Black berries and cherries throughout with very impressive concentration for a wine at this price. Still nicely fresh and meaty with savory spice nicely integrated. Nothing complex, but a wonderful everyday drinker.
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Lots of spice alongside black berries with very good+ concentration, especially for its price. I haven't tasted this since just after release, and think it is better now. Very impressive.
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Year 3 - Super Tasting 3 of 5 - Chris Does Blind Pinot Noir: Off the bat I detect a definite stem signature on this wine. The nose is of gravel, grapefruit, smoke, light brown spice, light hints of cured meat, but also some darker tinged fruit via plums and dark cherries. The palate comes across as relatively low in acid and medium minus tannin. While ripe, dark and obviously Cali in style, I was still able to enjoy this due to some complexity on the nose. The group easily called this as California.
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These Rhys/Alesia really make you wait to give up the goods; finally in a spot I enjoy; not sure I need to wait 10 years for other PNs but I liked where this is heading
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Well balanced. Slight turbidity on a ruby background with a slight touch of orange on the rim. Very good but not profound. Slight Brett on nose blows off quickly. Can't tell if it's more Luden's or Pine Bros on the nose. A touch of sweetness on the palate. Compared to 2011 Bearwallow and this was riper but similar in style and balance. Medium plus finish. Very good overall.
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Medium-dark red color. Aromas of cherry, vanilla, and earth. Palate shows cherry, a bit of olive, vanilla, earth, and some strawberry-rhubarb that moves into a medium finish with cherry and earth. This seemed clean (free of Brett.) and was easy to enjoy. Drink.
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It started out pleasantly enough when it was first opened, with the ruby wrapped garnet color showing no signs of its age, subdued dark cherry with a little green stemminess, and a slightly bitter tannic kick on the back end.
It blossomed as it warmed up and aired out, gaining complexity with blackberry and raspberry joining the party, and bringing a little spice with them. The tannin faded into the background and a little acidity came out to play, but both were mainly discernable through their effects, providing structure to frame the fruit and ample enough to cleanse the palate after bites of prime steak.
It really hit its stride toward the end of the night (and of the bottle), as I found myself muttering exclamations of joy under by breath with each sniff of the glass. I think it has peaked, but it has done so at a higher level than I'd expected, and shouldn't descend too precipitously. I'll drink what little I have left of this wine over the next year or two, with hopes that they can match the pleasure this bottle offered.
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A little gassy, raspberry fruit, tart acids but the fruit matches up, a touch of barnyard but within my tolerance level. Pleasant but not profound. B/B+
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Medium-dark red color with medium transparency throughout. Aromas of blackberry, horse, leather, flowers, and cherry pie filling. The palate shows bretty notes but they end up complementing the fruit that shows through in a way that I find pleasant enough. Ultimately, black tea, black cherry, slightly jammy raspberry and cherry notes join with the smoke, leather, and meaty elements I tag with brett. The finish is medium-long with floral and slightly overripe fruit notes. Strangely hard to resist despite what I'm calling brett. being rather obvious. Drink.
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EWG does LQ @ SK (Starry Kitchen, Los Angeles): Served blind. Dark and rich with a hint of brett initially. The brett gets quite big in the glass. Lots of dark fruit on the palate. Rich with a bit of grip. This was prettier when it was popped and would have been much more enjoyable if the brett wasn't so strong. The underlying fruit is strong and I think this would live for quite a while if there were not brett concerns.
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In a great place right now. Lifted, effusive nose of berries, earth, pine and spice. Palate is medium bodied with plush fruit and awash with juicy acidity. Medium plus length is fresh and enticing. Very easy to drink and enjoy.
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Not quite a 90 point wow, but close. Popped and poured on the back deck. Unexpected mouth feel. There was a definite fizzy feel in the mouth. My wife noticed it also. BUT there was no apparent carbonation in the glass. I had not read the TNs on CT before I write this, but it appears to be a common trait in this wine. Color was dark for Burgundy but average for a Cali pinot. There was a bit of cola pinot funk and some cherry and other red fruit with some minerals. My wife's comment was that this could still wait a few years and I tend to think she is right. BUT it is a very nice wine to drink now. Three of us polished off the bottle so fast that we all accused the others of taking too much. ABV 14.0% not noticeable. Excellent balance. I bought this from the mailing list when issued and later dropped Rhys because I had too much wine. That was a mistake.
