Pop and pour, drank about half the bottle over 2 hours. There is a minerality to this that reminds me of Burgundy. However, the rest of the flavor profile is California. Candied cherry, baking spice, vanilla with a flinty finish.
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Popped and poured. Really fresh nose of strawberry, herbs and spice. The palate is more plain. Medium bodied, fairly round, red berry fruit, herbs and tea. Hasn’t develop much complexity but enjoyable to drink.
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Tasted over 1 hr and day 2 -nearly semi-translucent med red mild bricking -highly aromatic complex stems spice cinnamon rhubarb red fruit oak -med acidity, med/med- weight rhubarb spice red fruit opens up by day 2 some slightly medicinal notes intermingled with some slightly oxidative mature elements, dusty med- tannins -like many Rhys pinots with some age this has wildly complex aromatics, though the palate is less interesting and a bit tired
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There must be bottle variation. This bottle is showing so much better than the last one. PnP. Starts with aromas of sour cherry, earth, spice, leather, and herbs. Layers of flavor with sour cherry, spice, earth, leather, stems. Starting to show more complexity. The tannins have softened nicely,
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-- decanted 15 min. before initial taste -- -- tasted non-blind over 2 - 3 hours --
NOSE: expressive; red-fruited (cherry and pomegranate); pleasantly high-toned with a savory bent.
BODY: rustic garnet color of medium-shallow to medium depth; bricking throughout; light to medium-light bodied.
TASTE: juicy red fruits, but only medium-light concentration of fruit flavor; medium+ to high acidity; rhubarb; stony element in the background; not tannic; seems loose, but well-balanced; Drink Now and over the near term.
50, 5, 12, 17, 8 = 92
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Pop and pour, drank about half the bottle over 2 hours. This took about 20 minutes of glass time to resolve itself. Once it did, it had great complexity and nuance, more than I remember from a bottle 1 year ago. The cherry fruit shows well and there are savory secondary flavors, herbs of provenance, underbrush, a small touch of orange rind and oak.
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Solid bottle from Rhys. Typical flavor profile, cherries and cranberries, not much complexity to nose. Polished, solid mouthfeel, good acidity. I felt this was better on day 2 but it may have been a little too cold when opened. Either way to me it seemed like there's plenty of life left in it.
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Noticeably better than my last bottle, 9 years ago. The structure has resolved and complexity was gained. Still showing good fruit, with lovely savory elements. Cherry, herbs, forest floor, tree bark and spice. Wonderful balance and symmetry.
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Popped and poured. This is lovely. Airy, floral nose wafts from the glass. The wine is medium bodied, elegant and refined. Wild strawerry, rapberry, a little earth and spice. This is in the perfect drinking window now.
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Pop and pour, followed 2 glasses over 3 hours. This is not agressive, it has bright fruits of cherry and strawberry. It seems like a tasty California pinot, seems price appropriate for the $59 I paid from the winery, I'm not sure it's worth much more.
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Short note - typical good Rhys. Got better and better over the 1.5 hour it was with us. No need to decant, evolved nicely over the 1.5 hour and this undertone of crushed ripe raspberries kept evolving to keep the blue fruits and sweetness in check.
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Sweet cherry fruit and a lovely acidity and has a nice mineralic touch. Don't get me wrong, this wine is still on the sweet side but still in a balanced and elegant way. Loads of things to love and enjoy and I liked it a lot. Seems mature but will probably stay at this point for 2-4 years.
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This is drinking at peak, at least to my taste. Bit cloudy, maybe some stem inclusion. Muddled cherry and spice are prominent. Without the ripeness, would be in Vosne. But it’s just got too much fruit in a good way. No cola or other off putting new world Pinot flavors. It’s great, wish I had more.
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Almost a year from my last bottle. I think this is in a good place. Nuanced and elegant palate, some savory mature notes but also quite fresh and acidic favoring rhubarb and cherry notes. Savory spicy elements on the nose. Lovely, for me fully mature, may further evolve but I like where this is at. My last bottle.
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Popped and poured. Needed about twenty minutes in the glass to unfurl itself fully. Terrific nose of cherries with subtle notes of earth and tar. The palate is perfectly mature right now and showing terrific balance and fully resolved tannins. Very clean, pure flavors of red cherry, a hint of strawberry, herbs and forest floor. It is so delicious and interesting now I wouldn’t wait although I think it should hold for a few more years before starting to decline.
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Dark ruby red, decanted 90 min before dinner, modest dark berry fruit and spicenose (more air time needed), rich, dense dark berry fruit, tannins integrated, overall balance is very good, long smooth finish.
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Deeper and more intense aromatics than I can remember from the last bottle (3 years ago), but a more crystalline, austere palate impression, with the acid seeming a little more prominent. Still very nice, but right now perhaps not as enjoyable as other Rhys bottles.
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-- decanted 1 to 1.5 hours before initial taste -- -- tasted non-blind over a few hours --
NOSE: stony; earthy; muddled strawberry.
BODY: medium-light bodied; rustic garnet color of medium to medium-deep depth.
TASTE: savory and red-fruited; cola and red fruits; not "crystalline"; ripe and rustic; some aged character; open, and somewhat loosely-structured; nothing here compels a Hold recommendation, but I don't think it's necessarily about to fall apart, either. My gut impression score: 89 - 90. Ashley's gut impression score: 91.
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Decanted for 1.5h then back into bottle. Note is 4h after decant. Green stem aromaswiht ripe red and black cherries, herbs, bark, minerals and earth. Palate is similar to the aromas. Medium body and nice balancing acids. Liked this. 91+
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With BBQ brisket, grits, slaw. Cherry, tobacco, acid late to the party but there. Moves on to prune/plum/fig? Nice wine, enjoyable, but did not stand up/match the food.
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Dark cherry, peppery spice, forest floor and just a hint of cola on the nose. Nice balance of sweet dark fruit, minerals and acidity on the palate. Not the most complex Rhys Pinot, but a really nice drink. Not sure how much better it will get with age, but still fresh and certainly has many good years ahead of it.
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This didn't quite measure up to my expectations: When I first opened it, there was a blast of mouth-cleansing, electric acidity. After an hour or so in the decanter, the acidity had calmed down, but the wine seemed a little chunky, stemmy and monolithic, and it never really emerged again. It was like having a brief sighting of a bobcat, and then spending the rest of the evening waiting in vain for it to emerge again from its lair.
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Signature whole cluster spice seems to carry the wines broght punchy aromatics.
Entry is soft and aged. Fine grain tannin seem to be fallong apart, but kirsch and and coco flavors are still electrified by the acidity. There is still a beating heart core of concentration. Pretty damn good effort.
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Excellent. Classic light and flowing body with tangy, wild strawberry fruit. Good aromatic complexity: umami, soil, herbs, even whiffs of bacon. Pinot is inimitable when made in this style. I expect this to age gracefully over the next decade.
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Is there bottle variation? The last bottle was much better. This one was OK, but not special. Muted nose, but didn't seemed flawed. Sour cherry, earth, spice, leather, herbal aromas. Flavors of sour cherry, spice, earth, leather, stems. Short finish, slightly bitter in the finish. Not bad, but far from expected.
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Was dark fruited, savory w/a touch of sweetness and still a bit tight at age ten. Had over two days. A bit more integrated on day two after a night in the fridge with a stopper.
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Decent nose, decent length, good mouth. Okay tastes and saturation. Decent plus in total? Difficult to see that when the mouth improves as the structure subsides, the wine will be “better.” It is what is is I guess.
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Very expressive. Dark red fruits, herbal forest, and some Smoke on the finish. Elegant and smooth, finely delineated. Maybe one of the more elegant Rhys I’ve had. Very good. After reading my other notes I think this has filled out nicely. Not shrill or thin at all. Fruit comes across as quite ripe. I have a hard time thinking this will get better.
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Still a youngster. Beautiful red with no browning at the edge. Decanted 1 hour and it helps. Great aromatics with sour cherry, earth, spice, leather, herbal. Loaded with flavors of sour cherry, spice, earth, leather, stems. Starting to show more complexity. The tannins have softened nicely, but still present i na long finish. Starting to show really well, but clearly has a long life ahead of it.
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Tasted over 1 hr -med red mild bricking -muted beetroot rhubarb brown spice -med acidity, med weight soft maturing ripe fruit in the beetroot rhubarb spectrum that is a little one-dimensional at the moment, med- tannins ever so slightly dried out -still with generous fruit yet showing some signs of maturity, a bit imbalanced now though this could be from insufficient air time to unfurl
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Delicious sour dried cherries, earth and whole cluster spice notes on the open nose and rich palate with juicy acidity on the moderate finish. Drinking well!
