From memory. Didn't handle this the way I really wanted to. Took wine directly from its side in wine fridge and decanted through cheese cloth in funnel in attempts to catch the sediment. However, the vast majority of the sediment was too fine and flowed right through the cheese cloth resulting in a hazy, mildly muddy looking wine. Sat in decanter for 2h then back into bottle to tasting. Nice mix of unripe and ripe blackberries with a moderately high toned edge that improved with time, gamey meats, herbs, maybe even a eucalyptus note, some olives, green stems. Definitely a savory wine. Tannins seemed to be mostly resolved. I suspect the wine is nearing its peak although due to my mishandling (which is why I'm not rating this wine), not completely clear. Still a nice wine and if I had another bottle, would prob stand the wine for several days and pour off clear wine and leave the sediment in the bottle.
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This was drinking really well. Effusive, dark berry nose with some smokiness and a background hint of herb or bell pepper, likely a trace of the stem inclusion. The palate is medium weight with a smooth, almost glossy texture. Plenty fresh but not at all racy, this is totally integrated and has only the slightest hint of tannin lingering. The finish persists nicely. A very fine bottle, seemingly at maturity.
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Have had several badly oxidized Rhys Chards (stored since release) with corks in terrible shape or protruding (not storage conditions; 600 bottles and Rhys bottlings are the only ones badly oxidized or with corks pushing the capsules up). This one protuded slightly, and crumbled when opening. Cork is mushy when squeezed. Wine was sour (word used very intentionally rather than tart). and undrinkable. The last 3 bottles I've poured down the sink were Rhys; have always loved their Syrahs til this one. Immediately opened a 2012 Horseshoe Syrah after dumping this one. Two years younger, but cork came out clean and was completely firm when squeezed vs. the mush of the 2010. Had similar sourness when first poured, but not nearly as pronounced, and got much better with air (very Northern Rhone character). Not the best Rhys Syrah I've had, but drinkable; won't wait long on my remaining 2012 in fear that the sourness when opened is a sign of where it's going.
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Complex yet not always in the best way. There are notes of pepper and meat. Berries and rocks. But also some tomato and candy-like tartness. The persistency is lacking so all the good complexity is right up front. Then it fades into tartness with hints of stems. Consistent overnight.
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Very opinionated, but very good. I've loved some of the Rhys Skyline Syrahs in the past. Those were really really good, but could work as just high-quality red wines that paired easily with food. This, on the other hand, is very much a Syrah and won't let you forget it. :-) Might be the best Syrah I've had.
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exceptional syrah. Blind you would be hard pressed to say this is from Cali. Elegant, bright, crunchy, and seamless. Some game notes to add intrigue. violet infused berries is the prevalent taste for me. really good stuff.
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A really good Northern Rhone style wine. More restrained, with good acidity. Beautiful aromas of blackfruit, minerals, herbs,earth, green pepper, a hint of tobacco. Lots of flavor, but restrained with herbs, bell pepper, tobacco, black fruit. silky smooth with a good finish. Still has enough acidity to be a great food wine. Really good. My last bottle, but would not be worried about holding linger.
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1st of 2 bottles, enjoyed a few glasses at a time, over 3 days. At 12.8% abv, this wine shows a transparency that is not often noted with the Syrah grape, particularly in Calif. Vegetal, medicinal, spicy, charcoal and ripe plum pie, with tension and bite reminiscent of orange zest. Med+ to full bodied, with beautiful flavor intensity alongside earthy notes and minerality. The finish is long and refreshing, I lean to Northern Rhone again and again while tasting this wine. Lovely rendition, drinking beautifully now and will likely do so through the late 2020's. Delicious.
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This showed well, and was open from the get go. Expansive aromatics of orange peel, spice, and olive. Acidic palate, but accessible and little tannin, so comes a cross as smooth and lithe. Dead ringer for northern Rhône except for the tannin. In a great spot.
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Wow, this was really good. Best Rhys showing in a long time. As you'd expect, it sort of splits the difference between CA mountain wine and northern Rhône. Has a smokey, mineral complexity and exuberant fruit. Seems to have swallowed its whole cluster greeness. Glad to see this come around.
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For me, Rhys does syrah better than any other grape. This particular wine has to most intense black olive smells and flavors I've ever encountered in a wine. I love a little olive note in my Northern Rhones, but this was tampenade on steroids! Despite the dominance of olives, there was some nice blackberry and a little bacon fat to keep in interesting. Medium bodied, long finish and amply acidic, this was really special. I noticed this note has "olive" written more often times than my other thousand TN's combined.
