Tried decanting after my bottle from a year ago, and still had the same experience of dominant pungent reduction. I worried about cork taint on the nose, but the palate showed no signs of it, so I don't think that was the problem. Also the fact that this is the second bottle showing similarly. Just a weird experience that is an outlier with Rhys Chardonnay for me going back to the 2006 Alpine. My last bottle, and I'm not sorry to see it go.
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Lemon gold color. Scents of lemon oil, oyster shell and pineapple. Looks advanced, but the palate is seamless pear and lemon custard flavors with a core of bright concentrated acidity. Finishes long and smooth with a touch of lemon and minerals. Very nice. I would drink up if you have some as they will not be as good once the acidity fades further. This bottle was perfectly stored at cellar temps. I think the notes on flawed or advanced bottles are probably from less-than-optimal storage.
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This bottle was sound, though I was worried when the cork spun in the bottle as I put the worm in. Light gold color. Pleasant lemon and butterscotch nose. There is some acid in there but the palate overall feels flat and flabby, with little flavor impact. Simple, short finish.
Update: after a couple of hours of air, this gets a lot more interesting, heading towards the Coche style. Lots more length, compelling match stick reduction.
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2nd bottle down the drain. Oxidized by not quite as badly oxidized as the first, and marginally drinkable if I didn't have anything else. Fortunately, I did have something else.
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Very dark, sherried appearance. Badly oxidized. Have another bottle, so afraid of more money poured down the drain. Oddly, cork was pristine whereas many of my other aged Rhys chards have bubbled capsules and leaking corks. The few I've tried in that condition have not been sherried, but maybe didn't wow as much as expected. I bought these after being burned by prematurely oxidized white burgundies thinking they would give a similar profile and aging potential without that risk. Guess I was wrong. Time to drink up the Rhys chard to cull the cellar of what's gone bad and enjoy what's good while it lasts. It's not a storage condition issue because the bubbled capsules/leaking corks are unique to the Rhys chards and a couple Rhys pinots.
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Light gold color. Very reduced on opening, with pungent matchstick that really obscured the rest of the nose. The flavors were round and appealing though. Vigorous swirling didn't do much, but after 1.5-2 hours of air, the reduction began to blow off and a splash decant of the final third of the bottle resolved it. The nose finally began to show a briny mineral note over a base of peach fruit. Very interesting and quite nice. The palate was round and rich with fruit without any sense of viscosity or heaviness, just maturing fruit flavors. The finish carries on for a bit but isn't especially complex. This was more of an interesting experience than a pleasurable one, but I learned something. If you're opening this, I would recommend an aggressive decant to get some air into the wine and then some time in the decanter before serving. I think you'll see more of what the wine has to show. To me, this bottle is likely at or near plateau, and I'll probably open my other bottle within the next couple of years.
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Rich and fully mature apple with baked apple notes. Enough brightness to remain interesting, but not perfectly harmonious with some protruding new oak and slightly lacking acidity. Much better than another bottle tasted two years.
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On day one this was very, very reduced. I tried decanting, but that didn't help. I couldn't get past it, so put it back in the fridge after we had poured about a quarter of the bottle. Day two was a completely different story. Lovely aromas centered on perfectly ripe pear. Flavors of white and yellow fruit, with some citrus and a mineral component. Good acidity. Turned out to be a very nice wine. Drank from Zalto Universals.
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This bottle is in an amazing place. Nothing out of balance but the oak treatment steps back and the lemon oil and mineral profile become more prominent as the bottle warms. The acidity remains strong 2hrs after opening. No decant necessary. The Wente, Hyde, and Mt. Eden clonal selection is apparent in a very very good way. Consumed with truffle risotto and preceded by a 2015 Alzinger Steinertal Grüner. Yet another reminder why Rhys deserves your attention.
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Pale golden. Gorgeous mineral hinted with vanilla and fresh brioche nose. Almost painful intensity on the mint, pink grapefruit, fresh flowers and green apple. Amazing depth and gigantic finish for such a nuanced wine.