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Mellower nose than the 05 or 06. Sandalwood, cinnamon, violets and dark cherry on the nose. Palate much younger and more taut than the nose. Dark cherry fruit and limestone. Nice construction, but not the complexity of the 05.
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On opening there was a good amount of spritz in the bottle. I let it sit overnight, but it never really went away. In fact I waited two days beofre dumping it down the drain. The wine was bitter and devoid of most fruit. Oh well, it happens.
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A quick decant gets rid of the CO2. Still notably dark in the core for a 2004, much darker than the '06 Alesias. Lots of barnyardy funk on the nose, to the exclusion of much else. The palate starts out smooth and light, but then it packs a wallop of grainy tannins on the finish. Doesn't have much complexity and I find the funk not unappealing, but too dominant in the wine's profile. Not sure where this one is going, I would drink up.
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great nose of spice and deep dark red berries. Some cake spice, I got some black tea / moist earth, and a very nice elegant finish. of dark red berries (not blue or over ripe fruit), very dark appearance, and a very fine tannin core .. it's great to realize in such a sort time, how far this winery has come.
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PnP. Deep red. Almost wow nose of crushed dark berries, mineral, mushrooms, and asian spice. Palate has medium intensity fruit showing some complexity and mineral tension. Has a musky/round texture. Very nice on first night, lost some oomph/complexity on second night.
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Enjoyed this bottle but it clearly wasn't as good as the Rhys bottling I've had. I guess I can't wait until all of Kevin's production comes from his own vineyards. First off, there was incredible fizz in the just opened bottle. My Italian girlfriend remarked how it reminded her of the wine her friends used to make at home in their garages. Of course this doesn't bother me much since I know it will blow off but I can understand those who find it off-putting or think that there is something wrong with the wine. All of my recent tastes of '07 and '08 Rhys wines show that the residual CO2 issues is under control so let's hope this trend continues.
Anyway, after about 20 min in the glass an intense nose of strawberry and cherry with a hint of mineral component mixed in. Dark color for Pinot Noir and not so much tannin that I'd want to age it any further. What this is missing is the depth of minerality and breed that the Alpine, Horseshoe and Skyline vineyards possess. Good thing I have a nice cellar full of those.
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2004 Alesia: Popped this and poured to compare to the Kanzler. A smokey, earthy nose that seemed to me more in the Rhys style. But, this one also veers into the lush, ripe and bold fruit camp (vintage perhaps?). There are juicy dark red fruits with penetrating cola notes. Similar to the Kanzler, this also has energy and vibrancy and has more complexity and interest. The finish is a bit longer than the Kanzler without the alcohol. Instead I get some interesting mint herbal tea and some noticeable tannins.
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I started buying Rhys from all the rave reviews on the Mark Squires Bulletin Board. I've bought 4 vintages (2004-2007) from the mailing list. Up to now I have probably opened maybe half a dozen different bottles and to be honest I have been really disappointed. I've opened a Syrah that was just awful. A few of the Pinots were average. I was failing to understand all the high praise it was earning. I was very skeptical. I even told myself that if I opened this bottle and didn't like it, I would be done with Rhys.
So I opened this bottle and it gave me the same stuff as previous Pinots that I had opened. There was some spritz and brett, and it was just disjointed and generally not appealing at all which agrees with a lot of the tasting notes previously posted. It even had the stinkiness that has been reported in other tasting notes. I was almost ready to go back to the cellar and get another bottle. I decided to put it in a decanter. I turned the bottle upside down and just let the wine chug into the decanter and let it aerate as much as possible. I left it alone for an hour. I came back to it and it was still not the best, but the spritz and brett blew away.
I'm a traditionalist/purist and don't believe in gadgets, but I had gotten a free Rabbit Aerator, and as a last resort I opened the aerator up for the first time and used it on this wine that had been in a decanter for an hour. I poured two glasses: one from the decanter and one poured from the decanter through the aerator. I sampled them both along with my wife (who has a a great palate) and we both agreed that the aerated pour was way, way, way better. So my disillusioned opinion of Rhys changed.