A lovely and intriguing bottle. My first Syrah from Rhys and not sure what I expected but it exceeded it. Initially looking relatively light bodied and very much having a Pinot feel it has huge perfumed nose with a lovely light mouthfeel then a real almost sappy light red fruit finish - mouthwatering and fresh though very much on the Syrah side. I swear over a few hours the colour changed and it takes on a really solid depth with a touch of sweetness and receding perfume. Becomes more mid body but doesn’t have the huge richness of some CDP or Californian variants. It’s a bit Côte rotie Fine acid and grip on finish.
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Dark cherry, rhubarb, heavy bacon and ham notes, it’s very thin however and although this is obviously a cool climate Syrah it’s not very interesting and I don’t see this getting better. Very disappointed.
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Explosive nose of plum and blueberry that faded after decanting. 2 hours in bottle with cork out, 2 hours in decanter. Little bit of funk remained after the decant. Flavors are spicy and a little green but the cherry and berries is a little faded. Body is just medium. Not the best showing for this wine.
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Pop and pour. If you are a fan of SQN, you will not like this wine. Nose was all tart sour cherry, which blew off later. Then the game, pepper, charcuterie, and forest floor elements took over. Palate was a bit simple and lackluster. Really wanted more here. Nose may hint of the northern Rhône, but the palate is not quite there.
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Nose - sour plum, savory already on the nose, Mouth - great interplay of savory and Sweet. These wines need a certain amount of time to show their stuff which in general makes it A tough 'sell'. With pork or lamb this would be a great paring, full flavored fruit with juicy acidity, and just a hint of funk. If they could bottle this as a sauce they should. Lovely.
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Like others, I was surprised by the greenness in this wine. My immediate thought was green olive. My friend said jalapeńo. This greenness isn't a characteristic that I associate with syrah, and I wonder where it came from.
Like others, this tasted like a Northern Rhone wine to me -- more so than any New World syrah I've tasted. Lots of olive and meat. I mistook this wine for Cote Rotie in a blind tasting.
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strikingly similar to Northern Rhone and not at all candied Cali syrah. Quite good, but given the BBQ ribs, a little more Cali might have been a good idea.
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Rhys 08/09/10 (Sun Wah BBQ, Chicago, IL): Now we're talking -- by far my favorite of the 08/09/10 Horseshoe Syrah flight. The nose is explosive with loads of white pepper, smoked meat, medicinal herbs, and dried black fruit. Layered and very Northern Rhone like. The palate on the '10 is leaner and far more lifted and nuanced than either the 08 or 09. Good length and precision. By far, my favorite of the flight.
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The Rotating Dinners, II.1: Rhys, 2008-10 (Chicago, IL): Easily my wine of the night, mostly because it seemed so much like Northern Rhone. At first, the nose was somewhat unpleasantly green and herbal, but that actually dissipated. Then, it showed a nice mix of red and black fruit, and a white pepper character that evoked Gonon. The palate is a bit lighter (the cooler vintage seems to have helped the syrah a lot more than the pinot noir) and there's a nice touch of acidity to go with the black fruit.
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Green, green, green. Overwhelmingly green, vegetative (asparagus, maybe) and stemmy, both on the nose and palate, with some bitterness on the finish. None of the black fruit I would expect from a syrah. No fruit at all, really. I have to think this was intentional, but why?
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Peppery, ashy, savory green olives along with an essence of tiny, barely ripe blackberries. The stems are well integrated and present. Superbly balanced, with the earthy tones more apparent on the nose than the palate. There is not much from the bass clef, and it has moderate length, but nonetheless a stylish and successful Syrah.
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Another stemmy and overtly green showing, but much more robust and drinkable than the last bottle. Still not what representative of what I like in a Rhys syrah.
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In a nice spot. Early maturity. Bright acidity, black olive and black pepper. Definitely about more than fruit, but tannins buried by them. With a Bryan's ribeye. One of the better domestic syrah's I've had.
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-- decanted for 1 hour before initial taste -- -- tasted non-blind over 2 days --
NOSE: purple-fruited; stemmy; briny; high-toned; black pepper; hint of coffee grounds.
BODY: black-violet color of medium-deep depth; medium-light bodied.
TASTE: stemmy; savory; very high acidity; I like this a lot, but it's not going to be for everybody --- I could imagine some others saying "pickle juice" for this wine; strong olive note; 12.8% alc. not noticeable; I love this; wouldn't go more than 10 years on it, however, as it doesn't seem to have the stuffing for the long haul; no tannins. Day 2: still excellent; gentle pepperiness; fruitier today than yesterday.
50, 5, 13, 16, 8 = 92
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I let this sit open for an hour before touching - at first, austere, focused, light, but with energy and force. lovely savory nose with super-mild olives, herbs, and a touch of bright cherry at the end (by no means dominant). the palate matches, but the nose is the best part until you get to the finish - which combines a tart/acidic burst of cherry right at the end. this is clean, bright cherry - not heavy, dull, cough-syrup cherry.
lovely wine. a touch expensive, but not so much that I won't buy again.