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Drinking very good but still a little angular - slo oxed for an hour or so and drank over 1.5 hours. Maybe it needs another year or a decant. All that you expect from a Rhys. The one review before talks about chicken feathers. If any of my wines start drinking like chicken feathers - I'm pouring it out or I'm stopping drinking all together :-)
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Ruby red to burgundy, medium body, medium alcohol, nice balance of sweetness and acidity, acid provides nice freshness, nose has cranberry, cherry, hint of chocolate, slight smoke, chicken feathers, fresh linen, wet leaves, some earth. Palate is cherry and raspberry, medium body, and cola with slight taste of minerals. Finish is medium with fine pixelated tannins. At this stage starting to have some tertiary aromas such as wet earth, chicken feathers, steel, minerality. Ready to be enjoyed - at its peak
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The second 2010 from Rhys this evening and I am happy to say that each wine was distinct and clearly showing terroir and individual personality. I much prefer this to the Bearwallow. The color is lighter yet more saturated to the rim. The nose shows a wonderful floral element to go along with the pure fruit. Not obviously west coast in profile. Light weight yet full of flavor especially on the bramble finish. Nods toward Burgundy. (92)
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Popped and poured and followed for several days. Cranberry, tart cherry, black cherry, earth, herbs, and some smoke on the nose. Tart cherry, red and black cherry, herbs, earth, and a little spice on the palate. Good acidity, slightly grippy tannins, good finish. This was quite solid and very high quality but seemed a bit uninspiring. Another year or two will probably help, if this bottle was indicative.
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Dark berries, black cherries, smoke, roasted spices, and violets on the super and complex deep nose. Great balance with medium+ acidity and notes of black berries, cherries, pomegranate on the palate. Long finish. This beautiful Pinkt needed a good 2 hours to really show. 94+
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Aromatics are mainly tart fruits, cranberry perhaps, and an herbal note from the stems still showing. The palate is medium weight, and the fruit has a lovely light feel to it. The fruit-acid balance is very nice here, but leaning a bit more towards sappy than tangy. Some moderately grippy tannins appear around the fringes of the finish. This is drinking well enough now with a bit of air, but I think it will continue to develop well, show more mature fruit qualities, and integrate the stems more.
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Popped and poured. This is a light-cherry-red wine with basically no sediment in the bottle. On the nose, I get cranberry, rosehips, strawberry, a sharp note of tomato leaf, and smoke. In the mouth, I get medium red fruit and some more tomato leaf, all carrying into a tart finish with nice crispness. Overall, this is an interesting and unique Pinot. The tomato leaf was just a touch too much for me. 89 points.
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Really enjoyed this one. Drank on Mother’s Day, had already had a few drinks so my notes aren’t perfect, but it was a super solid new world Pinot for sure.
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PnP. Light red with clearing to the edge. Strawberry and perhaps a hint of citrus on the nose. Lovely satin texture on the palate with good red fruited flavors along with spice and some whole cluster woodiness. Finish has nice penetrance and length dominated by the whole clusters and spice. Drinking very well at age 8, but no rush.
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Tasty strawberry, earth and whole cluster spice notes on the open nose and lively palate with juicy acidity on the moderate finish. Continues to drink well.
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Strawberry, spice, earth, and faint herbal/bell pepper note dominates the nose. Bright strawberries, spice, pepper, and a nice silky acidity provides moderate intensity in the mouth. Showing well tonight baby!
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Rhys @ My Place--Part 3 (My House In The South OC): Listed ABV of 12.4%. I put a star next to my TN, this was excellent. There is an elegance to this wine. Juicy, with a watermelon quality, strawberry, incense and the same kind of cracked spices note I found in the 2010 Bearwallow. Good intensity, structure and this is going to age well IMO. Terrific.
As others have said, rhubarb dominated nose and palate giving it a rather shrill narrow feeling on the palate. Nice complex aromatics probably from the stem inclusion. Good, but this is disjointed and should be better at the price point. Best to hold and hope for further integration.
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Nose - lovely nose soy meets cherry, Mouth - more mature than the 2010 Swan, clean, dark fruit, more vosne than chambolle, with time I am liking this more and more but this is well in its drinking window whereas the acidity of the swan will keep it alive for many years to come.
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About 18 months since the last bottle, and this is my final bottle from the cellar. Opened about 90 mins ago, have been pouring an ounce at a time to kind of watch it unfold. Stems are present in the aromatic, some pine needle and cracked spices. The palate has settled in nicely, reflecting sour cherry, red apple, tangy acidity and some soil. Pretty approachable now and yet no shortage of energy either (i.e. not flabby or soft). Juicy, delicious and enough CA fruit showing through that gives it a nice finish of something lightly jammy and sappy.
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Rhys 08/09/10 (Sun Wah BBQ, Chicago, IL): The nose is very consistent with the 08 tasted in the same flight. Bright, intense with loads of red fruit, florals and some mint/herb from the stems. On the palate this is lighter and more chalky than the 08. The fruit is not as concentrated and as a result the acids are a touch sharper. Should only improve with time. Upside from here, as with the 08.
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The Rotating Dinners, II.1: Rhys, 2008-10 (Chicago, IL): I feel as if this wine suffers from the California pinot syndrome of candied red fruit and a body that is too thin for the sweetness. The tannins here also show a little grainy and there's a green note as well that isn't too pleasant. Perhaps some time will fill this out?
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This is well in its drinking window. Herbal, prune, berries, finish is moderate, and I wish acidity was higher. Family Farm is not my favorite, and I am not sorry to say this is my last.
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PopnPour, tasted over 4 hrs -nearly opaque dark red purple -complex fragrant aromatics with spicy oak wet stone floral plum then some rhubarb-y new world pinot after a few hours of air -med/med- acidity gives a soft mouthfeel, med/med+ weight, rich and ripe but fading dark fruit and stems/spice, good length -reminiscent of a Vosne-Romanee from a polished producer, not totally fruit forward any more but not showing mature elements either, best assessment is this is in early maturity
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Another great Rhys. Beautiful nose of dark berries/fruit. Pine sap, spice, licorice, a bit herbal, a great nose. Drinking - first thing hitting me was a bit of smoke - unusual for me, then strawberry, licorice, some tart and sweet fruits, it drank very rich and almost chewy. Decanted for an hour and with that this wine - I'd imagine is drinking at it's prime. I love Burgundy but also love this wine but would never mix it up for being a Burgundy or any other Pinot Noir producing region. Rhys have found their own thing.
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Double decanted then SO'd for a few hrs, med. ruby, dark fruit with some smoke, soft/mod. tannins, mod. finish; very good, my 1st time tasting Rhys & I think this may improve, drink or hold
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Pop and pour and served with food (gilled chicken and pasta e fagioli, in case you were wondering). Light, tart and fresh but lacking in depth. Bright acidity and a snappy element. Enjoyable but not quite reaching new heights. Good bur not great.
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Straight down the middle pinot with a reasonable amount of oak (not objectionable). Not particularly light or heavy, not overly acidic or flabby, just nicely balanced, easy to drink with or without food.
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Had this over 2 nights, showed better on 2nd day. This was a bit tight and unyielding at first with a muted nose, even with 2+ hours of air. Short while later picked up notes of tart raspberry and strawberry, rhubarb, pine needle, mineral and some spice. Opened up a little after about 8 hours, later gave way to some earthy, herbaceous tones and a wet soil note. Mid-weight, lithe and finessed with fine firm tannins that softened eventually, intermingled with crisp acidity and ending with a medium+ finish. Wait at least another 2-3 years before opening the next one. (91+)
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Drank over 3 hours. Way too early, these need at least 3 more years. Cherry and red fruit, some earth smooth and well made with oak still there. Could be something really special just way to early imho.
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This one had prominent oak. Really nice wine otherwise with cherry and strawberry fruit, spice, earth and a nuanced hint of underlying blueberry. Acidity was well present but integrated. Too bad the oak is so noticeable - no escaping it on the nose and palate - as the other components are quite charming.
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PnP Drank over 2 hours. Moderate nose of dark cherry, smoke and red flowers. Medium body with well balanced acidity, ripe red fruits, spice and smoke notes, fine tannins and a moderate finish.
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Fragrant nose of black cherry, blackberry, with plenty of brambly spice. Good depth, concentration, balance, but in complete contrast to the over the top Syrah-styled Aubert Pinot. EWG at Green Street Tavern.
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Dense red pinot fruit. Medicinal herbal stemmy notes. Can last several years or more, but no harm in opening now. We liked this a lot, over several nights.
