farm, because the 2004 also suffered from Brett. However, tomorrow, I will have a back-up. Tonight I am drinking water.
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1/27/2013 - WST Likes this wine: 95 Points
I have a deep stash of Rhys in my cellar, but have been letting all of the Pinots rest; the only time I've tried any were at the winery. I decided to check in on this one as I have a few. Way too young, but still enjoyable. Expressive nose and palate with spicy red and raspberries. What blew me away were the non-fruit nuances; piney Northeastern forest floor, roses, moist tobacco. The tannins are substantial but sleek. While I don't think I'll open another for years, this is already stellar.
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1/27/2013 - Brandon T. Likes this wine: 92 Points
Elegant and aromatic, medium body, medium-high acidity, dark cherry, cranberry, floral, whole cluster, pepper, with tannins adding texture. Very nice. Drink or hold.
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1/25/2013 - Krugman wrote: 93 Points
The 09 Family Farm is still extremely young, but is already starting to drink very well. To me, Rhys is making some of the most exciting pinot noir in North America. I opened the bottle about 6 hours before consumption (no decanting, just popped the cork), which really helped to open everything up. On the nose this wine gives off scents of molases and ripe berries, while on the palate this showed a medley of spices, tobacco, pine needles, blueberries, ripe raspberries, licorice, black pepper, and a touch of coffee. While the flavors were deep and rich, the wine was never heavy. A very nice effort by Rhys and I am looking forward to where this bottle will go with another 3-5 years of bottle aging.
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1/25/2013 - Carl Thoma wrote: 92 Points
great structure, complexity, still too young to drink; give it 3-5 years
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12/31/2012 - winopops3 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark ruby. Floral notes and cherry on the nose. Very focused and very intense black cherry, lilac, and hint of earthiness on the palate. Medium mouthfeel and fairly long finish. Excellent now, will be great in 5 more years after it has shed some weight.
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12/20/2012 - Lessthanzero wrote: 92 Points
Power without weight. Definitely closer to the old world and already open for business. Hopefully this is what happens to the tartness most Rhys display in early age. Some stemmy spiceness with cranberry or sourcherry tartness that been mostly absolved into the pinot goodness and just hangs around like mist in California hills.
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12/14/2012 - Charlie Pendejo wrote: flawed
There seemed to be a potentially great pinot noir buried under all that brett. I recall a serious structure, but the earthy-fruity-etc. nose & palate got pretty well clobbered.
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12/13/2012 - kenhoeve wrote: 93 Points
Consistent with previous notes. A very elegant bottle. Integrated and exotic spice profile. Gorgeous red fruit with a ton of floral lift, and a medium long finish of red/black cherry with hints of sour cherry. Good grip, what is so impressive is how the intensity of the fruit does not diminish as the wine gets lighter in body on the palate, ending almost weightless. Ripe, but with tremendous finesse. 93-95?
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11/22/2012 - Seth Rosenberg wrote: flawed
Same bottle as 11/21. Now it is open more and resolved, and I still don't like it. Nose of spice, vegetal (green pepper?), orange zest, berries, brambles, tar/smoke. The vegetal component may be some sort of evergreen/menthol/eucalyptus that others have noted. I don't mind it in my cab, but cannot abide it in my Pinots. The palate is somewhat out of focus, but with nice acid and sweet fruit. just not my cup of tea.
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11/21/2012 - Seth Rosenberg wrote: flawed
Again, opened a day early to see how it develops. PnP. Ruby red. Nose of very very young U.S. Pinot Noir: some primary strawberry & cherry fruit, along with some sweet oak, and an unresolved chemical kind of smell. A bit of baking spice and stone. Reminds me a bit of an unresolved Volnay Champans. Also get a vegetal and green peppery thing at points as well. Palate is quite odd - a touch of sweet fruit and a lot of oak - but the chemical dominates. The mouthfeel is even worse - really disjointed and out of focus. We'll see if this comes around with a day or two.