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Deep golden color, nutty aromatic tone suggests "drink up quickly." There's still some fresh fruit, but it is overshadowed by more advanced elements, and the finish turns oddly bitter. Bought on release from the winery, and perfect storage since, this is another nail in the I don't like 2011 wines from Rhys coffin.
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Rhys Dinner (Golden Triangle, Los Gatos): Very different from the Mt. Eden Chardonnay of the same year. This wine is mot subtle and elegant, but also less interesting. Lime, citrus, and green apples on the intricate nose. Medium acidity with minerals and some lemon notes on the palate. Good finish.
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Opened to pair with Thai food, for both my daughter and wife in honor of Mother's Day. I was intrigued to some recent notes, both by pjhr and Nanda, who I follow on CT. They had differing views into this wine, and it made me curious enough that I wanted to open my final bottle. FWIW, this is my last 2011 vintage Rhys that I own. Opened and gave this some air, as well as brought it down to an ideal temp. My take on this wine is that I don't find any aged or advanced quality in my bottle. The color, while lightly golden, didn't seem out of the ordinary. No bruised apple quality or any of that either. What I did find was some toasted oak, that brings with it some coconut. The fruit on on it shows a pineapple, pear and lemon mix, with good balance. I have a final glass that I will finish tomorrow after work, then close out this note.....retasting the following day, very similar to my first pass TN above. Toasty in the aromatic and palate with a big whack of apple and pineapple, with the lemony acidity still quite vibrant. This drinks just fine and in this bottle, there is nothing advanced or aged. This can continue to go a bit longer, although for me all the parts are in the correct harmony to enjoy now.
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Golden color and quite advanced in appearance. Rich, tropical and waxy on the palate with very mature fruit -- bruised apple and pear. This is just way too advanced for it's age. Served blind to friends and many couldn't identify it as Chardonnay.
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"Wines that don't suck" (Chicago, IL): Served double blind. A touch of oak on the nose with some clearly aged elements here. The palate shows good acidity, but there are extremely advanced notes here, as well as some butterscotch elements and a hint of spice on the back end. I actually guessed a chardonnay from the mid 1990s, but the reveal shows that there's some serious concern about ageability here. Nonetheless, it wasn't a disaster to drink, but if I saw the label beforehand, I'd be furious about how this bottle showed
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PnP. Medium dark gold; darker than I expected. Slight reduction on the nose with intense minerality and some fruit buried underneath. On the palate this shows good balance of acidity and fruit but with the mineral quality dominating. Really interesting wine; still seems young but is drinking well now.
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This is in a wonderful place now. Shows balance - I’d consider this to be a big-flavored wine, though it’s a mix of fruit (baked apple), mushroom, white pepper, slight honeyed note, and significant mineral component... and while the flavor is big, the body of the wine is definitely not more than “medium”, and it’s a good 2% less alcohol than other comparably flavor-forward Chardonnays.
It’s definitely come together, and it’s definitely not losing anything to the age. Really nice.
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Chilled at fridge temp, consumed over a few hours outside on a very hot day. Each glass offered a full meal--layers of rich fruit (agree with others that meyer lemon leaps out) backed by mineral and acid. Beautiful golden color.
The experience with the bottle was substantially better than the single glass I had extracted by Coravin a few days earlier which seemed gave the impression of being a bit flat and maybe oxidized, but maybe it just need a little air to open up.
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Tangerine, metro lemon, sea shell, loads of salty mineralty, sour citrus, great intensity, with a chalky/silky texture. Starting to show it’s secondary characteristics and drinks well as a PnP.
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Citrus and wet stone nose, concentrated citrus fruit, plenty of acid and minerals, nice mouthfeel, long long fruit and mineral finish. Seems to be at a great drinking stage now.