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3rd bottle since release, and the first one I have tasted over successive days. When I opened this yesterday, it started leaner and a bit coiled, restrained. Several hours later, I took it to dinner and I saw the stems emerge, as did some body within the palate of the wine. I then stored the bottle in the fridge overnight, with the last glass under cork, which I have poured for this note on what is the following day. Showing today a mix of plum fruit and skin, blueberry, finishing with a tang. I find this vintage be broad shouldered and more fruit centric so I suppose this can be aged further but I won't for my final bottle. This wine is really more about fruit and broader texture so I find for my palate it will be better, more enjoyable in the short term.
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Excellent. Medium weight, highly prominent fruit that tastes more like dark cherries than grapes, much heavier than most new world pinots I have had. This is only my second Rhys, but it lives up to my expectations and I am definitely a fan. I will be purchasing more. This is perhaps earlier in the nature order of this wine, and one could hold for another 3-5 years at least (though, really, why wait?).
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A lot of dark fruits, a touch floral. Bigger than I thought it would be but I would still classify as more mid-weight. Very good but I'll admit I expected just a touch more?
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Something off with this bottle or it's in a very odd spot. Very stemmy, with ash, meats, and just too bitter with a decant. Undrinkable. Put back in the bottle for a day. Second day it had receded somewhat, not as bitter, with some bright berry fruit, but still lots of stems and ash and more of the cured meat notes. Really disappointing.
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woodsmoke and pepper on the nose when first opened. after an hour in the decanter this was predominantly red-fruited with dry extract and spice supported by good tannic structure.
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-- decanted for a couple hours before tasting -- -- tasted a couple glasses non-blind over 45 min. --
Expressive Nose shows medium oak and some ripe RRV-esque Pinot aromas. Nice acidity and fruit on the palate, and the alcohol wasn't noticeable. Oak from the Nose wasn't as noticeable on the palate. Overall, very nice, and probably best to keep holding in the cellar.
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Wait a few years, got much better on day 2, strawberry, forest floor, American for sure but as always had a Burgundian feel and flavor in hot years. Very good overall but as with almost all Rhys they require patients and this was too young.
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nose: earthy raspberry and red fruit very aromatic about 20 minutes after opening and pouring into a burgundy glass Palate: smooth, lite but full on the palate, very nice flavors of red fruit, spice and a little earthy elements. Long finish. Would buy again.
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Nose - raspberry, root beer Mouth - cornucopia of red fruit, fruit punchy, with good acidity, a hint of savory and smoke on the finish. Nice complexity and fruit
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Definitely better than when we tasted it in February. Garnet color, now opaque. Very pronounced varietal aroma, very Burgundian style of red and black fruits with smoke and oak. Full-bodied but very smooth and balanced, plenty of fruit, which increased over 30 seconds. Viscous. Tannin builds, but is soft. Very long, slightly hot aftertaste. Comparable to a very concentrated Burgundy. Ready to drink, but will hold several years. It got even better over two nights. Ric
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Nice pinot with dominant earthy aromas from the first pour. Opened up to reveal cherries, stems, dirt, and strawberries; the body become creamy with a couple of hours of air. Good acidity, integrated tannins and a well-balanced profile make this one a good choice for an early drinker.
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Fresh nose with some green herbs, berries, licorice. Black cherry palate. Chalky tannins, but behind the fruit. Plenty of fresh acidity. Moderate finish. Very nice, drinking well now. Hasn't moved much since last year. Drink or hold. 91-92
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Rhys Tasting With The Gang (My House): Tasted alongside the 2010 Home, and also thrown in as a blind wine, the 2010 Copain Kiser En Bas. This FF has a pronounced stemmy aromatic, far more than the 2010 Home. Lively cherry, tight palate and finish and will need some time. For me, the fruit here and the expression of this 2010 was far better than that of the 2007, which I had tasted in the flight that preceded this one.
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Incredible aromatics - my note reads "holy cow!" - loaded with spices, herbs, and red cherry fruit. Palate continues to bring it with black cherry, herbs and spice. Very lifted with impeccable balance. Flavorful herb and pepper filled finish. Might have been my favorite Rhys of ~15 Rhys pinots tasted tonight.
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An Epic Night of Rhys (Sun Wah BBQ, Chicago IL): Nose: There was real poise to the nose with rhubarb, currants, baking spices, chalk tones, some tobacco notes, earth tones, cherries, and some whole cluster stem notes. There is excellent balance to the nose and the whole cluster does show itself off.
Taste: Medium/full bodied with crisp medium+ acidity and silky tannins. The structure is a little deceiving as it sneaks up on you on the end. There is a lot of polish and class with rhubarb, currants, baking spices, earth tones, cherries, and some whole cluster stems.
Overall: This is most certainly a young wine. I would love to see where this goes when the whole cluster influences integrate more. There is a lot of polish and poise to the wine with a real good core of fruit.
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At home over three nights. Dark garnet, translucent. The aroma is identifiable as pinot noir, but more on the black fruit spectrum, deep and dark. Definitely New World style. Medium-full bodied flavors, coat the palate with richness and nice balance. Slightly hot aftertaste. This is quite nice but we prefer the more complex and Burgundian style of Walter Hansel, at about 60% of the price of this wine. Ric
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With grilled pork chops at home. Ruby, medium-dark, slightly translucent. Fairly pronounced aroma of red and black fruit, a little cinnamon and allspice, just a touch of anise. Medium-full bodied for a pinot noir, excellent fruit on the palate, nicely balanced. Moderate tannin but well integrated. Very long nice aftertaste. Overall an excellent wine, may still improve and soften with another couple of years, but very drinkable now. However, we definitely prefer our reference point Walter Hansel, which has more Burgundian characteristics, and is much less expensive. Ric
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The fruit is dark and plummy, getting more tart and meatier with air. With air the stem influence becomes more noticeable, but instead of being twiggy and floral (as I usually find in Rhys) it's spicy and minty, and there's a touch of chocolate and gingerbread. I like the mintiness. The palate shows a ton of acid, maybe the most I can remember in a California pinot noir. The structure is smooth but just a bit chunky and the acid is a little prickly, this needs some time for everything to come together as the structure is out in front of the fruit. Just a touch dilute on the finish, this is less thick and extracted than some of the Rhys I've had. Good potential here but not showing especially well at the moment, this is more structured and less ripe and concentrated than the 2009.
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Desperately needed decanting. Tightly wound when first opened, but within an hour it relaxed and the nose showed pine and bright fruit. The palate had lots of structure with juicy red fruit, earth, and florals. The finish was long and delicious. Finally a Family Farm that I loved.
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Fruit muted at first, even seemed a bit watered down. Nose was excellent, dark cherry, christmas spice, cinnamon, pine needles. After an hour, palate caught up to the nose, excellent. Clearly distinctive from most if not all Cali Pinot.
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deep cherry nose, suprisingly muted flavour profile. fruit a little dead. Some decent earthtones but the medium bodied weak fruit is not what I was hoping for. Still get a decenbt structure on the wine and not thinking it is particularly youthful.
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decanted for two hours. tight. nose of reticent but vibrant red fruits and spice with wood predominating on the palate at this point. the tannins still stand out and i think this will improve greatly with several years in bottle. simply too young.
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With its vibrant just-crushed berry fruit I might've taken this for a Beaujolais--take into account that stony mineral base and make it a Côte de Brouilly. I guess that makes this sound a little pricey for what it is but it does have a nicely refined, suave texture, so there's the pinot breed. Very elegant wine that's also very drinkable, though even with its improvements over the years I still see this as the entry level Rhys.
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This seems like a slightly more "modern" or "new world" style Pinot than some of the other Rhys offerings. Very strong oak influence--stylish, suave, masculine. At present, I found that the oak overwhelmed the fruit somewhat, but I would expect that it will mellow a bit in a few years. This can absolutely be enjoyed now if you like this style of wine, but otherwise I would hold off for a while.
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I liked this quite a bit. There's nice red fruit on the nose and palate. The flavors tend to the high end of the spectrum which I like - I'm sure the stems are in play here. There's something on the finish that hints of cola or sassafrass that I'm not in love with, but it's a slight distraction. The wine was marginally better on day 2. My discrete CT scale: 95-extraordinary; 90-very good; 85-good; 80-fair; 75-poor.
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Like many have mentioned already, there is tons of structure here. Lots of mineral and dirt, you can almost taste the clay soils. I really cant wait to taste this in 5+ years.