After the hour in decanter and pour through the aerator, the wine had a soft and supple texture that you would expect from a premium Pinot Noir. The fruit was an interplay of red cherry, dark cherry and plum. It didn't show a lot of secondary nuances but there was some earthiness. It was harmonious and smooth. It had really transformed into a thing of beauty. So much so that I have changed my opinion about Rhys. I was ready to donate all the Rhys I had bought to charity events, but now I definitely going to keep some and age them longer. I think many of the puzzling/disappointing tasting notes are a result of just drinking them too young.
I will need to open a few more bottles after aging or decanting and/or aerating to verify that this is not an anomaly, but I"m encouraged. This has really taught me 1) I'm a patient person with wine, but sometimes even the most puzzling wines can blossom with time or aeration and 2) as a wine purist/traditionalist, maybe I should not poo-poo devices such as aerators.
I know this was long, but I hope it might help some of you who have had some puzzling/disappointing experiences with Rhys. From the tasting notes in CellarTracker I know I was not alone in my previous opinion.
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Nothing flawed here; I just don't like these. Why market yourself on finesse and restraint if this is what you're selling? I understand this was the first year and it was a hot vintage, but I could have had two perfectly good bottles of Beaujolais for this.
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Night one: Bretty on the nose. On the palate, fizz and brett with underlying dark fruit. Corked and refrigerated.
Night two: Brett and fizz were gone. Drinking much better than the previous night. Dark fruited but not heavy, a touch of earth but not terribly complex. An okay showing and better than expected given the first night's experience.
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Sulfur/reductive. Takes several hours of air to blow off (best to decant at this point). Very nice balance of dark red cherry fruit and acid, with quite firm tannins to finish. Widely reported as a brett-laden bottle, but all tasters agreed this one was clean.
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Tough call. All things considered, this is one of the more complex CA pinots I've tasted; it has a lot going on, including, unfortunately, perhaps a little too much brett. Without the brett I think I would have scored it 93-94. While I like them, the Alesias tend to show a pretty generic profile regardless of the site (note, I'm not talking about the domaine wines) so I was initially very pleased with this wine. I did not immediately say to myself "Oh! this is an Alesia." It was more complex, a little darker, and more brooding than most of the Alesia pinots I've drunk. The underlying qualities are fine: balanced, floral, dark fruit, spice, earth and tender oak. You could have convinced me this was a Chambolle (ok, from a ripe vintage) but the brett stomped all over everything in the end. The wine is young still with several years to go. Sadly it will make the trip with an undesirable. A terrific effort that falls short. (Tears drip down the side of my glass.)
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Didn't care for this lat night. This one was dirty. Fruit was slightly roasted, bit bretty, too. There was also slightly volatile acidity to my palate. Improved marginally with air, but just never really came around.
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Heavy dose of Brett was disappointing. There seems to be a fair amount of fruit underneath. We'll see what a day or two of vacuvin does. Nope, I think this was corked.
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No tasting notes taken. This was very nice with about an hour of air. Bright red fruit and very well balanced with a nice finish. Initially gives some carbonation on the tongue which has happened with every one of these that I've had, but that goes away after a while.
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Some reductive funkiness lingering on the nose with a touch of spritz at opening. Spritz fades leaving a wrapped up wine that seems to want more age. Balance is there for good development. Wish I had more time to check it out but the crew polished it off fairly quickly.
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14.0% alcohol. Cranberry color. Provocative nose of red and black cherry, stems, minerals, earth, and flowers. In the mouth, pure, concentrated, and showing plenty of power for all its feminine charms. The fruit unfolds first, creating a straight line for the complexity to follow right down your palate. Strong acidity. Long finish, with the tannins resolved. A-
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I was expecting a ton of brett after reading other notes, but did not find this bottle to be overwhelmed by it. Instead some relaxing pinot fruit with just a bit of funk. On the palate the bright acidity of this wine was downright refreshing, something I can't ever remember saying about CA pinot before. The wine leaves behind the sweet, plush fruitiness of much of the genre in favor of a firm and linear feel. It also has a nice tannic structure remaining before revealing a long finish. This is perhaps not as open as it could be, and I think it's got a bit of development ahead of it, based on this bottle.