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Decanted and poured back into the bottle, then consumed later that night. Smelled great when decanting, but later, very green, cab franc-like aromas and not much acid or tannin. Elegant at times, but a crab-shell oxidative note appeared and it just tasted a bit off. Based on this unexpectedly poor showing, I might not decant next time, and may not wait too long to drink another bottle.
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Really enjoyed this at Thanksgiving. It might have been a bit too "different" of a wine for some around the table but I thought it went perfectly with the myriad of strong flavors. Beautiful and powerful nose of olive, menthol, and roasted meat. For me the attack was thick in juicy blackberry. Fine tannins and great acids kept it interesting with every taste. Decanted for an hour. Enjoyed over 2 hrs. Lovely wine.
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Decanted for an hour before drinking, then had over the next 3 hours. Aroma and taste both had olive in it, although it did fade a bit over the course of the night. I can't really grade it based on that.
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Similar to previous note, brine and olive. Could've used more blackberry, could've used a bit more acidity. Didn't thrill me as I expected, but very good. Perhaps a bit overpriced.
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This was open for 3 days and FMIII brought a glass to dinner with the wives for me to try. This wine is fairly dark color which might lead you believe it's a real heavy weight but not the case, the acid component keeps the wine very nimble. Incredibly strong aroma of kamala olive and herbs. Beautiful northern Rhône flavor profile, just delicious with it's savory palate and olive nose.
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Over 2 years since I had this at the winery and my TN then is pretty close to what I find in the bottle tonight after an hour of air. The aromatic is pumped up with black pepper, menthol and floral tones and cooked meat. The palate flashes up the same pepper, with steak sauce, campfire, rosemary and blueberry fruit. There is great acidity here that refreshes the finish. This style is really focused and reminds me a lot of Wind Gap, the core of those wines so if you like that style, this is going to fit well....add another day, just a bit softer and more plush with the fruit darkening to a more red/black mix than the blue of yesterday. Just love all the cool herbal notes, the pepper and steak sauce element. Plenty of grip still lives in the wine, so no rush to drink these if you have them.
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Nose: Initially quite funky/stemy, give it some air and it starts showing it's character. Olive, dirt, some floral elements, pepper and a small amount of dark fruit. It's almost like a compost pile (but in a good way).
Palate: Smooth, velvety, earthy. Moderate acid and leathery but structured tannins. The dark fruit character is peaking out around the corner of the more prominent brown/green notes. With more air it starts to soften up and the fruit really starts to comes around.
Finish: Astringent. The fruit is stronger here than anywhere else, but there are still green notes of olives and herbs, and maybe just a hint of iron.
Thoughts: If this is the definition of a cool climate syrah then sign me up!!! Still young and needs lots of air to really open up, but once it does... The green, the fruit, the spice, it all comes together to be an amazing drink.
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Well, not the bottle of wine I meant to open. This was filed away with the other Rhys Pinot's... damn Rhys and their tiny print! Didn't realize what I'd done until the first big sniff. Oh well, on with the show.
Some floral on the aromatics and perhaps something smokey. Blue fruits, olives and pepper to finish. I'm sure it has many years of life ahead of it but certainly no harm in drinking now.
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Opened and put into a brown paper bag and placed into a blind tasting of Other California Syrahs. Paper bags were identified by movie quotes. This had a quote from "a Few Good Men." Tasted after about 1 hour of air and then followed over about three hours.
Good rich purple color. Nose of fresh herbs. Flavor is bright and earthy, with black olives, basil and sage. Good acidity. This shows an elegance that other Syrahs in the blind tasting did not have. Quite good.
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Extremely Rhysy. Quite stemmy, with lots of flowers and herbs and olive and earth, with the fruit mostly on the background on the nose. Concentrated with good midpalate sap but excellent acidity. My only issue here is that the fruit profile is a sort of very ripe grapey boysenberry, and I don't especially like that fruit profile. The wine isn't too ripe in terms of sweetness or alcohol, but I prefer less ripe fruit. I often have the same issues with Rhys Pinot.
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Dark red color. Nose of crushed raspberry, spices, barrel toast. On the palate, raspberry compote, pomegranate, spice. Not much detectable acidity, may be hidden a touch, medium mouth feel. Finish is long with sneaky, well disguised noble tannin.
I enjoyed this, firmly Californian but cooler climate with tremendous elevage. Don't know how long to hold my other bottle for, as this is drinking great now and I don't really know if it will improve.
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P&P. Open for business. Strong brined olive aromas intermingle with blackberry, then blood/iron, dried herb. Lots of pepper on the nose and palate. The first Syrah outside of the Northern Rhone that Marybeth liked. Wish I had more.