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Atlanta Does Rhys (Aria, Atlanta, GA): Meyer lemon and minerals, with great acidic zing. With air, the acid seemed to fade and it lost some of its freshness and zip. I liked it more than the rest of the group.
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I opened this because the 2010 matured very quickly and some recent note s on this wine referenced oxidative character (butterscotch, dark color, etc.). This bottle was fine though, not at all advanced or oxidative. Very good but kind of a weird wine. Concentrated, powerful fruit that is all tart limey citrus, shows significant extract that gives the wine a tactile, mineral bite, and then it's all overlaid by a big dollop of sweet oak. There's enough material here to absorb the oak, but the result from combining the tartness of the fruit with the sweetness of the oak is an odd juxtaposition, even if it mostly works here. Despite the oak and extract and acid, this doesn't seem backward at all. Maybe the components will integrate better with age, but the track record for aging Rhys chards has been hit-or-miss (cf. the 2010), so if I had more I might plan on enjoying this now for what it is.
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Spectacular. Seemed like the notes from others suggested it was time for this one. Deep golden color that often telegraphs disappointment instead telegraphed greatness. Beautiful nose, white flowers, white stone fruit, hint of butterscotch. On the palate, juicy but balanced acidity, plenty of fruit, just a touch of oak. Rich but medium+ bodied. Long finish. This wine danced across the nose and palate, unfortunately it was so good we finished it inside of an hour. By far the wine of the Easter weekend which included some champs. Not sure it's time to drink up, but totally ready for maximum enjoyment now.
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quince, cream, and slightly smoky, reminiscent of a rich white burg, poured blind for brian who guessed it to be 'a good quality california chardonnay'.
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Dinner with Friends (Salon, Scarecrow, Ducru, Rhys+) (Pine Lake Trout Club): My favorite California chard producer. This one was pop and pour and was still opening at nights end. There is some left to re-sample today. Light golden in color. The nose is really crisp and clean and while in the background there is a slight oak/vanilla, for me it is about the minerality along with the lemon tart notes. Great lean but yet full bodied texture. Like an athlete with low body fat. On the palate, some red apple, some lemon, with lots of minerals. Great acidity that worked so well with food. Long finish. This is still young but showing a nice development. I would give it air now (it was a back up bottle, so it was pop and pour), or wait.
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One of the most beautifully golden wines I've ever enjoyed. Rich golden fruits, lemon curd, super ripe pears. Voluptuous but with nice acids. Tremendous.
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Not the normal vibrant Rhys chard with verve. This bottle had started its descent into the butterscotch death spiral. It had not fully turned so I didn't doc it too much but definately drink soon in case you have one getting old before it's time.
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Opened and let sit a couple hours prior to tasting. 24k gold color, darker than I anticipated. Meyer lemon curd with a touch of oak(?) spice on the nose. Bright and full on the palate, with teeth coating acidity. This continues through on the long finish.
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Pale gold color. Nose of hyacinth, lemon peel, granny apple, schist. Potent layers of fresh grapefruit, melon, lemon, and apple core coursing over a tense, steely mineral spine on the palate. Striking acidity and long, persistent finish exhibiting flint, smoke, citrus, white peach, and grip. Gorgeous wine with many years to go, and one of the best domestic chardonnays I have sampled recently.
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Intense on the nose with honey and lemon peel. There's a delicious smelling caramel note that doesn't translate to the palate. The palate has intense lime and it is almost weightless yet textured. I love this.
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Tremendous. Loads of lemon and beaming acidity with spiciness and grip. This absolutely killed with a sesame seared tuna and mango salsa. Coming back to it a couple hours later this tastes like liquid guava, really something else.