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11/11/2012 - James Kim wrote: 91 Points
After being open for 3 hrs. Initially mute, even after being in decanter for > 1.5 hrs. Aromas of red and blue fruits, spices including cinnamon and a hint of brown sugar, and alcohol. Red cherries, blackberries, a bit of earth, hint of bark, elegantly packaged together through the mid-palate and on to a long finish of fruit and bark with some heat on the finish. Elegant and complex. Heat at the end mars the wine. 13.4% abv. Clones: Rhys Selection, Swan, 115 and Pommard
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11/10/2012 - MotoMannequin wrote:
Decanted about an hour before drinking. Dark ruby with some hints of garnet. Initial showing dark-fruited with vividly fresh black cherries and plums, and a floral component to add interest and complexity. Fruit carries through a very long, lingering finish with nice balancing acidity. Fine-grained tannins are present but not obtrusive. After a couple hours, the fruit is joined by a saddle leather and black tea component. Very nice bottle that's open for business now but promising some interesting development as well.
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11/3/2012 - kthornton78 wrote: 93 Points
my third bottle. decanted about an hour. this has shed the candied, floral character it had almost a year ago - the pastille fading into the background but still present in a subtle manner. now, it is showing as a more substantial and serious wine. on the nose there is red and black fruit, sap and evergreen notes, as well as anise and pepper. the palate shows red fruits emerging but a nice backbone of spice and pepper predominate. i think this is just starting to show its stuff and i'm glad i have several more bottles to follow over the next few years.
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10/27/2012 - wineismylife wrote: 92 Points
DAWGS October 2012 - Pinot Noir from Anywhere (TexasZin's home in Garland, TX): WIML92
Tasted non blind. Opened and served immediately.
Garnet to dark garnet color in the glass, fairly clear looking. Nose of dust, berries, thistle and a bit of plum. Flavors of berries, raspberries and plums. Medium acidity, medium tannins, medium to full bodied. Drink or hold.
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10/21/2012 - B Paul wrote: 92 Points
Almost a year since I last tasted this. It is has softened and opened up and, for me, is in a good drinking spot (though no rush). Drink or hold.
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10/20/2012 - DuaneT wrote: 92 Points
Subtle red and black fruits with some forest floor notes. Very strong backbone of a wine that has lots of flavor without overwhelming.
Drunk with friends over the course of one hour - probably would have benefitted from additional air.
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9/10/2012 - Wine Sparty wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured with grilled pork chops. Aroma has coca cola. Taste has black cherry, with a bit of earthiness. A decent amount of acidity on the palate, but not too lasting.
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9/10/2012 - kenhoeve wrote: flawed
corked.
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8/31/2012 - floydtp wrote: 94 Points
Tasted non blind at home over several hours. Decanted for 3 hours before initial taste. Very bright nose with overwhelming floral notes intertwined with dark berries and a hint of exotic spices. The palate is similar with rose petals, spice, black tea, sassafras and a healthy dose of stony earth. Very consistent finish with the spice, sassafras and tea components persisting along with dark berries. Medium-firm tannins but drinking surprisingly well at this stage. I expect this one to evolve into a powdery texture eventually. Very nice effort and while it is showing well now, I would hold for 1-3 years before tasting again.
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8/22/2012 - salil wrote: 92 Points
Really lovely; one of the most enjoyable wines I've had from Rhys in some time. The fruit's certainly quite ripe and sweet, but also conveyed with a sense of real freshness and augmented by bright floral and higher toned stemmy elements that add to the complexity and depth here. The tannins are very fine grained making it very easy to drink, with bright acids beneath adding to the sense of refreshment here.
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8/15/2012 - Colima74 wrote: 90 Points
I liked this better than did Lorena or Paul Lin. Red/dark red fruit with spice in the background. Good acidity. Held up well over 3 days, and to me was better on day 3.
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7/31/2012 - pakabear wrote: 91 Points
GREAT nose, very burg like. Palate has fine gritty tannins still, nice strawberry/cherry galore. Very good wine, could get better with a few years.
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7/21/2012 - kthornton78 wrote: 91 Points
drunk with dinner at spruce. upon opening, still has an aroma of predominantly candied flowers and fruit (almost pastille-like) that overpowers everything else. with a couple of hours in the decanter this died back and red fruits, spice, and pepper began to emerge as the wine showed more complexity. the flavors were fairly reticent as well, but it really started showing some depth and complexity with spice, minerality, and herbs on top of the fruit after a couple of hours. i'd recommend a good 4 hour decant if you're going to drink this now. this has a lot of potential right now but it's not yet showing all it has to offer right out of the gate.