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Fragrant nose of black fruit, black pepper, herbs, and an earthy funk. Palate has light to medium body with juicy acidity that frames and carries the mid-palate. Medium+ chewy, juicy finish. An elegant syrah.
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3 Rhys, Saxum, Suduirat +++ (Dick and Sue's): This didn't seem to be as much of a hit with the crowd as the other Rhys wines. Clearly in a cooler climate style. Purple/ruby in color, but cloudy and flat. The nose has tart cherries and a distinctive green note to it. I do wonder if this was a proper bottle or not. it has a lovely texture, but the slight green not carries over to the palate. Cranberries and rhubarb on the palate. It ok, but not really what I look for in a Syrah. YMMV.
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Confirms that Rhys's syrahs may be my favorite wines they make. Beautiful, concentrated dark-berry fruit, ample acidity, and a bit of spice. Extremely young and a bit glossy, but this is so nice. I wish I had a case, as this is something I could drink all the time, and it will surely age beautifully.
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On the nose pepper green olives & meat. Wow. On the palate the pepper also shows and the stems. Long finish where the fruit comes out. Caveat emptor, if you are looking for fruity jammy syrah look somewhere else. Here the complexity, earthiness and stemminess may overwhelm you. If you own the wine, wait. Let the stems resolve.
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This one was such an elegant, cool climate syrah. The nose was full of briny olives, funk and pepper; more pepper on the palate with understated blackberry fruit. Overall, very delicious, refined and easily one of my favorite Rhys to date.
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Nose - black pepper, lavender, Mouth - raspberry & cranberry, very juicy, some black pepper on the midpalate, savory with good minerality, nice pucker on the finish. Improved with several hours of air. Next bottle in 3 yrs
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100% whole cluster, no new wood. Pepper, incense, cooked meat and steak sauce are the aromatics. Soy and steak sauce in the fruit, blueberry, savory and gamey. Good finishing acids. This is cool climate syrah, low alc and what I would expect from this site. I love this style.
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April 2012 Rhys Visit--Taste The 2010s (Rhys Estate (At The Winery)): Added to the database, so again, a wine early on in its life. Listed alc of 12.8% with 100% whole cluster and 0% new wood. As with past Horseshoe syrahs, this maintains its pedigree of the black pepper aromatic. I love this quality to syrah and its dead on here, too. Tangy blue fruit, sweet leather and green olive. Finishes with a burst of fruit and tannin. This is a young wine, and while now in bottle, call this an early look.
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3/10/2024 - mdefreitas wrote:
Not that enjoyable. Harsh, ungiving and a bit stemmy.
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3/2/2024 - James Kim Likes this wine:
From memory. Didn't handle this the way I really wanted to. Took wine directly from its side in wine fridge and decanted through cheese cloth in funnel in attempts to catch the sediment. However, the vast majority of the sediment was too fine and flowed right through the cheese cloth resulting in a hazy, mildly muddy looking wine. Sat in decanter for 2h then back into bottle to tasting. Nice mix of unripe and ripe blackberries with a moderately high toned edge that improved with time, gamey meats, herbs, maybe even a eucalyptus note, some olives, green stems. Definitely a savory wine. Tannins seemed to be mostly resolved. I suspect the wine is nearing its peak although due to my mishandling (which is why I'm not rating this wine), not completely clear. Still a nice wine and if I had another bottle, would prob stand the wine for several days and pour off clear wine and leave the sediment in the bottle.
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11/25/2023 - jlm wrote:
This was drinking really well. Effusive, dark berry nose with some smokiness and a background hint of herb or bell pepper, likely a trace of the stem inclusion. The palate is medium weight with a smooth, almost glossy texture. Plenty fresh but not at all racy, this is totally integrated and has only the slightest hint of tannin lingering. The finish persists nicely. A very fine bottle, seemingly at maturity.
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7/9/2023 - UMRich wrote: flawed
Have had several badly oxidized Rhys Chards (stored since release) with corks in terrible shape or protruding (not storage conditions; 600 bottles and Rhys bottlings are the only ones badly oxidized or with corks pushing the capsules up). This one protuded slightly, and crumbled when opening. Cork is mushy when squeezed. Wine was sour (word used very intentionally rather than tart). and undrinkable. The last 3 bottles I've poured down the sink were Rhys; have always loved their Syrahs til this one. Immediately opened a 2012 Horseshoe Syrah after dumping this one. Two years younger, but cork came out clean and was completely firm when squeezed vs. the mush of the 2010. Had similar sourness when first poured, but not nearly as pronounced, and got much better with air (very Northern Rhone character). Not the best Rhys Syrah I've had, but drinkable; won't wait long on my remaining 2012 in fear that the sourness when opened is a sign of where it's going.
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12/12/2022 - WetRock wrote:
Complex yet not always in the best way. There are notes of pepper and meat. Berries and rocks. But also some tomato and candy-like tartness. The persistency is lacking so all the good complexity is right up front. Then it fades into tartness with hints of stems. Consistent overnight.