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13.0% alcohol. Frank's note is spot on with this wine. A medium yellow color, and a general sense of opulence to it. Light oak influence on the nose, with a nutty note and lemon zest and curd aromas. In the mouth, it's rich and supple, with a lemony undercurrent throughout, bright acidity, and a very fine finish. A-
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PopnPour, tasted over 2 hrs and Day 2 -translucent med gold -strikingly tropical, honey-dipped pineapple -med acidity provides nice balance, very ripe tropical fairly dense mid-palate, some caramel on finish -a little too ripe/tropical for my taste at this point in its development, has abundant sap and acidity though so this might be much more interesting in 3-5+ years
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Almond/nut paste and lemon in the aromatics. The palate has a lemon custard note, which is my way of trying to marry texture and flavor into something that fits, although don't read heavy into the comment. The acidity for me is expressed through tangerine, and in comparison to the 2011 Alpine chard we tasted alongside it, the Horseshoe to me is more opulent, seductive in tone whereas the Alpine more driven and focused.
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Tasting of 2011 and more at Rhys: Tasted at the winery. Essentially pop-n-poured. Aromas of rock, sweet dried fruit, some hay. Some Chablis like qualities. In the mouth there is abundance of acid, and a bit fleshy. Finish ends with some citrus peel and saline. Probably prefer this over the Alpine at this point.
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11/2/2023 - jlm wrote:
Tried decanting after my bottle from a year ago, and still had the same experience of dominant pungent reduction. I worried about cork taint on the nose, but the palate showed no signs of it, so I don't think that was the problem. Also the fact that this is the second bottle showing similarly. Just a weird experience that is an outlier with Rhys Chardonnay for me going back to the 2006 Alpine. My last bottle, and I'm not sorry to see it go.
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8/19/2023 - Pinotfanbg Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lemon gold color. Scents of lemon oil, oyster shell and pineapple. Looks advanced, but the palate is seamless pear and lemon custard flavors with a core of bright concentrated acidity. Finishes long and smooth with a touch of lemon and minerals. Very nice. I would drink up if you have some as they will not be as good once the acidity fades further. This bottle was perfectly stored at cellar temps. I think the notes on flawed or advanced bottles are probably from less-than-optimal storage.
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4/21/2023 - jjct Likes this wine:
This bottle was sound, though I was worried when the cork spun in the bottle as I put the worm in. Light gold color. Pleasant lemon and butterscotch nose. There is some acid in there but the palate overall feels flat and flabby, with little flavor impact. Simple, short finish.
Update: after a couple of hours of air, this gets a lot more interesting, heading towards the Coche style. Lots more length, compelling match stick reduction.
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8/22/2022 - llink wrote: flawed
Advanced
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8/9/2022 - UMRich wrote: flawed
2nd bottle down the drain. Oxidized by not quite as badly oxidized as the first, and marginally drinkable if I didn't have anything else. Fortunately, I did have something else.
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4/24/2022 - UMRich wrote: flawed
Very dark, sherried appearance. Badly oxidized. Have another bottle, so afraid of more money poured down the drain. Oddly, cork was pristine whereas many of my other aged Rhys chards have bubbled capsules and leaking corks. The few I've tried in that condition have not been sherried, but maybe didn't wow as much as expected. I bought these after being burned by prematurely oxidized white burgundies thinking they would give a similar profile and aging potential without that risk. Guess I was wrong. Time to drink up the Rhys chard to cull the cellar of what's gone bad and enjoy what's good while it lasts. It's not a storage condition issue because the bubbled capsules/leaking corks are unique to the Rhys chards and a couple Rhys pinots.
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12/4/2021 - jlm wrote:
Light gold color. Very reduced on opening, with pungent matchstick that really obscured the rest of the nose. The flavors were round and appealing though. Vigorous swirling didn't do much, but after 1.5-2 hours of air, the reduction began to blow off and a splash decant of the final third of the bottle resolved it. The nose finally began to show a briny mineral note over a base of peach fruit. Very interesting and quite nice. The palate was round and rich with fruit without any sense of viscosity or heaviness, just maturing fruit flavors. The finish carries on for a bit but isn't especially complex. This was more of an interesting experience than a pleasurable one, but I learned something. If you're opening this, I would recommend an aggressive decant to get some air into the wine and then some time in the decanter before serving. I think you'll see more of what the wine has to show. To me, this bottle is likely at or near plateau, and I'll probably open my other bottle within the next couple of years.