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Lovely bottle, showcasing crisp, red fruit, dried flowers and a touch of stems. Good complexity and wonderful balance. The structure seems a bit elevated, but probably my fault as I did not decant.
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Still trying to figure out my feeling about Rhys, if the wines live up to the hype. This was very good, and consistent over three days. A nice blend of fruit and earth, well balanced with some tart acidity. Good, but didn't blow me away.
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Popped and poured with roasted chicken, then finished off the next night. Aroma is black cherry and plum, with a bit of cola in there too. Luckily, the cola doesn't really come through much, but that fruit is there on the palate. It is very easy going down, and coats the tongue a bit, with a good level of acidity on the finish. Drinking very well right now, but will be interested to see how my other 2 bottles develop.
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Another Saturday at Knightsbridge - mostly blind (Northbrook, IL): Tasted double blind. Oddly disjointed with lots of alluring new oak spice but a strange combination of fat and lean attributes. Impossible to fairly assess or even understand until I realized this wine was just shipped to Chicago days earlier. Frankly disrespectful opening this wine...both to the wine and the tasters today.
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Second experience with this wine; however, on this occasion the wine was tasted side by side with the 2010 Rhys, Pinot Noir, "Home Vineyard". As before, this wine requires some airing to show its best. Both wine gave excellent showings with the '10 "Family Farm" showing more accessibility on the bouquet and palate and a more elegant red fruit profile, while the "Home Vineyard" displayed darker fruits, more structure and gave a slightly more complete overall profile. This wine shows aromatics of red fruits, floral, spice and underlying stem notes that remain in the background and don't become intrusive. This drinks well now with airing, however, like the previous bottle, this one leaves the impression that it will benefit from at least a couple years of additional bottle age.
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Falltacular 2013 (FMIII in the OC): Dark red and black fruit flavors and some stem aromas. What really jumped out at me was the way the wine developed with a very mild fruit attack, instantly I wondered "wow, not much here at all" but wait my friends it starts building momentum and really culminates with and explosion at the finish. Nicely done.
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Opened and poured, this wine required about 30 minutes of airing to show its best. The aromatics begin with dark fruits and stem notes that initially seem disjointed. Airing brings excellent harmony to the bouquet with the stem notes relegated to the background and youthful fruit, spice and earth notes giving complexity and nuance. The color is a dark ruby that is youthful and correct for the wines age. The medium bodied palate also requires airing to give its best showing. The wine evolves with time and displays depth, concentration, balance and seamless transition from start to finish where tannins and acidity become present. Unfortunately at this time the wine shows three distinct stages, an initial period of disjointedness that gives way to outstanding overall balance, and a final period where the wine becomes closed and reserved. Based on this showing, this wine will benefit from additional bottle age.
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Tasted at the Rhys pickup. Nose is quite forward, mix of red and black fruit; palate has a wild character to it, good acidity and delineation, nice long finish. Excellent.
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April 2012 Rhys Visit--Taste The 2010s (Rhys Estate (At The Winery)): Added to the database so this is early on in the wine's chronicle. Listed alc 12.7%, with 66% whole cluster and 40% new wood. Stem signature is present but not prominent. The fruit shows a lush quality, expressive, bright with orange rind, blue and red, a strawberry note. It also exhibits a crunchy and zesty quality, vibrant. I want to convey the energy in the wine, the juicy quailty that it shows on the palate. Very good.
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2/20/2024 - davudvl Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank at a wine gathering. Amazing nose and palate .
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12/30/2023 - galewskj wrote: 93 Points
Pop and pour, drank about half the bottle over 2 hours. There is a minerality to this that reminds me of Burgundy. However, the rest of the flavor profile is California. Candied cherry, baking spice, vanilla with a flinty finish.
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12/20/2023 - mclanew Likes this wine: 92 Points
Popped and poured. Really fresh nose of strawberry, herbs and spice. The palate is more plain. Medium bodied, fairly round, red berry fruit, herbs and tea. Hasn’t develop much complexity but enjoyable to drink.
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7/29/2023 - Cote d'Or wrote:
Tasted over 1 hr and day 2
-nearly semi-translucent med red mild bricking
-highly aromatic complex stems spice cinnamon rhubarb red fruit oak
-med acidity, med/med- weight rhubarb spice red fruit opens up by day 2 some slightly medicinal notes intermingled with some slightly oxidative mature elements, dusty med- tannins
-like many Rhys pinots with some age this has wildly complex aromatics, though the palate is less interesting and a bit tired
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6/12/2023 - gharter wrote: flawed
Last bottle and it was undrinkable. Not sure what the flaw was. wasn't brett or corked.
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5/27/2023 - gharter Likes this wine: 90 Points
There must be bottle variation. This bottle is showing so much better than the last one. PnP. Starts with aromas of sour cherry, earth, spice, leather, and herbs. Layers of flavor with sour cherry, spice, earth, leather, stems. Starting to show more complexity. The tannins have softened nicely,
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3/20/2023 - grafstrb wrote: 92 Points
-- decanted 15 min. before initial taste --
-- tasted non-blind over 2 - 3 hours --
NOSE: expressive; red-fruited (cherry and pomegranate); pleasantly high-toned with a savory bent.
BODY: rustic garnet color of medium-shallow to medium depth; bricking throughout; light to medium-light bodied.
TASTE: juicy red fruits, but only medium-light concentration of fruit flavor; medium+ to high acidity; rhubarb; stony element in the background; not tannic; seems loose, but well-balanced; Drink Now and over the near term.
50, 5, 12, 17, 8 = 92
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2/6/2023 - galewskj wrote: 93 Points
Pop and pour, drank about half the bottle over 2 hours. This took about 20 minutes of glass time to resolve itself. Once it did, it had great complexity and nuance, more than I remember from a bottle 1 year ago. The cherry fruit shows well and there are savory secondary flavors, herbs of provenance, underbrush, a small touch of orange rind and oak.
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2/4/2023 - ash_then_chase Likes this wine: 91 Points
Is it gevrey? Is it pommard? It is so chalky and it is so bright. A touch of pickle juice. Red fruit abound. @ Gramercy Tavern
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12/19/2022 - ron m wrote:
Solid bottle from Rhys. Typical flavor profile, cherries and cranberries, not much complexity to nose. Polished, solid mouthfeel, good acidity. I felt this was better on day 2 but it may have been a little too cold when opened. Either way to me it seemed like there's plenty of life left in it.
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10/22/2022 - mdefreitas wrote: 93 Points
Noticeably better than my last bottle, 9 years ago. The structure has resolved and complexity was gained. Still showing good fruit, with lovely savory elements. Cherry, herbs, forest floor, tree bark and spice. Wonderful balance and symmetry.
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10/2/2022 - azb Likes this wine: 91 Points
Still very good but starting to fade. Drink soon!
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1/29/2022 - mclanew Likes this wine: 95 Points
Popped and poured. This is lovely. Airy, floral nose wafts from the glass. The wine is medium bodied, elegant and refined. Wild strawerry, rapberry, a little earth and spice. This is in the perfect drinking window now.
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1/18/2022 - galewskj wrote: 92 Points
Pop and pour, followed 2 glasses over 3 hours. This is not agressive, it has bright fruits of cherry and strawberry. It seems like a tasty California pinot, seems price appropriate for the $59 I paid from the winery, I'm not sure it's worth much more.
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12/14/2021 - KenK Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nice wine, classic Rhys balancing red fruits and acid very well with a deft delicate hand.
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11/12/2021 - Golf_Wine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Short note - typical good Rhys. Got better and better over the 1.5 hour it was with us. No need to decant, evolved nicely over the 1.5 hour and this undertone of crushed ripe raspberries kept evolving to keep the blue fruits and sweetness in check.
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5/14/2021 - canan wrote: 92 Points
Sweet cherry fruit and a lovely acidity and has a nice mineralic touch. Don't get me wrong, this wine is still on the sweet side but still in a balanced and elegant way. Loads of things to love and enjoy and I liked it a lot. Seems mature but will probably stay at this point for 2-4 years.
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5/2/2021 - Backdoctor wrote: 93 Points
a bit tart, even stood up for a couple days it was a bit cloudy. Still decent fruit on palate, like tart cherry.
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12/28/2020 - fine137 wrote: 95 Points
This is drinking at peak, at least to my taste. Bit cloudy, maybe some stem inclusion. Muddled cherry and spice are prominent. Without the ripeness, would be in Vosne. But it’s just got too much fruit in a good way. No cola or other off putting new world Pinot flavors. It’s great, wish I had more.
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12/18/2020 - jbaron wrote: 91 Points
Yeah, it’s elegant but there’s a bit less there there than would be optimal.