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11/2/2022 - missionpk Likes this wine:
Very opinionated, but very good. I've loved some of the Rhys Skyline Syrahs in the past. Those were really really good, but could work as just high-quality red wines that paired easily with food. This, on the other hand, is very much a Syrah and won't let you forget it. :-) Might be the best Syrah I've had.
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7/30/2022 - lolo66 wrote: 95 Points
exceptional syrah. Blind you would be hard pressed to say this is from Cali. Elegant, bright, crunchy, and seamless. Some game notes to add intrigue. violet infused berries is the prevalent taste for me. really good stuff.
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12/17/2020 - gharter Likes this wine: 92 Points
A really good Northern Rhone style wine. More restrained, with good acidity. Beautiful aromas of blackfruit, minerals, herbs,earth, green pepper, a hint of tobacco. Lots of flavor, but restrained with herbs, bell pepper, tobacco, black fruit. silky smooth with a good finish. Still has enough acidity to be a great food wine. Really good. My last bottle, but would not be worried about holding linger.
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10/17/2020 - drrobvino wrote: 93 Points
1st of 2 bottles, enjoyed a few glasses at a time, over 3 days.
At 12.8% abv, this wine shows a transparency that is not often noted with the Syrah grape, particularly in Calif.
Vegetal, medicinal, spicy, charcoal and ripe plum pie, with tension and bite reminiscent of orange zest.
Med+ to full bodied, with beautiful flavor intensity alongside earthy notes and minerality.
The finish is long and refreshing, I lean to Northern Rhone again and again while tasting this wine.
Lovely rendition, drinking beautifully now and will likely do so through the late 2020's. Delicious.
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8/15/2020 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 93 Points
This showed well, and was open from the get go. Expansive aromatics of orange peel, spice, and olive. Acidic palate, but accessible and little tannin, so comes a cross as smooth and lithe. Dead ringer for northern Rhône except for the tannin. In a great spot.
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7/23/2020 - davergny wrote: 90 Points
Strong northern rhone like syrah character but I would prefer just a touch more fruit and a little less acid.
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6/6/2020 - vulgar little monkey wrote: 92 Points
Wow, this was really good. Best Rhys showing in a long time. As you'd expect, it sort of splits the difference between CA mountain wine and northern Rhône. Has a smokey, mineral complexity and exuberant fruit. Seems to have swallowed its whole cluster greeness. Glad to see this come around.
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5/17/2020 - WST Likes this wine:
For me, Rhys does syrah better than any other grape. This particular wine has to most intense black olive smells and flavors I've ever encountered in a wine. I love a little olive note in my Northern Rhones, but this was tampenade on steroids! Despite the dominance of olives, there was some nice blackberry and a little bacon fat to keep in interesting. Medium bodied, long finish and amply acidic, this was really special. I noticed this note has "olive" written more often times than my other thousand TN's combined.
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5/6/2020 - lolo66 wrote:
high toned, savory, but - for me - missing a certain amount of complexity. decent...
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4/1/2020 - pjhr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Delicious blackberry, sous bois, and pepper notes on the nose and silky palate with juicy tannins on the long finish. Drinking beautifully.
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2/1/2020 - Mbad77 wrote: 93 Points
A lovely and intriguing bottle. My first Syrah from Rhys and not sure what I expected but it exceeded it.
Initially looking relatively light bodied and very much having a Pinot feel it has huge perfumed nose with a lovely light mouthfeel then a real almost sappy light red fruit finish - mouthwatering and fresh though very much on the Syrah side.
I swear over a few hours the colour changed and it takes on a really solid depth with a touch of sweetness and receding perfume. Becomes more mid body but doesn’t have the huge richness of some CDP or Californian variants.
It’s a bit Côte rotie
Fine acid and grip on finish.
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5/5/2019 - pakabear wrote: 86 Points
Dark cherry, rhubarb, heavy bacon and ham notes, it’s very thin however and although this is obviously a cool climate Syrah it’s not very interesting and I don’t see this getting better. Very disappointed.
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5/1/2019 - bobdobilina wrote: 93 Points
Dark and slightly cloudy sangria color.
Wonderfully expressive and slightly high toned nose of violets, smoked meat, iodine black pepper, olives and wild berries.
The expressiveness carries through to the mid weight palate. Lovely balance of fruit (blackberries), acid, salinity and dried Italian herbs.
This is showing very well right now.
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4/26/2019 - bonedoc wrote: flawed
Badly Brett tainted, undrinkable.
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12/25/2018 - mp6283 wrote:
Explosive nose of plum and blueberry that faded after decanting. 2 hours in bottle with cork out, 2 hours in decanter.