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There seems to be a lot of bottle variation from the notes on this wine. Popped and poured. Only a touch of brett that added complexity to sour cherry, pomegranite fruit flavors with a hint of earth. Better than I expected but it did not change much over the course of 2 hours.
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There is a lot of trapped CO2 in this wine. Very fizzy. Strong nose of Brett that follows through on the palate. This is just too Bretty for me and too Bretty for my friends. I am Brett tolerant, but this is too much. Undrinkable.
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First off, I noticed some brett, but it added a depth to the lush fruit. After a few minutes, there was a spritz that detracted. A little later, the brett became more noticeable obscuring the fruit. At the end, it was disappointing. I thought I had one more bottle, but I'm relieved to see that I don't. That was lunch. At dinner, after being opened several hours, the brett subsided and the spritz disappeared leaving the lush fruit, and a much nicer wine.
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This is from the same bottle, having poured half off into a 375. No sign of oxidation and greater varietal character, this is still heavy into clove and nutmeg; the wood hasn't integrated yet. I hope it settles down as the size is worrying.
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This was rather big and had no difficulty following a ten year-old Chateauneuf, but I didn't recognize it as Pinot Noir. Agressive red fruits, spice, and some leather. I could see liking this if it mellows but not in its current state.
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This was poured in glasses as we sat down to dinner and started with a bottle of chablis. When I first tasted this after at least 30 minutes in glass, it had a wonderful nose of nutmeg and spices? The palate was soft with some cherry and pretty smooth although I would think more round with time. A very pleasant drink.
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Dark burgundy color. Nose is spicy cherry with a slightly funky smell. Taste is currants and spice. Then moves to baked cherries. A bit of acidity on the finish. Finish is a little bit clipped. Nice. Probably in a bit of awkward stage.
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Nose has some bruised dark fruits, high-pitched red berries, spice, and a little vegetal/rhubarb going on. Kind of tight. The palate is a little more giving, with juicy red berries, more spice, maybe some vege/stem flavors. Seems less ripe than the other 2004 Alesia pinots. Chunky tannins sort of obliterate the finish for now, this is rather awkward currently. This really needs a good bit of cellar time. A couple of winemakers present thought there was some brett here but if so i mistook it for something else.
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Nice pinot funk on the nose. Fruit is very subtle and remarkably structured for a wine this young. More impressive is the earth and leather undertones - very sophisticated. Looking forward to drinking the 2 bottles I have in the future.
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Savage decant to remove any fiz... did the charm. Nice red cherry nose with forest floor and dried cranberry highlights. Very nice red fruit on the palate centered on cherries and cranberries. Slight pinot tanginess was fun and added to the package. Beautiful balance.
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Damn this is mighty fine. Gobs of cherries and strawberries and lots of weight and an outstanding nose. WOW! My wife's "favorite wine of the year" by far. Enjoyed with cajun tilapia and red beans and rice.
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Dark burgundy colour. Aromas of beetroot, currant, and hot stones. Light-medium bodied, very elegant, with currant, beetroot, earth. Good acidity. Moderate finish, ~25-30s with red fruit.
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dark fruits, a touch of brett (in an enhancing way), earth, and later pine needles. aromatics increased significantly over a few hours. creamy mouthfeel and adequate acid to support the fruit. nice finish that becomes more substantial over several hours, yet somewhat tannic. fun to drink and will look for more on the secondary market.
i've yet to drink an rhys/alesia that wasn't very good/great. i love the fact that each bottling is so very distinctive from the others. kevin harvey is doing a fantastic job, and i look forward to tracking his wines for years to come.
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Opened not decanted. i've been sitting here typing notes to the wines I tasted today. Meanwhile, I'm drinking this guy while typing up the notes. After drinking a bunch of 01 Brunello's, some of which were closed down, this wine seems raring to go.
Moist compost and earth with spice on the nose; sweet dark tastes with citrus notes, somewhat watery on the palate with a dry finish. I've killed about 2/3 of the bottle with no trouble at all. Easy drinking wine. Good to very good.
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Opened not decanted. Strong candy apple on the nose; sweet strawberry on the palate with a dry, lean finish. After awhile, some smoke and charcoal on the nose and really dark, dense spice with a tangy, dry finish. Good.