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10/4/2020 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Almost a year from my last bottle. I think this is in a good place. Nuanced and elegant palate, some savory mature notes but also quite fresh and acidic favoring rhubarb and cherry notes. Savory spicy elements on the nose. Lovely, for me fully mature, may further evolve but I like where this is at. My last bottle.
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9/28/2020 - mclanew Likes this wine: 96 Points
Popped and poured. Needed about twenty minutes in the glass to unfurl itself fully. Terrific nose of cherries with subtle notes of earth and tar. The palate is perfectly mature right now and showing terrific balance and fully resolved tannins. Very clean, pure flavors of red cherry, a hint of strawberry, herbs and forest floor. It is so delicious and interesting now I wouldn’t wait although I think it should hold for a few more years before starting to decline.
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9/4/2020 - Schwarzer Hund Likes this wine:
Dark ruby red, decanted 90 min before dinner, modest dark berry fruit and spicenose (more air time needed), rich, dense dark berry fruit, tannins integrated, overall balance is very good, long smooth finish.
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8/28/2020 - rhit wrote:
Deeper and more intense aromatics than I can remember from the last bottle (3 years ago), but a more crystalline, austere palate impression, with the acid seeming a little more prominent. Still very nice, but right now perhaps not as enjoyable as other Rhys bottles.
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8/3/2020 - grafstrb wrote:
-- decanted 1 to 1.5 hours before initial taste --
-- tasted non-blind over a few hours --
NOSE: stony; earthy; muddled strawberry.
BODY: medium-light bodied; rustic garnet color of medium to medium-deep depth.
TASTE: savory and red-fruited; cola and red fruits; not "crystalline"; ripe and rustic; some aged character; open, and somewhat loosely-structured; nothing here compels a Hold recommendation, but I don't think it's necessarily about to fall apart, either. My gut impression score: 89 - 90. Ashley's gut impression score: 91.
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7/24/2020 - James Kim Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted for 1.5h then back into bottle. Note is 4h after decant. Green stem aromaswiht ripe red and black cherries, herbs, bark, minerals and earth. Palate is similar to the aromas. Medium body and nice balancing acids. Liked this. 91+
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6/26/2020 - dougsmith Likes this wine: 90 Points
Medium ruby color, cloudy. Complex on the nose with wild strawberry, red cherry, damp earth and cola. Medium bodied and juicy on the palate.
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4/24/2020 - bjschmitt Likes this wine: 90 Points
With BBQ brisket, grits, slaw.
Cherry, tobacco, acid late to the party but there. Moves on to prune/plum/fig?
Nice wine, enjoyable, but did not stand up/match the food.
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4/21/2020 - jreis Likes this wine:
Dark cherry, peppery spice, forest floor and just a hint of cola on the nose. Nice balance of sweet dark fruit, minerals and acidity on the palate. Not the most complex Rhys Pinot, but a really nice drink. Not sure how much better it will get with age, but still fresh and certainly has many good years ahead of it.
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4/19/2020 - talbot61 Likes this wine: 87 Points
This didn't quite measure up to my expectations: When I first opened it, there was a blast of mouth-cleansing, electric acidity. After an hour or so in the decanter, the acidity had calmed down, but the wine seemed a little chunky, stemmy and monolithic, and it never really emerged again. It was like having a brief sighting of a bobcat, and then spending the rest of the evening waiting in vain for it to emerge again from its lair.
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4/5/2020 - Rambling wino Likes this wine:
Bing cherry, cigar tobacco, leather, sage.
Signature whole cluster spice seems to carry the wines broght punchy aromatics.
Entry is soft and aged. Fine grain tannin seem to be fallong apart, but kirsch and and coco flavors are still electrified by the acidity. There is still a beating heart core of concentration. Pretty damn good effort.
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3/20/2020 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent. Classic light and flowing body with tangy, wild strawberry fruit. Good aromatic complexity: umami, soil, herbs, even whiffs of bacon. Pinot is inimitable when made in this style. I expect this to age gracefully over the next decade.
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3/12/2020 - DangerMouse81 wrote: 86 Points
Light color. Bramble and gamy. Green beans and tobacco ash. Lean, flat and acid is out of balance. Seems over the hill.
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2/16/2020 - gesusser wrote: 88 Points
Meh
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2/13/2020 - gharter Likes this wine: 88 Points
Is there bottle variation? The last bottle was much better. This one was OK, but not special. Muted nose, but didn't seemed flawed.
Sour cherry, earth, spice, leather, herbal aromas. Flavors of sour cherry, spice, earth, leather, stems. Short finish, slightly bitter in the finish. Not bad, but far from expected.
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2/3/2020 - SeaSea Likes this wine:
Was dark fruited, savory w/a touch of sweetness and still a bit tight at age ten. Had over two days. A bit more integrated on day two after a night in the fridge with a stopper.
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1/1/2020 - jbaron wrote: 90 Points
Decent nose, decent length, good mouth. Okay tastes and saturation. Decent plus in total? Difficult to see that when the mouth improves as the structure subsides, the wine will be “better.” It is what is is I guess.
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12/1/2019 - Bordeauxman wrote: 93 Points
This wine is singing. Nose of cherries, spices and hint of flint. Very well balanced with layers of crushed red fruit and wild flowers.
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10/19/2019 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very expressive. Dark red fruits, herbal forest, and some
Smoke on the finish. Elegant and smooth, finely delineated. Maybe one of the more elegant Rhys I’ve had. Very good.
After reading my other notes I think this has filled out nicely. Not shrill or thin at all. Fruit comes across as quite ripe. I have a hard time thinking this will get better.
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10/16/2019 - gharter Likes this wine: 91 Points
Still a youngster. Beautiful red with no browning at the edge. Decanted 1 hour and it helps. Great aromatics with sour cherry, earth, spice, leather, herbal. Loaded with flavors of sour cherry, spice, earth, leather, stems. Starting to show more complexity. The tannins have softened nicely, but still present i na long finish. Starting to show really well, but clearly has a long life ahead of it.
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10/5/2019 - lolo66 wrote: 92 Points
rhubard, tart, depth, minerals, darker earth tones, tannic still with more room to age, but has plenty to enjoy right now.
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10/1/2019 - Cote d'Or wrote:
Tasted over 1 hr
-med red mild bricking
-muted beetroot rhubarb brown spice
-med acidity, med weight soft maturing ripe fruit in the beetroot rhubarb spectrum that is a little one-dimensional at the moment, med- tannins ever so slightly dried out
-still with generous fruit yet showing some signs of maturity, a bit imbalanced now though this could be from insufficient air time to unfurl
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9/26/2019 - Tree512 wrote: 90 Points
Absolutely correct to type. Savory, not fruit forward, balanced, tasty.
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8/6/2019 - pjhr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious sour dried cherries, earth and whole cluster spice notes on the open nose and rich palate with juicy acidity on the moderate finish. Drinking well!
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6/14/2019 - andrewdodd86 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Cork popped (previously Coravin’ed). Dark blueberry, could be confused for Oregon Pinot. Mushroom, leather, earth, and tobacco. Floral. Fantastic.
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6/7/2019 - VinoDiver wrote: 89 Points
Good wine with dark tart fruits. Easy drinking but not very complex with a muted nose and short finish.
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5/28/2019 - dbkitc wrote: 90 Points
Impressive. Balanced, good depth and complexity. (90)
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3/9/2019 - Golf_Wine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drinking very good but still a little angular - slo oxed for an hour or so and drank over 1.5 hours. Maybe it needs another year or a decant. All that you expect from a Rhys. The one review before talks about chicken feathers. If any of my wines start drinking like chicken feathers - I'm pouring it out or I'm stopping drinking all together :-)
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12/2/2018 - advinm41 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Ruby red to burgundy, medium body, medium alcohol, nice balance of sweetness and acidity, acid provides nice freshness, nose has cranberry, cherry, hint of chocolate, slight smoke, chicken feathers, fresh linen, wet leaves, some earth. Palate is cherry and raspberry, medium body, and cola with slight taste of minerals. Finish is medium with fine pixelated tannins. At this stage starting to have some tertiary aromas such as wet earth, chicken feathers, steel, minerality. Ready to be enjoyed - at its peak
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11/20/2018 - Golf_Wine Likes this wine: 93 Points
needs 45 min of air
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11/12/2018 - dbkitc wrote: 92 Points
The second 2010 from Rhys this evening and I am happy to say that each wine was distinct and clearly showing terroir and individual personality. I much prefer this to the Bearwallow. The color is lighter yet more saturated to the rim. The nose shows a wonderful floral element to go along with the pure fruit. Not obviously west coast in profile. Light weight yet full of flavor especially on the bramble finish. Nods toward Burgundy. (92)
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10/9/2018 - rmh66 wrote: 89 Points
Popped and poured and followed for several days. Cranberry, tart cherry, black cherry, earth, herbs, and some smoke on the nose. Tart cherry, red and black cherry, herbs, earth, and a little spice on the palate. Good acidity, slightly grippy tannins, good finish. This was quite solid and very high quality but seemed a bit uninspiring. Another year or two will probably help, if this bottle was indicative.