Little bit of funk remained after the decant. Flavors are spicy and a little green but the cherry and berries is a little faded. Body is just medium. Not the best showing for this wine.
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3/21/2018 - Lateva wrote: 90 Points
Pop and pour. If you are a fan of SQN, you will not like this wine. Nose was all tart sour cherry, which blew off later. Then the game, pepper, charcuterie, and forest floor elements took over. Palate was a bit simple and lackluster. Really wanted more here. Nose may hint of the northern Rhône, but the palate is not quite there.
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2/23/2018 - Tom Warden Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow!
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11/9/2017 - JonnyG wrote: 89 Points
A bit candied and monolithic, causing some palate fatigue for what should be a nuanced, dare I say elegant bottling.
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8/12/2017 - soyhead wrote:
Nose - sour plum, savory already on the nose,
Mouth - great interplay of savory and Sweet. These wines need a certain amount of time to show their stuff which in general makes it A tough 'sell'. With pork or lamb this would be a great paring, full flavored fruit with juicy acidity, and just a hint of funk. If they could bottle this as a sauce they should. Lovely.
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8/6/2017 - rmalloy wrote:
Like others, I was surprised by the greenness in this wine. My immediate thought was green olive. My friend said jalapeńo. This greenness isn't a characteristic that I associate with syrah, and I wonder where it came from.
Like others, this tasted like a Northern Rhone wine to me -- more so than any New World syrah I've tasted. Lots of olive and meat. I mistook this wine for Cote Rotie in a blind tasting.
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5/29/2017 - Mr T wrote:
strikingly similar to Northern Rhone and not at all candied Cali syrah. Quite good, but given the BBQ ribs, a little more Cali might have been a good idea.
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5/24/2017 - Nanda wrote: 93 Points
Rhys 08/09/10 (Sun Wah BBQ, Chicago, IL): Now we're talking -- by far my favorite of the 08/09/10 Horseshoe Syrah flight. The nose is explosive with loads of white pepper, smoked meat, medicinal herbs, and dried black fruit. Layered and very Northern Rhone like. The palate on the '10 is leaner and far more lifted and nuanced than either the 08 or 09. Good length and precision. By far, my favorite of the flight.
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5/24/2017 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
The Rotating Dinners, II.1: Rhys, 2008-10 (Chicago, IL): Easily my wine of the night, mostly because it seemed so much like Northern Rhone. At first, the nose was somewhat unpleasantly green and herbal, but that actually dissipated. Then, it showed a nice mix of red and black fruit, and a white pepper character that evoked Gonon. The palate is a bit lighter (the cooler vintage seems to have helped the syrah a lot more than the pinot noir) and there's a nice touch of acidity to go with the black fruit.
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5/9/2017 - Timporter wrote:
Drank this last August or September and it was outstanding. Deep, delicious, interesting.
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12/31/2016 - ChrisR Does not like this wine: 70 Points
Green, green, green. Overwhelmingly green, vegetative (asparagus, maybe) and stemmy, both on the nose and palate, with some bitterness on the finish. None of the black fruit I would expect from a syrah. No fruit at all, really. I have to think this was intentional, but why?
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12/10/2016 - silton Likes this wine: 92 Points
Peppery, ashy, savory green olives along with an essence of tiny, barely ripe blackberries. The stems are well integrated and present. Superbly balanced, with the earthy tones more apparent on the nose than the palate. There is not much from the bass clef, and it has moderate length, but nonetheless a stylish and successful Syrah.
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10/13/2016 - rhit wrote:
Another stemmy and overtly green showing, but much more robust and drinkable than the last bottle. Still not what representative of what I like in a Rhys syrah.
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7/3/2016 - ducster72 Likes this wine: 94 Points
In a nice spot. Early maturity. Bright acidity, black olive and black pepper. Definitely about more than fruit, but tannins buried by them. With a Bryan's ribeye. One of the better domestic syrah's I've had.
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5/22/2016 - grafstrb wrote: 92 Points
-- decanted for 1 hour before initial taste --
-- tasted non-blind over 2 days --
NOSE: purple-fruited; stemmy; briny; high-toned; black pepper; hint of coffee grounds.
BODY: black-violet color of medium-deep depth; medium-light bodied.
TASTE: stemmy; savory; very high acidity; I like this a lot, but it's not going to be for everybody --- I could imagine some others saying "pickle juice" for this wine; strong olive note; 12.8% alc. not noticeable; I love this; wouldn't go more than 10 years on it, however, as it doesn't seem to have the stuffing for the long haul; no tannins. Day 2: still excellent; gentle pepperiness; fruitier today than yesterday.
50, 5, 13, 16, 8 = 92
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3/9/2016 - Jahull03 wrote:
wonderful wine.