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6/18/2012 - brigcampbell wrote:
Cali and Burgs Blind (FMIII in the OC): Blind - guess burg because of the funky aromas. I didn't like this wine.
Rank: #4 or 4 in Third Flight
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6/16/2012 - Frank Murray III wrote:
It's been over a year since I last tasted this wine and having bought a handful of these in my order, I figured the blind dinner last night would be a good forum to see what people thought at the table. When I opened the wine at about 3 PM, it had an off note in the nose, like a rubber tire smell. I was a bit worried about it so I splash decanted the wine 2X and then funneled it back to the bottle, wrapped it in paper and put it aside. In my notes during the flight, I guessed Burgundy and based on my earlier comment on the aromatics, some of that funk hung around to fool me. Loamy, iron, burg-like nose, dark fruit, lots of character and saddle, shows a barnyard note. Not sure what to make of this wine at this stage. I may just open another one in a week or so and see if my experience is the same.
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6/16/2012 - WetRock wrote:
Another Round of California Vs Burgundy Blind (Frank Murray's Casa): Served blind. Dark cherry with sulfur and iron. There is some heat and a clear note of brett. Not very expressive and very tight. Very tannic. The brett is noticeable here on the palate as well. Guessed Burg.
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4/14/2012 - Wine Canuck wrote: 93 Points
Super complex, nothing like any other Pinot I've ever had. Ash, grapefruit, subtle coffee, very reserved fruit, salene, seaweed. Super minerally, Great wine that will definitely age well for 8+ years.
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4/3/2012 - tyvoodoo wrote:
Slow ox'd in the bottle for 2.5 hours prior to consumption. Some good amount of stems and perfume like red fruits on the nose. Palate is dense and still filled with stems. At hour 4 the wine really started to blossom. Spicy and rich nose with gentle red fruits, vosne spice, light stems and moderate wood spice. On the palate is a wine with moderate richness, bit of bottle sweetness and some earthy components. Overall it is a very good wine but needs some air to come together and blow off some of the funk.
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3/23/2012 - cubswinws wrote: 90 Points
Rich and dark fruits. Pretty tight and not giving up much at present.
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3/21/2012 - RobertDwyer Does not like this wine: 88 Points
Probably one of the most disappointing wines I've tasted this year. Sure it's young, but I can't see my way to this ugly duckling becoming a swan. On the first night, after aerating the patient as if it were nearly dead, it was massively disjoint: Some fruit, and a lot of stems. After two days under stopper (which says a lot about how tasty it was or wasn't) it came together a bit, but tasted like a $25 Oregon Pinot. Will it be better with age? Perhaps. But I'm not interested in getting tangled up in a long-term relationship with this wine. Great wines should taste good in their youth.
If this is the future direction of California Pinot Noir I'm not interested. Is it well made? I guess. Will I buy it again? No way.
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3/20/2012 - jtinto wrote: 89 Points
Tight aromatically and on the palate. Some greener notes of stems and herbs. Day two it did open up, so I see some potential. I kept searching for that fruit purity I have been reading about. Given the hype, a disappointing tasting.
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3/20/2012 - jtinto wrote: flawed
Brett overwhelmed the wine.
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3/5/2012 - Rob MacKay wrote: 91 Points
Very tasty. Lots of spice and cedar elements initially that fade a bit with time in the glass to reveal some nice, well balanced fruit with a lengthy finish. Should improve nicely over the next few years.
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3/2/2012 - soyhead wrote: 92 Points
nose - blackberry, dark cherry, coffee
mouth - fleeting big dark berry and cherry fruit flavors hit, and then run leading one to double take, and while trying to decide what just happened a very minerally almost champagne like midpalate appears finishing with considerable dry tannins. This is a very interesting wine. Quite unlike most domestic pinots. Will not bowl you over, this is primarily aimed for those who seek out minerality in their wine. Burgundian? I haven't got a clue. Try again next year.
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2/21/2012 - Zonk wrote: 92 Points
30 minute decant. Heavy floral perfume (to the point where my wife compared it to hand soap). rich cherry flavors but good mix of sour cherry, cranberry, and pomegranate, keep it from veering into the overly fruity range. A really nice mix of "traditional" Pinot with noticeably California fruit. Judging by the 2nd day, I would guess 2014-2017 might be the sweet spot for this.