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10/5/2018 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark berries, black cherries, smoke, roasted spices, and violets on the super and complex deep nose. Great balance with medium+ acidity and notes of black berries, cherries, pomegranate on the palate. Long finish. This beautiful Pinkt needed a good 2 hours to really show. 94+
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9/29/2018 - jlm wrote:
Aromatics are mainly tart fruits, cranberry perhaps, and an herbal note from the stems still showing. The palate is medium weight, and the fruit has a lovely light feel to it. The fruit-acid balance is very nice here, but leaning a bit more towards sappy than tangy. Some moderately grippy tannins appear around the fringes of the finish. This is drinking well enough now with a bit of air, but I think it will continue to develop well, show more mature fruit qualities, and integrate the stems more.
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9/8/2018 - whitmanlholt wrote: 89 Points
Popped and poured. This is a light-cherry-red wine with basically no sediment in the bottle. On the nose, I get cranberry, rosehips, strawberry, a sharp note of tomato leaf, and smoke. In the mouth, I get medium red fruit and some more tomato leaf, all carrying into a tart finish with nice crispness. Overall, this is an interesting and unique Pinot. The tomato leaf was just a touch too much for me. 89 points.
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8/19/2018 - hiker_guy wrote:
Nice wine.
Brought to a friends house for dinner
Paired with King salmon
Complex, interesting and fabulous finish
Would buy again
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5/13/2018 - joshabramson Likes this wine: 94 Points
Really enjoyed this one. Drank on Mother’s Day, had already had a few drinks so my notes aren’t perfect, but it was a super solid new world Pinot for sure.
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2/7/2018 - rosenst1 wrote: 92 Points
PnP. Light red with clearing to the edge. Strawberry and perhaps a hint of citrus on the nose. Lovely satin texture on the palate with good red fruited flavors along with spice and some whole cluster woodiness. Finish has nice penetrance and length dominated by the whole clusters and spice. Drinking very well at age 8, but no rush.
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1/24/2018 - pjhr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tasty strawberry, earth and whole cluster spice notes on the open nose and lively palate with juicy acidity on the moderate finish. Continues to drink well.
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12/30/2017 - rcmccall Likes this wine: 91 Points
Strawberry, spice, earth, and faint herbal/bell pepper note dominates the nose. Bright strawberries, spice, pepper, and a nice silky acidity provides moderate intensity in the mouth. Showing well tonight baby!
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10/22/2017 - pjhr Likes this wine: 93 Points
As delicious as the last bottle!
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10/14/2017 - pjhr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious dark berry, earth and whole cluster spice notes on the open nose and rich palate with juicy acidity on the moderate finish. Drinking well!
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10/1/2017 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Rhys @ My Place--Part 3 (My House In The South OC): Listed ABV of 12.4%. I put a star next to my TN, this was excellent. There is an elegance to this wine. Juicy, with a watermelon quality, strawberry, incense and the same kind of cracked spices note I found in the 2010 Bearwallow. Good intensity, structure and this is going to age well IMO. Terrific.
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8/25/2017 - rhit Likes this wine:
Lifted, stemmy (in a good way) aromatics and silky texture. Seems like it's got time to spare, but in a good place now.
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8/12/2017 - Brian Love wrote: 94 Points
Beautiful wine with a knockout nose. Fruit is a touch on the rich side - in a good way - but finishes with the signature Rhys backbone/minerality.
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7/30/2017 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 90 Points
As others have said, rhubarb dominated nose and palate giving it a rather shrill narrow feeling on the palate. Nice complex aromatics probably from the stem inclusion. Good, but this is disjointed and should be better at the price point. Best to hold and hope for further integration.
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6/27/2017 - soyhead wrote:
Nose - lovely nose soy meets cherry,
Mouth - more mature than the 2010 Swan, clean, dark fruit, more vosne than chambolle, with time I am liking this more and more but this is well in its drinking window whereas the acidity of the swan will keep it alive for many years to come.
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6/9/2017 - Frank Murray III wrote:
About 18 months since the last bottle, and this is my final bottle from the cellar. Opened about 90 mins ago, have been pouring an ounce at a time to kind of watch it unfold. Stems are present in the aromatic, some pine needle and cracked spices. The palate has settled in nicely, reflecting sour cherry, red apple, tangy acidity and some soil. Pretty approachable now and yet no shortage of energy either (i.e. not flabby or soft). Juicy, delicious and enough CA fruit showing through that gives it a nice finish of something lightly jammy and sappy.
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6/6/2017 - hiker_guy Likes this wine:
NIce, complex, interesting and in a nice place.
Brought to a tasting of high end Burgundy and it fit right in.
Will buy again.
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5/24/2017 - Nanda wrote: 92 Points
Rhys 08/09/10 (Sun Wah BBQ, Chicago, IL): The nose is very consistent with the 08 tasted in the same flight. Bright, intense with loads of red fruit, florals and some mint/herb from the stems. On the palate this is lighter and more chalky than the 08. The fruit is not as concentrated and as a result the acids are a touch sharper. Should only improve with time. Upside from here, as with the 08.
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5/24/2017 - acyso wrote: 85 Points
The Rotating Dinners, II.1: Rhys, 2008-10 (Chicago, IL): I feel as if this wine suffers from the California pinot syndrome of candied red fruit and a body that is too thin for the sweetness. The tannins here also show a little grainy and there's a green note as well that isn't too pleasant. Perhaps some time will fill this out?
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5/11/2017 - Diane (LI) wrote:
This is well in its drinking window. Herbal, prune, berries, finish is moderate, and I wish acidity was higher. Family Farm is not my favorite, and I am not sorry to say this is my last.
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4/23/2017 - Cote d'Or wrote:
PopnPour, tasted over 4 hrs
-nearly opaque dark red purple
-complex fragrant aromatics with spicy oak wet stone floral plum then some rhubarb-y new world pinot after a few hours of air
-med/med- acidity gives a soft mouthfeel, med/med+ weight, rich and ripe but fading dark fruit and stems/spice, good length
-reminiscent of a Vosne-Romanee from a polished producer, not totally fruit forward any more but not showing mature elements either, best assessment is this is in early maturity
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3/13/2017 - Golf_Wine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Another great Rhys. Beautiful nose of dark berries/fruit. Pine sap, spice, licorice, a bit herbal, a great nose. Drinking - first thing hitting me was a bit of smoke - unusual for me, then strawberry, licorice, some tart and sweet fruits, it drank very rich and almost chewy. Decanted for an hour and with that this wine - I'd imagine is drinking at it's prime. I love Burgundy but also love this wine but would never mix it up for being a Burgundy or any other Pinot Noir producing region. Rhys have found their own thing.
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1/29/2017 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 95 Points
PNP, from memory of great wine night last night (one of MANY); delicious & enjoyed by all in a sea of cabs
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1/7/2017 - jsmorris707 wrote: 94 Points
Double decanted then SO'd for a few hrs, med. ruby, dark fruit with some smoke, soft/mod. tannins, mod. finish; very good, my 1st time tasting Rhys & I think this may improve, drink or hold
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12/28/2016 - t_moderne wrote: 86 Points
Pop and pour and served with food (gilled chicken and pasta e fagioli, in case you were wondering).
Light, tart and fresh but lacking in depth. Bright acidity and a snappy element. Enjoyable but not quite reaching new heights. Good bur not great.
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11/22/2016 - Tubulus wrote: 91 Points
Straight down the middle pinot with a reasonable amount of oak (not objectionable). Not particularly light or heavy, not overly acidic or flabby, just nicely balanced, easy to drink with or without food.
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11/9/2016 - B Paul wrote: 89 Points
Good, though not my favorite Rhys I've had. I had the 2010 Rhys San Mateo PN a couple of nights ago, and may have preferred it over the Family Farm.