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10/3/2021 - Dalex Likes this wine: 93 Points
This was amazing. And….my wife opened it last night when I wasn’t home so, after a day of being in the fridge, it’s still singing. Wow
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4/25/2021 - Burgundy Al wrote: 89 Points
Rich and fully mature apple with baked apple notes. Enough brightness to remain interesting, but not perfectly harmonious with some protruding new oak and slightly lacking acidity. Much better than another bottle tasted two years.
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2/28/2021 - xwine wrote:
On day one this was very, very reduced. I tried decanting, but that didn't help. I couldn't get past it, so put it back in the fridge after we had poured about a quarter of the bottle. Day two was a completely different story. Lovely aromas centered on perfectly ripe pear. Flavors of white and yellow fruit, with some citrus and a mineral component. Good acidity. Turned out to be a very nice wine. Drank from Zalto Universals.
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12/21/2020 - WG Johns@n Likes this wine: 94 Points
This bottle is in an amazing place. Nothing out of balance but the oak treatment steps back and the lemon oil and mineral profile become more prominent as the bottle warms. The acidity remains strong 2hrs after opening. No decant necessary. The Wente, Hyde, and Mt. Eden clonal selection is apparent in a very very good way. Consumed with truffle risotto and preceded by a 2015 Alzinger Steinertal Grüner. Yet another reminder why Rhys deserves your attention.
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5/17/2020 - E Does not like this wine: 75 Points
Acidity not in balance with a bitterness noted on finish
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2/24/2020 - gzim Likes this wine: 92 Points
I think this still has a lot of upside. Seems like its always better on day 2, with less oak showing. Very pretty fruit, rather round and very long.
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2/22/2020 - mzimberg Likes this wine: 94 Points
Pale golden. Gorgeous mineral hinted with vanilla and fresh brioche nose. Almost painful intensity on the mint, pink grapefruit, fresh flowers and green apple. Amazing depth and gigantic finish for such a nuanced wine.
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2/10/2020 - Rieslingfan wrote:
Deep golden color, nutty aromatic tone suggests "drink up quickly." There's still some fresh fruit, but it is overshadowed by more advanced elements, and the finish turns oddly bitter. Bought on release from the winery, and perfect storage since, this is another nail in the I don't like 2011 wines from Rhys coffin.
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10/11/2019 - gteran76 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent, very complex with citrus and cinnamon with a hint of vanilla and oak. Very nice finish as well.
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9/28/2019 - gharter Likes this wine: 90 Points
Color doesn't show any advanced age. Bright fruit with pineapple, pear, lemon, coconut and toasted oak. Still has good acidity and a nice finish.
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9/17/2019 - alanr wrote: 92 Points
Quite nice, bit of toast on the palate, nice medium richness, good length, holding quite well with just a touch of development.
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9/17/2019 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 93 Points
Rhys Dinner (Golden Triangle, Los Gatos): Very different from the Mt. Eden Chardonnay of the same year. This wine is mot subtle and elegant, but also less interesting. Lime, citrus, and green apples on the intricate nose. Medium acidity with minerals and some lemon notes on the palate. Good finish.
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9/14/2019 - fisk15 wrote: 86 Points
Toasty oak, more than I'd prefer
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7/6/2019 - dougie Likes this wine: 92 Points
No problems. Large scale with pineapple and rich. Very nice.