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This wine is closed at this point and stands in great contrast to the Kanzler, which seemed fairly open to me. Very dark for a pinot and very big. Nice acidity but just not showing much of anything. Very muted nose that only started to show itself after two hours. On the palate it was very tightly wound with. You could tell it had much to offer, but not today. Will not touch the remainder for at least two to five years. Probably infanticide. Rated 87 now but I fully expect this to improve.
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Slightly sprityzy. Dark red, although not quite opaque. Red and black berries. Cola. Pine scent. Slightly syrupy. Good acidity. Bright and dark at the same time, leaning slightly to the darker side of pinot. Enjoyable. Decanted for 2 hours.
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New Pinot at 35th St. Bistro (Seattle, WA): Lovely acidity and structure. A little spritzy on the palate too. Complex and earthy, dark fruit. Subtle oak and expressive minerality.
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Wow. What a beauty. Blockbuster nose of currant, plum, dried herbs, tree bark and loads of funk. Reminds me ever so slightly of the nose of the 2003 Jaboulet Aine Domaine the Thalabert Crozes Hermitage. Focused and sappy cherry fruit with cinnamon and ginger spices. Finishes extremely well. No hint of heat or candy, so this is right down my alley. My favorite Pinot from California from the 2004 vintage and reminiscent of the 2003 efforts from Walter Hansel in terms of aromatics. I love this wine.
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Wow, this is one of the very few new-world Pinots I have found that shows some mid-palate structure! Very nice acid structure lends this wine terrific vibrancy. The fruit is sweet, and as the winery says, sappy and focued. Fined-graned tannins dominate the finish. This should age very nicely.
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5/21/2018 - Burgundy Al wrote: 88 Points
Black berries and cherries throughout with very impressive concentration for a wine at this price. Still nicely fresh and meaty with savory spice nicely integrated. Nothing complex, but a wonderful everyday drinker.
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9/28/2017 - Burgundy Al wrote: 88 Points
Lots of spice alongside black berries with very good+ concentration, especially for its price. I haven't tasted this since just after release, and think it is better now. Very impressive.
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10/24/2015 - Dave Canada wrote: 91 Points
Year 3 - Super Tasting 3 of 5 - Chris does Blind Pinot Noir (Dundas, Ontario): Gorgeous nose of incense, liquid flowers and tart red fruit.
Palate shows menthol, stems, flowers, citrus and pure red fruit. It needs a bit more acid as it is quite ripe....just a touch out of balance.
Finish is medium
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10/24/2015 - Wine Canuck wrote: 90 Points
Year 3 - Super Tasting 3 of 5 - Chris Does Blind Pinot Noir: Off the bat I detect a definite stem signature on this wine. The nose is of gravel, grapefruit, smoke, light brown spice, light hints of cured meat, but also some darker tinged fruit via plums and dark cherries. The palate comes across as relatively low in acid and medium minus tannin. While ripe, dark and obviously Cali in style, I was still able to enjoy this due to some complexity on the nose. The group easily called this as California.
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11/24/2014 - Knicksfan wrote: 90 Points
These Rhys/Alesia really make you wait to give up the goods; finally in a spot I enjoy; not sure I need to wait 10 years for other PNs but I liked where this is heading
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3/29/2014 - doctornoah wrote: 90 Points
Well balanced. Slight turbidity on a ruby background with a slight touch of orange on the rim. Very good but not profound. Slight Brett on nose blows off quickly. Can't tell if it's more Luden's or Pine Bros on the nose. A touch of sweetness on the palate. Compared to 2011 Bearwallow and this was riper but similar in style and balance. Medium plus finish. Very good overall.
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7/7/2013 - fredb Likes this wine:
Medium-dark red color. Aromas of cherry, vanilla, and earth. Palate shows cherry, a bit of olive, vanilla, earth, and some strawberry-rhubarb that moves into a medium finish with cherry and earth. This seemed clean (free of Brett.) and was easy to enjoy. Drink.
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3/29/2013 - jfkwines wrote: 90 Points
Nice. Held up well. Saved a bit for 2nd night and it was still going strong. Proved some age wothiness to me.
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3/28/2013 - MikeATL Likes this wine:
It started out pleasantly enough when it was first opened, with the ruby wrapped garnet color showing no signs of its age, subdued dark cherry with a little green stemminess, and a slightly bitter tannic kick on the back end.