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8/31/2016 - DRS-Inc wrote: 91 Points
Had this over 2 nights, showed better on 2nd day. This was a bit tight and unyielding at first with a muted nose, even with 2+ hours of air. Short while later picked up notes of tart raspberry and strawberry, rhubarb, pine needle, mineral and some spice. Opened up a little after about 8 hours, later gave way to some earthy, herbaceous tones and a wet soil note. Mid-weight, lithe and finessed with fine firm tannins that softened eventually, intermingled with crisp acidity and ending with a medium+ finish. Wait at least another 2-3 years before opening the next one. (91+)
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6/23/2016 - cpsmith33 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drank over 3 hours. Way too early, these need at least 3 more years.
Cherry and red fruit, some earth smooth and well made with oak still there. Could be something really special just way to early imho.
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5/18/2016 - wineaux2 wrote: 87 Points
This one had prominent oak. Really nice wine otherwise with cherry and strawberry fruit, spice, earth and a nuanced hint of underlying blueberry. Acidity was well present but integrated. Too bad the oak is so noticeable - no escaping it on the nose and palate - as the other components are quite charming.
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5/16/2016 - bobpsi wrote:
PnP Drank over 2 hours. Moderate nose of dark cherry, smoke and red flowers. Medium body with well balanced acidity, ripe red fruits, spice and smoke notes, fine tannins and a moderate finish.
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4/21/2016 - dougie Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for an hour. Somewhat rustic at the start. Blossomed throughout the night. Great texture and richness 4 hours on. Beautiful.
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4/12/2016 - soyhead wrote:
nose - plum, strawberry, tutti fruiti, oak
mouth - sappy dark fruit with an herbal essence reminiscent of root beer
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3/19/2016 - jwsmith wrote: 92 Points
This was surprisingly better than I anticipated, these wines really need 4 to 5 years to shed there toughness.
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2/28/2016 - peternelson wrote: 91 Points
Fragrant nose of black cherry, blackberry, with plenty of brambly spice. Good depth, concentration, balance, but in complete contrast to the over the top Syrah-styled Aubert Pinot. EWG at Green Street Tavern.
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2/18/2016 - khunchris Likes this wine: 92 Points
Great pinot. Was enjoyed by many at Bandon Dunes
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12/27/2015 - WST Likes this wine:
Dense red pinot fruit. Medicinal herbal stemmy notes. Can last several years or more, but no harm in opening now. We liked this a lot, over several nights.
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12/23/2015 - Frank Murray III wrote:
3rd bottle since release, and the first one I have tasted over successive days. When I opened this yesterday, it started leaner and a bit coiled, restrained. Several hours later, I took it to dinner and I saw the stems emerge, as did some body within the palate of the wine. I then stored the bottle in the fridge overnight, with the last glass under cork, which I have poured for this note on what is the following day. Showing today a mix of plum fruit and skin, blueberry, finishing with a tang. I find this vintage be broad shouldered and more fruit centric so I suppose this can be aged further but I won't for my final bottle. This wine is really more about fruit and broader texture so I find for my palate it will be better, more enjoyable in the short term.
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11/25/2015 - rxfudd Likes this wine: 91 Points
Excellent. Medium weight, highly prominent fruit that tastes more like dark cherries than grapes, much heavier than most new world pinots I have had. This is only my second Rhys, but it lives up to my expectations and I am definitely a fan. I will be purchasing more. This is perhaps earlier in the nature order of this wine, and one could hold for another 3-5 years at least (though, really, why wait?).
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11/15/2015 - domco wrote:
A lot of dark fruits, a touch floral. Bigger than I thought it would be but I would still classify as more mid-weight. Very good but I'll admit I expected just a touch more?
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11/13/2015 - shaferguy91 wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 2 hours.
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11/9/2015 - jkuanl wrote:
Very aromatic nose of berries, florals, and stems. Medium bodied, bright and silky with good balance. Pleasurable.
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10/22/2015 - jwsmith wrote: 93 Points
Really interesting starting to age and gain more finesse and complexity excellent
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9/20/2015 - kenhoeve wrote:
Something off with this bottle or it's in a very odd spot. Very stemmy, with ash, meats, and just too bitter with a decant. Undrinkable. Put back in the bottle for a day. Second day it had receded somewhat, not as bitter, with some bright berry fruit, but still lots of stems and ash and more of the cured meat notes. Really disappointing.
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8/1/2015 - jhieb Likes this wine: 91 Points
Lovely strawberry flavors, with bright acidity.
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6/21/2015 - kthornton78 wrote:
woodsmoke and pepper on the nose when first opened. after an hour in the decanter this was predominantly red-fruited with dry extract and spice supported by good tannic structure.
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4/4/2015 - grafstrb wrote:
-- decanted for a couple hours before tasting --
-- tasted a couple glasses non-blind over 45 min. --
Expressive Nose shows medium oak and some ripe RRV-esque Pinot aromas. Nice acidity and fruit on the palate, and the alcohol wasn't noticeable. Oak from the Nose wasn't as noticeable on the palate. Overall, very nice, and probably best to keep holding in the cellar.
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12/21/2014 - pakabear Likes this wine: 91 Points
Wait a few years, got much better on day 2, strawberry, forest floor, American for sure but as always had a Burgundian feel and flavor in hot years. Very good overall but as with almost all Rhys they require patients and this was too young.
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12/8/2014 - twelch wrote: 91 Points
Nice. I liked it but not as enthraled by it as many others.
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12/4/2014 - hiker_guy Likes this wine:
nose: earthy raspberry and red fruit very aromatic about 20 minutes after opening and pouring into a burgundy glass
Palate: smooth, lite but full on the palate, very nice flavors of red fruit, spice and a little earthy elements. Long finish.
Would buy again.
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11/26/2014 - soyhead wrote:
Nose - raspberry, root beer
Mouth - cornucopia of red fruit, fruit punchy, with good acidity, a hint of savory and smoke on the finish. Nice complexity and fruit
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11/24/2014 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 95 Points
Definitely better than when we tasted it in February. Garnet color, now opaque. Very pronounced varietal aroma, very Burgundian style of red and black fruits with smoke and oak. Full-bodied but very smooth and balanced, plenty of fruit, which increased over 30 seconds. Viscous. Tannin builds, but is soft. Very long, slightly hot aftertaste. Comparable to a very concentrated Burgundy. Ready to drink, but will hold several years. It got even better over two nights.
Ric
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11/1/2014 - wineaux2 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nice pinot with dominant earthy aromas from the first pour. Opened up to reveal cherries, stems, dirt, and strawberries; the body become creamy with a couple of hours of air. Good acidity, integrated tannins and a well-balanced profile make this one a good choice for an early drinker.
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10/29/2014 - Nutty08 wrote: 91 Points
Fresh nose with some green herbs, berries, licorice. Black cherry palate. Chalky tannins, but behind the fruit. Plenty of fresh acidity. Moderate finish. Very nice, drinking well now. Hasn't moved much since last year. Drink or hold. 91-92
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10/11/2014 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Rhys Tasting With The Gang (My House): Tasted alongside the 2010 Home, and also thrown in as a blind wine, the 2010 Copain Kiser En Bas. This FF has a pronounced stemmy aromatic, far more than the 2010 Home. Lively cherry, tight palate and finish and will need some time. For me, the fruit here and the expression of this 2010 was far better than that of the 2007, which I had tasted in the flight that preceded this one.
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10/6/2014 - norsktorsk wrote: 92 Points
Young. Will get some more for the cellar.
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7/18/2014 - Nanda wrote:
Incredible aromatics - my note reads "holy cow!" - loaded with spices, herbs, and red cherry fruit. Palate continues to bring it with black cherry, herbs and spice. Very lifted with impeccable balance. Flavorful herb and pepper filled finish. Might have been my favorite Rhys of ~15 Rhys pinots tasted tonight.
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7/18/2014 - KeithAkers wrote: 92 Points
An Epic Night of Rhys (Sun Wah BBQ, Chicago IL): Nose: There was real poise to the nose with rhubarb, currants, baking spices, chalk tones, some tobacco notes, earth tones, cherries, and some whole cluster stem notes. There is excellent balance to the nose and the whole cluster does show itself off.
Taste: Medium/full bodied with crisp medium+ acidity and silky tannins. The structure is a little deceiving as it sneaks up on you on the end. There is a lot of polish and class with rhubarb, currants, baking spices, earth tones, cherries, and some whole cluster stems.
Overall: This is most certainly a young wine. I would love to see where this goes when the whole cluster influences integrate more. There is a lot of polish and poise to the wine with a real good core of fruit.
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2/16/2014 - fdub Likes this wine: 91 Points
Pine, menthol and sappy dark fruits. This has a lot of structure and intensity from the stem inclusion.