I let this sit open for an hour before touching - at first, austere, focused, light, but with energy and force. lovely savory nose with super-mild olives, herbs, and a touch of bright cherry at the end (by no means dominant).
the palate matches, but the nose is the best part until you get to the finish - which combines a tart/acidic burst of cherry right at the end. this is clean, bright cherry - not heavy, dull, cough-syrup cherry.
lovely wine. a touch expensive, but not so much that I won't buy again.
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1/14/2016 - B Paul wrote: 93 Points
Really enjoyed this - drinking well, but will continue to age positively I think.
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12/27/2015 - BklynNeophyte wrote: 93 Points
Just goodness. Comparable. Buster Posey.
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12/5/2015 - rhit Does not like this wine:
Decanted and poured back into the bottle, then consumed later that night. Smelled great when decanting, but later, very green, cab franc-like aromas and not much acid or tannin. Elegant at times, but a crab-shell oxidative note appeared and it just tasted a bit off. Based on this unexpectedly poor showing, I might not decant next time, and may not wait too long to drink another bottle.
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12/2/2015 - BHP1994 wrote: 92 Points
Really enjoyed this at Thanksgiving. It might have been a bit too "different" of a wine for some around the table but I thought it went perfectly with the myriad of strong flavors. Beautiful and powerful nose of olive, menthol, and roasted meat. For me the attack was thick in juicy blackberry. Fine tannins and great acids kept it interesting with every taste. Decanted for an hour. Enjoyed over 2 hrs. Lovely wine.
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9/15/2015 - Wine Sparty wrote:
Decanted for an hour before drinking, then had over the next 3 hours. Aroma and taste both had olive in it, although it did fade a bit over the course of the night. I can't really grade it based on that.
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8/25/2015 - Michael Davidson wrote:
Similar to previous note, brine and olive. Could've used more blackberry, could've used a bit more acidity. Didn't thrill me as I expected, but very good. Perhaps a bit overpriced.
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5/14/2015 - brigcampbell wrote:
This was open for 3 days and FMIII brought a glass to dinner with the wives for me to try. This wine is fairly dark color which might lead you believe it's a real heavy weight but not the case, the acid component keeps the wine very nimble. Incredibly strong aroma of kamala olive and herbs. Beautiful northern Rhône flavor profile, just delicious with it's savory palate and olive nose.
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5/11/2015 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Over 2 years since I had this at the winery and my TN then is pretty close to what I find in the bottle tonight after an hour of air. The aromatic is pumped up with black pepper, menthol and floral tones and cooked meat. The palate flashes up the same pepper, with steak sauce, campfire, rosemary and blueberry fruit. There is great acidity here that refreshes the finish. This style is really focused and reminds me a lot of Wind Gap, the core of those wines so if you like that style, this is going to fit well....add another day, just a bit softer and more plush with the fruit darkening to a more red/black mix than the blue of yesterday. Just love all the cool herbal notes, the pepper and steak sauce element. Plenty of grip still lives in the wine, so no rush to drink these if you have them.
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5/10/2015 - bonedoc wrote:
White pepper, good acidity, very nuanced. Interesting and unique wine - can't tell if I love it or not.
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3/13/2015 - bu11itt Likes this wine: 94 Points
Nose: Initially quite funky/stemy, give it some air and it starts showing it's character. Olive, dirt, some floral elements, pepper and a small amount of dark fruit. It's almost like a compost pile (but in a good way).
Palate: Smooth, velvety, earthy. Moderate acid and leathery but structured tannins. The dark fruit character is peaking out around the corner of the more prominent brown/green notes. With more air it starts to soften up and the fruit really starts to comes around.
Finish: Astringent. The fruit is stronger here than anywhere else, but there are still green notes of olives and herbs, and maybe just a hint of iron.
Thoughts: If this is the definition of a cool climate syrah then sign me up!!! Still young and needs lots of air to really open up, but once it does... The green, the fruit, the spice, it all comes together to be an amazing drink.
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3/3/2015 - jpecht wrote: 93 Points
Really enjoyed this syrah. Complex and unique with a lasting finish. Delightful.
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2/23/2015 - domco wrote:
Well, not the bottle of wine I meant to open. This was filed away with the other Rhys Pinot's... damn Rhys and their tiny print! Didn't realize what I'd done until the first big sniff. Oh well, on with the show.
Some floral on the aromatics and perhaps something smokey. Blue fruits, olives and pepper to finish. I'm sure it has many years of life ahead of it but certainly no harm in drinking now.
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1/30/2015 - t_moderne wrote: 90 Points
Opened and put into a brown paper bag and placed into a blind tasting of Other California Syrahs.
Paper bags were identified by movie quotes. This had a quote from "a Few Good Men."
Tasted after about 1 hour of air and then followed over about three hours.