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2/18/2012 - babnik wrote: 91 Points
Excellent. Wonderful balance between elegance and ripe fruit. Still quite primary this has many years of improvement ahead if it. Sort of what one hopes California can do with Pinot.
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2/12/2012 - SanFranSoxFan04 Likes this wine: 90 Points
PWTG California Pinot Noir Tasting (Wine Bank, Menlo Park): Blind flight of 5 CA Pinots and 1 Burg. Group's #4 wine, My #4.
Easily identifiable as the Rhys, this one needed far more time and air. It came off as green and herbaceous. Eucalyptus and cranberry nose,
Spice, oak, cherry and eucalyptus flavors.
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2/10/2012 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Kinda a light smoke and methol thing on the nose. Almost close to becoming off putting which actually makes it more interesting. I was told that these are rock hard right out of the gates but this is fairly soft and easy, rounded and good drinking right now.
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2/8/2012 - Rieslingfan wrote: 89 Points
Floral, cherry, berry and light herbal elements on the nose. It's more than a bit hard/unyielding on the palate, but shows a depth of fruit through to the finish that I have confidence in laying my remaining bottles down for a few years to shed a bit of that tough shell.
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2/7/2012 - t_moderne wrote:
Pop and pour and followed over 5 hours. Vibrant color; quite floral on the nose with spice, suggesting whole cluster. This is quite intriguing, and inviting. Nice bright red fruit, some earthy notes and a citrus tang that keeps one called back to the glass for another sip. Bottle gone.
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2/7/2012 - mye Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep dark red. The floral notes everyone talks about is definitely noticeable. Tannins seems silky, serious fruit on the palate.. Acidity and Tannins are quite balanced. This was pop/poured so I will follow up tomorrow and see what air does for it.
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2/4/2012 - sehill wrote: 91 Points
Similar to previous showings.
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2/3/2012 - OneLastSyrah Likes this wine:
Translucent ruby garnet in the glass. Velvety light strawberry fruit with an earthy component stemmy nose component. Elegant and rather feminine, but with some underlying structure that I think is holding it back some. Probably better in a year or so.
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2/2/2012 - Keith Levenberg wrote:
Tannin seems to have backed off since that early sample but this is still very tight and tensile and definitely showing the stems more than the underlying material. Need to try the leftovers tomorrow to get a better read on what's going on. // At that point you get a better sense of its proportions and can appreciate its slender form and silky texture--but it's still very reserved, best left alone for awhile.
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1/30/2012 - kenhoeve wrote: 93 Points
This really came off beautifully with a 5 hour slow-ox in bottle. Enormous nose of rich spices with tell-tale cool fruit and mild floral notes. The elegance on the palate is showstopping, reverberating the spice and fruit but it is like a feather on the palate. I can see where one might be distracted by the floral perfume but this is anything but candied, it is silky liquid fruit with strong floral perfume that is tempered by cherry pit acidity. Very powerful but with vanishing weight. I've not had anything like this from California, the wood, tannin, and acidity harmonize perfectly. So good I don't have a good feel for how great it can be, but just delicious and I will get more. 93-95.
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1/30/2012 - Pierre-Yves wrote: 89 Points
Wonderful complex nose, "enivrant" and "capiteux". Very dark color, dark cherries, pleasant but then the vanilla sweet oaky is throwing me off. Will it integrate later? Day 2 was much better leading me to think that it should rest much longer in the cellar.
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1/26/2012 - CTuttle wrote:
I found this a bit disjointed/angular on first pour. The second day it displayed more elegance. Just not showing any of its true possibilities right now, I hope.
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1/24/2012 - EMichels wrote: 87 Points
Very typical; No interest
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1/23/2012 - cartime wrote: 89 Points
Hmmm. My first Rhys, but not quite what I was expecting. The nose is ripe, candied, heavily floral, and aldehydic. I also get a carbonic maceration note, kind of like Beaujolais Nouveau. Initially on the palate, ripe red raspberry and cranberry with Mexican vanilla and floral spices. With air, the palate started to tighten up and was actually less forthcoming on Day 2. Some fine tannins show up with air, and while there is decent acidity, the fruit is so candied and ripe that the overall impression is one of flabbiness. I can accept that this wine is young and needs more time, but I'm kind of turned off by the ripeness and perfume-like florals. Is this representative of the Rhys style? Or is this a manifestation of the vintage?