It blossomed as it warmed up and aired out, gaining complexity with blackberry and raspberry joining the party, and bringing a little spice with them. The tannin faded into the background and a little acidity came out to play, but both were mainly discernable through their effects, providing structure to frame the fruit and ample enough to cleanse the palate after bites of prime steak.
It really hit its stride toward the end of the night (and of the bottle), as I found myself muttering exclamations of joy under by breath with each sniff of the glass. I think it has peaked, but it has done so at a higher level than I'd expected, and shouldn't descend too precipitously. I'll drink what little I have left of this wine over the next year or two, with hopes that they can match the pleasure this bottle offered.
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11/8/2012 - DaleW wrote:
A little gassy, raspberry fruit, tart acids but the fruit matches up, a touch of barnyard but within my tolerance level. Pleasant but not profound. B/B+
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9/18/2012 - fredb Likes this wine:
Medium-dark red color with medium transparency throughout. Aromas of blackberry, horse, leather, flowers, and cherry pie filling. The palate shows bretty notes but they end up complementing the fruit that shows through in a way that I find pleasant enough. Ultimately, black tea, black cherry, slightly jammy raspberry and cherry notes join with the smoke, leather, and meaty elements I tag with brett. The finish is medium-long with floral and slightly overripe fruit notes. Strangely hard to resist despite what I'm calling brett. being rather obvious. Drink.
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1/27/2012 - scottj wrote:
No rating due to excessive brett. Really too bad, as there seemed to be some lush fruit underneath the brett.
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9/25/2011 - WetRock wrote:
EWG does LQ @ SK (Starry Kitchen, Los Angeles): Served blind. Dark and rich with a hint of brett initially. The brett gets quite big in the glass. Lots of dark fruit on the palate. Rich with a bit of grip. This was prettier when it was popped and would have been much more enjoyable if the brett wasn't so strong. The underlying fruit is strong and I think this would live for quite a while if there were not brett concerns.
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7/24/2011 - Nanda wrote: 91 Points
In a great place right now. Lifted, effusive nose of berries, earth, pine and spice. Palate is medium bodied with plush fruit and awash with juicy acidity. Medium plus length is fresh and enticing. Very easy to drink and enjoy.
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7/1/2011 - Jay Hack wrote: 89 Points
Not quite a 90 point wow, but close. Popped and poured on the back deck. Unexpected mouth feel. There was a definite fizzy feel in the mouth. My wife noticed it also. BUT there was no apparent carbonation in the glass. I had not read the TNs on CT before I write this, but it appears to be a common trait in this wine. Color was dark for Burgundy but average for a Cali pinot. There was a bit of cola pinot funk and some cherry and other red fruit with some minerals. My wife's comment was that this could still wait a few years and I tend to think she is right. BUT it is a very nice wine to drink now. Three of us polished off the bottle so fast that we all accused the others of taking too much. ABV 14.0% not noticeable. Excellent balance. I bought this from the mailing list when issued and later dropped Rhys because I had too much wine. That was a mistake.
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5/3/2011 - LoireFan wrote: 91 Points
This has come around nicely. Still young but offering nice amounts of pleasure.
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1/29/2011 - jreis wrote:
Mellower nose than the 05 or 06. Sandalwood, cinnamon, violets and dark cherry on the nose. Palate much younger and more taut than the nose. Dark cherry fruit and limestone. Nice construction, but not the complexity of the 05.
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1/24/2011 - Loren Sonkin wrote: flawed
On opening there was a good amount of spritz in the bottle. I let it sit overnight, but it never really went away. In fact I waited two days beofre dumping it down the drain. The wine was bitter and devoid of most fruit. Oh well, it happens.
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12/19/2010 - lbrent wrote: 89 Points
Some barnyard, but not in a bad way. Dark berry. Nice musky earth.
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11/25/2010 - jlm wrote:
A quick decant gets rid of the CO2. Still notably dark in the core for a 2004, much darker than the '06 Alesias. Lots of barnyardy funk on the nose, to the exclusion of much else. The palate starts out smooth and light, but then it packs a wallop of grainy tannins on the finish. Doesn't have much complexity and I find the funk not unappealing, but too dominant in the wine's profile. Not sure where this one is going, I would drink up.