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5/12/2019 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Opened to pair with Thai food, for both my daughter and wife in honor of Mother's Day. I was intrigued to some recent notes, both by pjhr and Nanda, who I follow on CT. They had differing views into this wine, and it made me curious enough that I wanted to open my final bottle. FWIW, this is my last 2011 vintage Rhys that I own. Opened and gave this some air, as well as brought it down to an ideal temp. My take on this wine is that I don't find any aged or advanced quality in my bottle. The color, while lightly golden, didn't seem out of the ordinary. No bruised apple quality or any of that either. What I did find was some toasted oak, that brings with it some coconut. The fruit on on it shows a pineapple, pear and lemon mix, with good balance. I have a final glass that I will finish tomorrow after work, then close out this note.....retasting the following day, very similar to my first pass TN above. Toasty in the aromatic and palate with a big whack of apple and pineapple, with the lemony acidity still quite vibrant. This drinks just fine and in this bottle, there is nothing advanced or aged. This can continue to go a bit longer, although for me all the parts are in the correct harmony to enjoy now.
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5/11/2019 - Burgundy Al wrote: flawed
Blind Tasting...Wines That Don't Suck (House of Nanda - Chicago IL): Tasted double blind. Much too advanced for its age, barely identifiable as Chardonnay.
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5/11/2019 - Nanda wrote:
Golden color and quite advanced in appearance. Rich, tropical and waxy on the palate with very mature fruit -- bruised apple and pear. This is just way too advanced for it's age. Served blind to friends and many couldn't identify it as Chardonnay.
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5/11/2019 - acyso wrote:
"Wines that don't suck" (Chicago, IL): Served double blind. A touch of oak on the nose with some clearly aged elements here. The palate shows good acidity, but there are extremely advanced notes here, as well as some butterscotch elements and a hint of spice on the back end. I actually guessed a chardonnay from the mid 1990s, but the reveal shows that there's some serious concern about ageability here. Nonetheless, it wasn't a disaster to drink, but if I saw the label beforehand, I'd be furious about how this bottle showed
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4/3/2019 - pjhr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Lemon peel and citrus notes on the fragrant nose and lively palate with refreshing acidity and mineral notes on the long finish. Love this chard!
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12/29/2018 - rosenst1 wrote: 92 Points
PnP. Medium dark gold; darker than I expected. Slight reduction on the nose with intense minerality and some fruit buried underneath. On the palate this shows good balance of acidity and fruit but with the mineral quality dominating. Really interesting wine; still seems young but is drinking well now.
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11/22/2018 - rhit Likes this wine:
Even after three-plus hours in the decanter, this had a tensile, and maybe even reductive quality. Rich and very tasty at the moment.
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11/14/2018 - drrobvino wrote:
Quite good, consumed over a few days, no formal TN.
Not a re-purchase for me at $73 USD.
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9/8/2018 - Jahull03 wrote:
This is in a wonderful place now. Shows balance - I’d consider this to be a big-flavored wine, though it’s a mix of fruit (baked apple), mushroom, white pepper, slight honeyed note, and significant mineral component... and while the flavor is big, the body of the wine is definitely not more than “medium”, and it’s a good 2% less alcohol than other comparably flavor-forward Chardonnays.
It’s definitely come together, and it’s definitely not losing anything to the age. Really nice.
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6/18/2018 - Vinomnivore Likes this wine: 93 Points
Chilled at fridge temp, consumed over a few hours outside on a very hot day. Each glass offered a full meal--layers of rich fruit (agree with others that meyer lemon leaps out) backed by mineral and acid. Beautiful golden color.
The experience with the bottle was substantially better than the single glass I had extracted by Coravin a few days earlier which seemed gave the impression of being a bit flat and maybe oxidized, but maybe it just need a little air to open up.
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6/15/2018 - pjhr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Lemon peel and citrus notes on the fragrant nose and lively palate with refreshing acidity and mineral notes on the long finish. Wow! What a chard!
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5/23/2018 - pakabear Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tangerine, metro lemon, sea shell, loads of salty mineralty, sour citrus, great intensity, with a chalky/silky texture. Starting to show it’s secondary characteristics and drinks well as a PnP.