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1/21/2012 - Charlie Carnes wrote: flawed
Sadly a definite Brett bloom in the worst way.
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1/18/2012 - kultcha wrote: 92 Points
Light garnet colour. Expressive nose of red fruit (cranberry, red current maybe some raspberry), maybe breadfruit with some funky stemmy notes and a slight floral note. Initially quite tight on the palate but over time opened up with some tasty dark cherry, cranberry and minerals flavours. Great acidity and smooth tannins. This wine just kept improving in glass and I'm looking forward to opening the next bottle in another 5+ years as I expect it to just keep improving.
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1/17/2012 - Vinsant wrote:
My first Rhys and I enjoyed very much. Sat in the decanter for 2 hours and consumed with raspberry glazed Salmon. Some red fruit on the nose as well as green tea, baking spice, vanilla, and flowers. More red sweet fruit on the palate along with a greeness, spice, vanilla, and tea. Nice mid palate with a long finish. Finished the last glass five hours after opening and still going strong. Decent acidity and tannins allowing for some age. Popped to decide whether or not to continue to buy. I won't fill the cellar but will continue to buy in hopes these age and add more secondary notes.
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1/15/2012 - rerail84 wrote:
Very impressed. Decanted for aproxamitliy 1.5 hours. What a beautiful Pinot. Great minerality on the nose. Smooth fruit with great structure on the palate with an outstanding acid backbone. Wish I bought more than one bottle. Will be buying more with great confinance in the future.
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1/15/2012 - Jorgy wrote:
Opened to get a better feel for the Rhys style in advance of the next mailer coming out. Strong fruit and stone/mineral nose. Great texture, smooth and very long. Very good.
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1/11/2012 - dexwine wrote: 92 Points
Restrained cherry liquor and stony minerality at the forefront with floral and spice notes. Fine lightly chalky tannins provide backbone. Well balanced. This is tightly wound now. After an hour, this is starting to unwind, offering a little more breadth and fruit. This is a polished, refined, and balanced wine that should unwind over the next few years into a silky, elegant Pinot. Great potential.
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1/10/2012 - pbaek wrote:
Easily the best US Pinot Noir I have ever tasted and quite impressive stuff. What strikes me most is how constrained, elegant, structured and earthy this wine is. My mind is wandering towards the cooler climate Pinots of Jura with their floral aromatics and stony fruit even if there is just a bit more stuffing here. Absolutely delicious now but I'm sure this will be interesting to follow over a decade or more. Jason brought this bottle. With Jason at Foreign & Domestic in Austin.
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12/26/2011 - Acohen wrote: 92 Points
Bright with great acidity and fruit. Had nice tart cherry and opened into earth and spice
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12/25/2011 - silton wrote: 90 Points
Christmas Run; 12/24/2011-12/26/2011 (Around the Bay): Decanted 90+ minutes in advance of a Christmas pork loin. Got a little interim taste along the way and it was broad, deep, and interesting. At dinner, it cinched up a bit and really very stemmy alongside the stemless Big Basin Bald Mt. More structure, earth and complex aromatics but overall less enjoyable at this point in time. 90-91
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12/24/2011 - xwine wrote:
Intense aromatics, very bright red fruit bordering on black fruit, with a strong spice component. The palate is bright, but intense; the whole-cluster fermentation really shows, lending a very firm structure. Great material, and this really begs for more time. A stark contrast to the 2009 Evesham Wood Puits Sec opened this same night, which was very much red-fruit driven and wrapped in a lighter package.
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12/23/2011 - Serge Birbrair wrote:
Say what you want about California Pinot, but I'd mistake this one for a young 2003 Burgundy in the blind tasting. Seducing aromas, long finish, approachable now and has many years of joy ahead of it.
Andy, did I say that you and your Rhys is always welcome? and you don't have to do the dishes the next time you bring it! ...and this is the highest pseudo score I can give! :)
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12/22/2011 - IamNotDrinkingAny#@!%Merlot wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful detailed red fruit, transparency & really vibrant, almost electric. Loved this wine.