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2/11/2014 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 90 Points
At home over three nights. Dark garnet, translucent. The aroma is identifiable as pinot noir, but more on the black fruit spectrum, deep and dark. Definitely New World style. Medium-full bodied flavors, coat the palate with richness and nice balance. Slightly hot aftertaste. This is quite nice but we prefer the more complex and Burgundian style of Walter Hansel, at about 60% of the price of this wine.
Ric
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2/9/2014 - tom999s Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opens up within the first hour. Good fruit with some floral notes. Acid was appropriate for its age. Good Pinot
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2/9/2014 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 93 Points
With grilled pork chops at home. Ruby, medium-dark, slightly translucent. Fairly pronounced aroma of red and black fruit, a little cinnamon and allspice, just a touch of anise. Medium-full bodied for a pinot noir, excellent fruit on the palate, nicely balanced. Moderate tannin but well integrated. Very long nice aftertaste. Overall an excellent wine, may still improve and soften with another couple of years, but very drinkable now. However, we definitely prefer our reference point Walter Hansel, which has more Burgundian characteristics, and is much less expensive.
Ric
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2/1/2014 - coremill wrote: 88 Points
The fruit is dark and plummy, getting more tart and meatier with air. With air the stem influence becomes more noticeable, but instead of being twiggy and floral (as I usually find in Rhys) it's spicy and minty, and there's a touch of chocolate and gingerbread. I like the mintiness. The palate shows a ton of acid, maybe the most I can remember in a California pinot noir. The structure is smooth but just a bit chunky and the acid is a little prickly, this needs some time for everything to come together as the structure is out in front of the fruit. Just a touch dilute on the finish, this is less thick and extracted than some of the Rhys I've had. Good potential here but not showing especially well at the moment, this is more structured and less ripe and concentrated than the 2009.
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1/31/2014 - Diane (LI) wrote:
Desperately needed decanting. Tightly wound when first opened, but within an hour it relaxed and the nose showed pine and bright fruit. The palate had lots of structure with juicy red fruit, earth, and florals. The finish was long and delicious. Finally a Family Farm that I loved.
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1/30/2014 - fine137 wrote: 93 Points
Fruit muted at first, even seemed a bit watered down. Nose was excellent, dark cherry, christmas spice, cinnamon, pine needles. After an hour, palate caught up to the nose, excellent. Clearly distinctive from most if not all Cali Pinot.
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11/6/2013 - NTR wrote: 89 Points
deep cherry nose, suprisingly muted flavour profile. fruit a little dead. Some decent earthtones but the medium bodied weak fruit is not what I was hoping for. Still get a decenbt structure on the wine and not thinking it is particularly youthful.
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9/29/2013 - kthornton78 wrote:
decanted for two hours. tight. nose of reticent but vibrant red fruits and spice with wood predominating on the palate at this point. the tannins still stand out and i think this will improve greatly with several years in bottle. simply too young.
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9/9/2013 - RMundell Likes this wine: 89 Points
decent but doesn't standout
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8/17/2013 - Keith Levenberg wrote: 90 Points
With its vibrant just-crushed berry fruit I might've taken this for a Beaujolais--take into account that stony mineral base and make it a Côte de Brouilly. I guess that makes this sound a little pricey for what it is but it does have a nicely refined, suave texture, so there's the pinot breed. Very elegant wine that's also very drinkable, though even with its improvements over the years I still see this as the entry level Rhys.
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8/6/2013 - chughes wrote: 90 Points
This seems like a slightly more "modern" or "new world" style Pinot than some of the other Rhys offerings. Very strong oak influence--stylish, suave, masculine. At present, I found that the oak overwhelmed the fruit somewhat, but I would expect that it will mellow a bit in a few years. This can absolutely be enjoyed now if you like this style of wine, but otherwise I would hold off for a while.
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8/1/2013 - joe d wrote: 85 Points
I liked this quite a bit. There's nice red fruit on the nose and palate. The flavors tend to the high end of the spectrum which I like - I'm sure the stems are in play here. There's something on the finish that hints of cola or sassafrass that I'm not in love with, but it's a slight distraction. The wine was marginally better on day 2. My discrete CT scale: 95-extraordinary; 90-very good; 85-good; 80-fair; 75-poor.
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7/27/2013 - redwhiteandrich wrote: 91 Points
Like many have mentioned already, there is tons of structure here. Lots of mineral and dirt, you can almost taste the clay soils. I really cant wait to taste this in 5+ years.
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5/10/2013 - rerail84 wrote:
Not showing much right now. The structure is there, but more patence is needed.
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5/4/2013 - mdefreitas wrote: 91 Points
Lovely bottle, showcasing crisp, red fruit, dried flowers and a touch of stems. Good complexity and wonderful balance. The structure seems a bit elevated, but probably my fault as I did not decant.
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4/27/2013 - vinosean Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted for 30 minutes
Nose: Dusty road, black cherry
Palate: Lush, fresh cherry pits and stems
Finish: Medium+
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4/15/2013 - Michael Davidson wrote:
Still trying to figure out my feeling about Rhys, if the wines live up to the hype. This was very good, and consistent over three days. A nice blend of fruit and earth, well balanced with some tart acidity. Good, but didn't blow me away.
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4/8/2013 - Wine Sparty wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured with roasted chicken, then finished off the next night. Aroma is black cherry and plum, with a bit of cola in there too. Luckily, the cola doesn't really come through much, but that fruit is there on the palate. It is very easy going down, and coats the tongue a bit, with a good level of acidity on the finish. Drinking very well right now, but will be interested to see how my other 2 bottles develop.
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3/30/2013 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Another Saturday at Knightsbridge - mostly blind (Northbrook, IL): Tasted double blind. Oddly disjointed with lots of alluring new oak spice but a strange combination of fat and lean attributes. Impossible to fairly assess or even understand until I realized this wine was just shipped to Chicago days earlier. Frankly disrespectful opening this wine...both to the wine and the tasters today.
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3/2/2013 - sehill Likes this wine: 92 Points
Second experience with this wine; however, on this occasion the wine was tasted side by side with the 2010 Rhys, Pinot Noir, "Home Vineyard". As before, this wine requires some airing to show its best. Both wine gave excellent showings with the '10 "Family Farm" showing more accessibility on the bouquet and palate and a more elegant red fruit profile, while the "Home Vineyard" displayed darker fruits, more structure and gave a slightly more complete overall profile. This wine shows aromatics of red fruits, floral, spice and underlying stem notes that remain in the background and don't become intrusive. This drinks well now with airing, however, like the previous bottle, this one leaves the impression that it will benefit from at least a couple years of additional bottle age.
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2/17/2013 - brigcampbell wrote:
Falltacular 2013 (FMIII in the OC): Dark red and black fruit flavors and some stem aromas. What really jumped out at me was the way the wine developed with a very mild fruit attack, instantly I wondered "wow, not much here at all" but wait my friends it starts building momentum and really culminates with and explosion at the finish. Nicely done.
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1/21/2013 - sehill Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened and poured, this wine required about 30 minutes of airing to show its best. The aromatics begin with dark fruits and stem notes that initially seem disjointed. Airing brings excellent harmony to the bouquet with the stem notes relegated to the background and youthful fruit, spice and earth notes giving complexity and nuance. The color is a dark ruby that is youthful and correct for the wines age. The medium bodied palate also requires airing to give its best showing. The wine evolves with time and displays depth, concentration, balance and seamless transition from start to finish where tannins and acidity become present. Unfortunately at this time the wine shows three distinct stages, an initial period of disjointedness that gives way to outstanding overall balance, and a final period where the wine becomes closed and reserved. Based on this showing, this wine will benefit from additional bottle age.
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11/4/2012 - xwine wrote:
Tasted at the Rhys pickup. Nose is quite forward, mix of red and black fruit; palate has a wild character to it, good acidity and delineation, nice long finish. Excellent.
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4/11/2012 - alanr wrote: 91 Points
Tasting at Rhys; 4/5/2012-4/11/2012 (Rhys Vineyards): Moderate stems on the nose, then dark dried cherry, orange peel, good acidity and nice structure overall.
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4/6/2012 - Frank Murray III wrote:
April 2012 Rhys Visit--Taste The 2010s (Rhys Estate (At The Winery)): Added to the database so this is early on in the wine's chronicle. Listed alc 12.7%, with 66% whole cluster and 40% new wood. Stem signature is present but not prominent. The fruit shows a lush quality, expressive, bright with orange rind, blue and red, a strawberry note. It also exhibits a crunchy and zesty quality, vibrant. I want to convey the energy in the wine, the juicy quailty that it shows on the palate. Very good.
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