Good rich purple color. Nose of fresh herbs. Flavor is bright and earthy, with black olives, basil and sage. Good acidity. This shows an elegance that other Syrahs in the blind tasting did not have. Quite good.
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1/24/2015 - coremill wrote: 88 Points
Extremely Rhysy. Quite stemmy, with lots of flowers and herbs and olive and earth, with the fruit mostly on the background on the nose. Concentrated with good midpalate sap but excellent acidity. My only issue here is that the fruit profile is a sort of very ripe grapey boysenberry, and I don't especially like that fruit profile. The wine isn't too ripe in terms of sweetness or alcohol, but I prefer less ripe fruit. I often have the same issues with Rhys Pinot.
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1/3/2015 - alr6767 wrote:
Dark red color. Nose of crushed raspberry, spices, barrel toast. On the palate, raspberry compote, pomegranate, spice. Not much detectable acidity, may be hidden a touch, medium mouth feel. Finish is long with sneaky, well disguised noble tannin.
I enjoyed this, firmly Californian but cooler climate with tremendous elevage. Don't know how long to hold my other bottle for, as this is drinking great now and I don't really know if it will improve.
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11/14/2014 - cartime Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very nice cool-climate syrah flavors of black fruit, olive, and peppery herbs. Drinking well now, but no rush.
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11/1/2014 - WST Likes this wine: 94 Points
P&P. Open for business. Strong brined olive aromas intermingle with blackberry, then blood/iron, dried herb. Lots of pepper on the nose and palate. The first Syrah outside of the Northern Rhone that Marybeth liked. Wish I had more.
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10/10/2014 - Nanda wrote: 92 Points
Fragrant nose of black fruit, black pepper, herbs, and an earthy funk. Palate has light to medium body with juicy acidity that frames and carries the mid-palate. Medium+ chewy, juicy finish. An elegant syrah.
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8/26/2014 - d_chism wrote:
Very different from the wines I usually drink. Light, tart rhubarb and strawberry start with a barnyard finish.
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7/14/2014 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 88 Points
3 Rhys, Saxum, Suduirat +++ (Dick and Sue's): This didn't seem to be as much of a hit with the crowd as the other Rhys wines. Clearly in a cooler climate style. Purple/ruby in color, but cloudy and flat. The nose has tart cherries and a distinctive green note to it. I do wonder if this was a proper bottle or not. it has a lovely texture, but the slight green not carries over to the palate. Cranberries and rhubarb on the palate. It ok, but not really what I look for in a Syrah. YMMV.
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6/29/2014 - rc@ughey Likes this wine: 92 Points
Confirms that Rhys's syrahs may be my favorite wines they make. Beautiful, concentrated dark-berry fruit, ample acidity, and a bit of spice. Extremely young and a bit glossy, but this is so nice. I wish I had a case, as this is something I could drink all the time, and it will surely age beautifully.
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3/12/2014 - scorrea Likes this wine: 93 Points
On the nose pepper green olives & meat. Wow.
On the palate the pepper also shows and the stems. Long finish where the fruit comes out. Caveat emptor, if you are looking for fruity jammy syrah look somewhere else. Here the complexity, earthiness and stemminess may overwhelm you. If you own the wine, wait. Let the stems resolve.
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3/1/2014 - wineaux2 Likes this wine: 93 Points
This one was such an elegant, cool climate syrah. The nose was full of briny olives, funk and pepper; more pepper on the palate with understated blackberry fruit. Overall, very delicious, refined and easily one of my favorite Rhys to date.
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2/7/2014 - soyhead wrote:
Nose - black pepper, lavender,
Mouth - raspberry & cranberry, very juicy, some black pepper on the midpalate, savory with good minerality, nice pucker on the finish. Improved with several hours of air. Next bottle in 3 yrs
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2/4/2014 - Michael Davidson wrote:
This is all brine and olive, wrapped around a bright blackberry core. Very delicious.
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4/10/2013 - Frank Murray III wrote:
100% whole cluster, no new wood. Pepper, incense, cooked meat and steak sauce are the aromatics. Soy and steak sauce in the fruit, blueberry, savory and gamey. Good finishing acids. This is cool climate syrah, low alc and what I would expect from this site. I love this style.
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4/11/2012 - alanr wrote: 93 Points
Tasting at Rhys; 4/5/2012-4/11/2012 (Rhys Vineyards): Beautiful reserved dark boysenberry fruit, good acidity, fine tannins, pepper, green olive. Wonderful cool climate syrah.
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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 again, a wine early on in its life. Listed alc of 12.8% with 100% whole cluster and 0% new wood. As with past Horseshoe syrahs, this maintains its pedigree of the black pepper aromatic. I love this quality to syrah and its dead on here, too. Tangy blue fruit, sweet leather and green olive. Finishes with a burst of fruit and tannin. This is a young wine, and while now in bottle, call this an early look.
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