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3/4/2018 - jdhannah wrote:
Not Oxidized but a bit of Riesling in the nose
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1/31/2018 - Schwarzer Hund Likes this wine:
Citrus and wet stone nose, concentrated citrus fruit, plenty of acid and minerals, nice mouthfeel, long long fruit and mineral finish. Seems to be at a great drinking stage now.
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9/24/2017 - mreinhard74@gmail.com Likes this wine: 93 Points
Honeysuckle and apricot with a bit of mineral edge at the back end. Very nice.
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5/2/2017 - MikeATL Likes this wine: 91 Points
Atlanta Does Rhys (Aria, Atlanta, GA): Meyer lemon and minerals, with great acidic zing. With air, the acid seemed to fade and it lost some of its freshness and zip. I liked it more than the rest of the group.
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4/29/2017 - Stumpy wrote: 88 Points
Seems to have started to oxidize a bit and turn that caramel brown. Not as lively as I expect in Rhys pinot
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4/23/2017 - coremill wrote: 91 Points
I opened this because the 2010 matured very quickly and some recent note s on this wine referenced oxidative character (butterscotch, dark color, etc.). This bottle was fine though, not at all advanced or oxidative. Very good but kind of a weird wine. Concentrated, powerful fruit that is all tart limey citrus, shows significant extract that gives the wine a tactile, mineral bite, and then it's all overlaid by a big dollop of sweet oak. There's enough material here to absorb the oak, but the result from combining the tartness of the fruit with the sweetness of the oak is an odd juxtaposition, even if it mostly works here. Despite the oak and extract and acid, this doesn't seem backward at all. Maybe the components will integrate better with age, but the track record for aging Rhys chards has been hit-or-miss (cf. the 2010), so if I had more I might plan on enjoying this now for what it is.
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4/17/2017 - blaine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Spectacular. Seemed like the notes from others suggested it was time for this one. Deep golden color that often telegraphs disappointment instead telegraphed greatness. Beautiful nose, white flowers, white stone fruit, hint of butterscotch. On the palate, juicy but balanced acidity, plenty of fruit, just a touch of oak. Rich but medium+ bodied. Long finish. This wine danced across the nose and palate, unfortunately it was so good we finished it inside of an hour. By far the wine of the Easter weekend which included some champs. Not sure it's time to drink up, but totally ready for maximum enjoyment now.
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3/17/2017 - soyhead wrote:
quince, cream, and slightly smoky, reminiscent of a rich white burg, poured blind for brian who guessed it to be 'a good quality california chardonnay'.
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2/25/2017 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 95 Points
Dinner with Friends (Salon, Scarecrow, Ducru, Rhys+) (Pine Lake Trout Club): My favorite California chard producer. This one was pop and pour and was still opening at nights end. There is some left to re-sample today. Light golden in color. The nose is really crisp and clean and while in the background there is a slight oak/vanilla, for me it is about the minerality along with the lemon tart notes. Great lean but yet full bodied texture. Like an athlete with low body fat. On the palate, some red apple, some lemon, with lots of minerals. Great acidity that worked so well with food. Long finish. This is still young but showing a nice development. I would give it air now (it was a back up bottle, so it was pop and pour), or wait.
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1/10/2017 - Acohen Likes this wine: 93 Points
Rich dark yellow color with rich pear, lemon curd and depth of flavor and balance
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12/24/2016 - BHP1994 wrote: 94 Points
One of the most beautifully golden wines I've ever enjoyed. Rich golden fruits, lemon curd, super ripe pears. Voluptuous but with nice acids. Tremendous.
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12/12/2016 - Stumpy wrote: 90 Points
Not the normal vibrant Rhys chard with verve. This bottle had started its descent into the butterscotch death spiral. It had not fully turned so I didn't doc it too much but definately drink soon in case you have one getting old before it's time.
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12/3/2016 - ckinv368 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Earthy, clover, some bacon. Wonderful effort. Very fresh.