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12/22/2011 - kthornton78 wrote: 91 Points
decanted for about an hour. still fairly primary. cherry, violets, woodsy spice and a hint of smoky herbs. driven by cherry and red/purple fruits with good acidity. curious to see the evolution.
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12/16/2011 - Uglypinga wrote:
I didn't really get it before but I do now. The nose has some cherry elements but what is appealing about it to me is the strong earth and savory herbs component. The palate has some nice Brit cherry as well but again there is an earthy, mushroom note that while not intrusive, gives the wine tremendous character. Nice vanilla note as well. Tight and young but my favorite Rhys so far...yummy stuff.
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12/16/2011 - alittle wrote: 92 Points
Thursday Night Blind Tasting in KW (Greg's House): Popped and poured, evolved in the glass over about 45 minutes. Dark black cherry, raspberry sorbet, wet stones, vanilla, with a hint of seaweed, giving it a sea water saline component. On the palate, more black cherries, minerality; exceptional balance, with racing acidity. Minimal tannic structure. A beautiful, elegant expression of pinot. Kicking myself now for only grabbing 2 of these, as the 2nd bottle isn't going to last long. While young, this is open for business.
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12/15/2011 - rosenst1 wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured. Medium deep red; complex spicy nose and red and black fruits, stems, herbs, with the spicy herbal components dominant. Quite full and primary on the palate with some drying tannins on the finish. After an hour or so this has a pronounced sour cherry flavor and becomes a bit angular; still clearly a very young Pinot with lots of stuffing; this bottle clearly needs time to resolve the tannins and to meld.
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12/13/2011 - Mrbuzz Likes this wine: 93 Points
Starts off with a little Pinot "funk", almost bretty to me...kind of reminded me of the '04 Alesia Syrah a tad? But but but...ahhh, 100% whole cluster....yea, that's it! What's amazing is, initially I get that funk, but it's clean and good funk....then some nice cranberry acidity that you think is going to tingle(ala VA), but it doesn't. Or...an alcohol kick on the finish...but there isn't. This wine is smooooooth as satin sheets...really plays with your palate! Wonderful florals, dark spices, stems, green raspberry tea....to go along with the fresh and somewhat delicate(for Ca.) wild berry fruit. I like the total package....with the funk making you contemplate!
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12/10/2011 - Nutty08 wrote: 91 Points
Consumed over 2 nights. Light delicate floral nose with a "stemmy" quality with cherry pit. Fine polished acidic palate, slighty tart and austere with strong cherry pit and licorice quality--very pure clean and seeming concentrated while elegant fruit. Medium to long finish with fine polished tannins and chalky stoney character. Very good but too young and drinking a little below the hype level. That being said I think this will be a special wine in 5+yrs. Should improve greatly.
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12/9/2011 - EEvans wrote: 94 Points
Lots of green flavors of moss and grass. Dried Chinese plum/cherry. There's a grittiness to this wine. It reminds me of pebbles on a clear river steam. Understated, yet quite charming. Like a young flower that has yet to open. This will definitely get better with time. 13.4% alcohol is absurd for California point. 94 points with potential for more.
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12/5/2011 - cpsmith33 wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for 4 hours. Second half of the bottle is for tonight. Wanted to try a bottle early, I know it is too young.
Beautiful bright ruby color. Nose was a bit tight (some earth?), but very nice fruits (cherry / raspberry), some spice. Smooth and easy to drink right now. Still tight on palate too. Needs time to develop secondary characteristics hopefully, as a little simplistic today.
Let's see how tonight is. Second night - similar commentary. Stemminess was there that others have mentioned. The time did it well though - darker and a bit more complex.
Will wait a few years before touching again.
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12/3/2011 - Michael Davidson wrote:
Very nice bottle. The most striking aspect to me was the silky texture. Deep, pure red fruit on both the nose and the palate. Hints of earthiness linger in the background, giving me hope that this will become increasingly complex with age. Delicious now, seems like it will be better later.
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12/3/2011 - Matt T wrote: 92 Points
Wow. This had a brilliant nose of flowers and soil upon opening. Really nice acid with a long finish. Mellowed a bit after two hours in the decanter, but I thought it drank the best right out of the bottle. Drink or hold.
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12/1/2011 - tbone wrote:
Was expecting alot and this wine delivered. P&P'ed and the number one memory was pomegranate both in flavor and acidity. Great balance. Finished bottle within 1 hour.
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11/30/2011 - gunpwdr wrote: 93 Points
This is just a spectacular wine. The ripeness, weight of the fruit, balance of tannins and acidity are just... to borrow from an online acronym (but in a positive connotation), SMH - shaking my head. There is no shortage of oak spice but it has been applied with Swiss precision and it is this precision that frames the fruit so nicely, and boy is the fruit good. Ripe, sweet cherries, strawberries, and raspberries... all lush, textured, rich, and delicious. This bottle was open for business and I would recommend trying one now.
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11/29/2011 - DuaneT wrote: 89 Points
Did I drink this too early? Of course I did, but I stocked up on this bottling so I could see how it develops over time.
Although tight and not giving much on the palate, it does have a pretty bouquet that is somewhat of a mix of herbs and fruit. My biggest take-away was that the wine was pleasant to drink because there are no noticeable flaws with this wine. A lack of negatives is a good thing, but I suspect the positive aspects will develop in time.
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11/27/2011 - MCUBEB wrote: 92 Points
This took a nice decant and two days to open up. Nose of spice and earth. On the palate there are plush cherries and raspberries with earth notes. There are hints of flower, vanilla and some oak spice on the finish. Needs time.
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11/26/2011 - B Paul wrote: 91 Points
Red fruit, spice and earth. Well made and very nice. Certainly a wine that will age well, but less structured than previous Rhys bottlings. I'd say give this a year or so in the bottle and it will really be singing.
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11/21/2011 - Brady D wrote:
At this time, I couldn't get past the stemminess of the wine. There is plenty of fruit and acid structure that I expect it will resolve with time, but will hold the rest for a few years. Funnily, I tasted the same wine six months ago at the winery, and while the stems were present, they didn't dominate the way they do now. Give it time.
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11/21/2011 - tim_c wrote: 90 Points
Needs time IMHO. Double decanted and followed over two nights. Showed better on the first night with more red fruit showing with some stemmy notes. Second night, the fruit was in the background with the tannins becoming the more dominant feature. Fairly tannic and a bit rough at this point. When this finds some balance/harmony and the stems settle in, its going to be a wonderful bottle. Glad I bought all that I could.
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11/21/2011 - rc@ughey Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is in a great place right now. Ripe, deep red fruits, some minerals, and nice acidity make this a fun, young Rhys. Addicting and gulpable. Medium bodied and open for business, this paired great with braised shortribs.
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11/20/2011 - GrapeScott wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured, given about 2 hours aeration over the course of the evening, but no decanting. I haven't touched any of the Rhys '08s yet, trying to heed Kevin's advice that they need time and the '09s are much more open for business currently. Though I own a ridiculous amount of Rhys, I've only actually sampled a few (such is the nature of the blind faith myself and others put into this operation), and the only other FF I've tried is the '04. As expected, the Rhys team seems to have fine-tuned their winemaking over the past 5 years, and this edition seems more elegant, nuanced, and leaning less toward the riper "black fruit" end of the spectrum than the '04. Noticeable whole-cluster on the nose gives a stemmy/earthy impression initially, which seems to better integrate with aeration. Also, the wood is more obvious initially, but again, integrates over time. Red cherry, pomegranate, and floral notes on the palate with a medium-long finish and (as expected) not a trace of heat given the 13.4% alcohol. Balanced and accessible now, though with sufficient stuffing to improve with mid-term aging. While delicious, this seems to fall short of the complexity and minearality I've experienced in other Rhys vineyards, but lovely nonetheless. As a sign of a truly great wine, my wife finished her glass before mine.
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11/18/2011 - pll4 wrote: 92 Points
Drank in increments over 3 days...best on Day 3. First 2 days it showed aromas of raspberry liquer, spice, woodsy cologne, new wood, a bit stemmy. This wine is very structured and has the stuffing to age for a bit. On day 3 the wine has softened a bit and has beautiful aromas of dried flowers, wood, spice box. Once it opened up, this wine blind could be mistaken as a burg.