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4/1/2016 - rama Likes this wine:
Opened and let sit a couple hours prior to tasting. 24k gold color, darker than I anticipated. Meyer lemon curd with a touch of oak(?) spice on the nose. Bright and full on the palate, with teeth coating acidity. This continues through on the long finish.
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3/8/2016 - shaferguy91 wrote: flawed
Flawed bottle.
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12/13/2015 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 93 Points
Light on its feet and yet great length. Very lovely
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9/4/2015 - Uglypinga Likes this wine:
Slightly more oak on the nose and palate than the last bottle but still an amazing bottle of chard. Top three american chards of all time for me.
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8/30/2015 - DougLee wrote: 93 Points
Pale gold color. Nose of hyacinth, lemon peel, granny apple, schist. Potent layers of fresh grapefruit, melon, lemon, and apple core coursing over a tense, steely mineral spine on the palate. Striking acidity and long, persistent finish exhibiting flint, smoke, citrus, white peach, and grip. Gorgeous wine with many years to go, and one of the best domestic chardonnays I have sampled recently.
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8/28/2015 - Uglypinga Likes this wine:
Intense on the nose with honey and lemon peel. There's a delicious smelling caramel note that doesn't translate to the palate. The palate has intense lime and it is almost weightless yet textured. I love this.
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7/11/2015 - atilathehun Likes this wine: 95 Points
Best Chardonnay I've had in years. Lots of pie crust, lemon, initial ginger which faded. excellent acidity.
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5/31/2015 - ruchottalex Likes this wine: 94 Points
This was excellent. Great color, yellow-golden. Solid backbone of acid, lemon, good minerality. Intense.
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5/28/2015 - kenhoeve Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tremendous. Loads of lemon and beaming acidity with spiciness and grip. This absolutely killed with a sesame seared tuna and mango salsa. Coming back to it a couple hours later this tastes like liquid guava, really something else.
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5/14/2015 - ruffsurf Likes this wine: 91 Points
Restrained buy lovely nose. Restraint too on the palate balanced by tropical notes and lemony crispness.
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8/31/2014 - Nicephoras wrote: 90 Points
Very strong hints of lemon.
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8/17/2014 - gutt22 Likes this wine:
13.0% alcohol. Frank's note is spot on with this wine. A medium yellow color, and a general sense of opulence to it. Light oak influence on the nose, with a nutty note and lemon zest and curd aromas. In the mouth, it's rich and supple, with a lemony undercurrent throughout, bright acidity, and a very fine finish. A-
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7/30/2014 - Cote d'Or wrote:
PopnPour, tasted over 2 hrs and Day 2
-translucent med gold
-strikingly tropical, honey-dipped pineapple
-med acidity provides nice balance, very ripe tropical fairly dense mid-palate, some caramel on finish
-a little too ripe/tropical for my taste at this point in its development, has abundant sap and acidity though so this might be much more interesting in 3-5+ years
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6/25/2014 - amateurwino wrote: 92 Points
Showed a bit richer and definitely rounder in style than the Alpine, with some mineral apparent on the nose. Preferred this. 91-92
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4/27/2014 - Wine Sparty wrote: 92 Points
Drank at Ruxbin. Very enjoyable with lemon oil aroma, a nice tartness on the palate.
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4/10/2013 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Almond/nut paste and lemon in the aromatics. The palate has a lemon custard note, which is my way of trying to marry texture and flavor into something that fits, although don't read heavy into the comment. The acidity for me is expressed through tangerine, and in comparison to the 2011 Alpine chard we tasted alongside it, the Horseshoe to me is more opulent, seductive in tone whereas the Alpine more driven and focused.
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4/9/2013 - jakuda wrote:
Tasting of 2011 and more at Rhys: Tasted at the winery. Essentially pop-n-poured. Aromas of rock, sweet dried fruit, some hay. Some Chablis like qualities. In the mouth there is abundance of acid, and a bit fleshy. Finish ends with some citrus peel and saline. Probably prefer this over the Alpine at this point.
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