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11/13/2011 - sehill Likes this wine: 91 Points
Opened and poured, the wine showed in an open, accessible style. The aromatics are detailed and provide red cherry, floral and spice notes with an underlying stem element. The color is a medium to dark ruby that is appropriate for the wines age. The medium bodied palate shows detail, balance and length on the finish. The tannins are well rounded and subtle with acidity present on the finish. This drinks well now and should benefit from an additional year or two of bottle age.
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11/7/2011 - vanpe003 wrote: 93 Points
I normally don't open the Rhys offerings this early, with the exception of the former Alesia line. But I was encouraged by the newsletter accompanying the shipment that suggested that the '09's could be consumed younger than normal. So, here we go:
On the nose - aromatic, perfumed, stems, spice. On the palate, richer and more lush than I was expecting. But that's probably a function of comparing this the Alesia bottlings I'm more familiar with. Mid-weight, but it feels heavier than that. Acids are subdued, but come across as more of an independent component rather than married into the body of the wine. This is very approachable now, all-in-all fairly integrated for a wine this young. That said, I think that a couple of years will further improve this wine. 91 points for now, 93+ points for potential.
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11/4/2011 - Hex triplet #43302E wrote:
Pretty, medium-red color, with a touch of purple. Reticent nose, opening eventually to red fruit and spice. Elegant, noticeable tannins and stems, only showing a hint of sweetness with black cherry, cranberry toward the finish. Enjoyable now, and will improve with time.
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4/15/2011 - Keith Levenberg wrote:
Rhys (Peking Duck House): Both of these 2009s were very austerely structured with tough, drying tannin that made it difficult to get a read on them and the stem influence still very much front and center. They also haven't quite fully integrated the wood yet. Here it manifests as a chocolatey flavor on the entry with the fruit sweetening up and coming to the foreground only on the finish. In proportions this is more slender and elegant than the Swan but it closes down in the glass and the structure takes over.
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3/17/2011 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Rhys Visit--All The 2009s From Bottle! (Rhys Estate (At The Winery)): 13.3%, 35% new oak, 100% whole cluster. Notably stemmy, kind of a soily/mulch note, what Tyler Rico (who was tasting with us) called "peat moss" or "peaty". He nailed it. Plump, juicier texture with a good size dollop of rocks. Zippy black cherry, strawberry, light pepper and cranberry. I love the rocky aspect of this wine.
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2/26/2011 - jakuda wrote:
Tasted during pickup day. Wines were opened 24hr ahead of time, and slow-oxed. Powdery, open cherry fruit on the nose. Very fine and dusty tannins. Good structure. Light-medium weight which is a bit of a contrast compared to the overt aromas. Seems to be drinking better earlier than in previous vintages.
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2/26/2011 - SanFranSoxFan04 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Rhys Vineyards Winery Pickup Weekend (Rhys Vineyards Skyline cave): Green / vegetal nose, stemmy, pencil lead, light bodied, good, should be great in the future
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2/26/2011 - yhn wrote: 94 Points
Nose - incense/lavender/green wood, restrained dark purple fruit, pomegranate.
Very floral with a delicate astringency. Lavender, purple basil, pomegranate, green wood and smoke, underlying hints of jujube and boysenberry, with cinnamon and lemon zest on the finish. Drink '14-'26.
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2/26/2011 - zscheiner Likes this wine: 88 Points
Rhys Pickup Day (Rhys Winery, Santa Cruz Mtns.): Explosive nose of sweet cherries, cherry licorice and a bit of menthol. Light to medium body, black cherries, cedar, juicy acidity and a bit of tannins on the finish. Good, but for my palate it needs some time for the stems and oak to integrate.
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2/26/2011 - xwine wrote:
Tasted at the Rhys pickup event, and no notes taken. This wine was loaded with sweet spice on the nose. While it does show some deep red/black fruit, apparently is was bottled just a couple of weeks ago, and it seemed a bit disjointed and difficult to evaluate. But it clearly does have some nice underlying material.
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2/26/2011 - Steve Brickley Likes this wine: 93 Points
med purple, light, subtle in a good way, slight pepper, finesse, not fruit driven. Overall a wonderful wine.
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