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10/17/2010 - wineack wrote:
On first opening band aid brett is very apparent. If it shows more after some air, I may mark this flawed.
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10/9/2010 - gzim wrote: 91 Points
great nose of spice and deep dark red berries. Some cake spice, I got some black tea / moist earth, and a very nice elegant finish. of dark red berries (not blue or over ripe fruit), very dark appearance, and a very fine tannin core .. it's great to realize in such a sort time, how far this winery has come.
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9/2/2010 - thomaskeil wrote: 91 Points
PnP. Deep red. Almost wow nose of crushed dark berries, mineral, mushrooms, and asian spice. Palate has medium intensity fruit showing some complexity and mineral tension. Has a musky/round texture. Very nice on first night, lost some oomph/complexity on second night.
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5/26/2010 - locovino wrote: 89 Points
Enjoyed this bottle but it clearly wasn't as good as the Rhys bottling I've had. I guess I can't wait until all of Kevin's production comes from his own vineyards. First off, there was incredible fizz in the just opened bottle. My Italian girlfriend remarked how it reminded her of the wine her friends used to make at home in their garages. Of course this doesn't bother me much since I know it will blow off but I can understand those who find it off-putting or think that there is something wrong with the wine. All of my recent tastes of '07 and '08 Rhys wines show that the residual CO2 issues is under control so let's hope this trend continues.
Anyway, after about 20 min in the glass an intense nose of strawberry and cherry with a hint of mineral component mixed in. Dark color for Pinot Noir and not so much tannin that I'd want to age it any further. What this is missing is the depth of minerality and breed that the Alpine, Horseshoe and Skyline vineyards possess. Good thing I have a nice cellar full of those.
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5/16/2010 - tim_c wrote:
2004 Alesia: Popped this and poured to compare to the Kanzler. A smokey, earthy nose that seemed to me more in the Rhys style. But, this one also veers into the lush, ripe and bold fruit camp (vintage perhaps?). There are juicy dark red fruits with penetrating cola notes. Similar to the Kanzler, this also has energy and vibrancy and has more complexity and interest. The finish is a bit longer than the Kanzler without the alcohol. Instead I get some interesting mint herbal tea and some noticeable tannins.
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3/2/2010 - Jay A wrote: 91 Points
I started buying Rhys from all the rave reviews on the Mark Squires Bulletin Board. I've bought 4 vintages (2004-2007) from the mailing list. Up to now I have probably opened maybe half a dozen different bottles and to be honest I have been really disappointed. I've opened a Syrah that was just awful. A few of the Pinots were average. I was failing to understand all the high praise it was earning. I was very skeptical. I even told myself that if I opened this bottle and didn't like it, I would be done with Rhys.
So I opened this bottle and it gave me the same stuff as previous Pinots that I had opened. There was some spritz and brett, and it was just disjointed and generally not appealing at all which agrees with a lot of the tasting notes previously posted. It even had the stinkiness that has been reported in other tasting notes. I was almost ready to go back to the cellar and get another bottle. I decided to put it in a decanter. I turned the bottle upside down and just let the wine chug into the decanter and let it aerate as much as possible. I left it alone for an hour. I came back to it and it was still not the best, but the spritz and brett blew away.
I'm a traditionalist/purist and don't believe in gadgets, but I had gotten a free Rabbit Aerator, and as a last resort I opened the aerator up for the first time and used it on this wine that had been in a decanter for an hour. I poured two glasses: one from the decanter and one poured from the decanter through the aerator. I sampled them both along with my wife (who has a a great palate) and we both agreed that the aerated pour was way, way, way better. So my disillusioned opinion of Rhys changed.
After the hour in decanter and pour through the aerator, the wine had a soft and supple texture that you would expect from a premium Pinot Noir. The fruit was an interplay of red cherry, dark cherry and plum. It didn't show a lot of secondary nuances but there was some earthiness. It was harmonious and smooth. It had really transformed into a thing of beauty. So much so that I have changed my opinion about Rhys. I was ready to donate all the Rhys I had bought to charity events, but now I definitely going to keep some and age them longer. I think many of the puzzling/disappointing tasting notes are a result of just drinking them too young.
I will need to open a few more bottles after aging or decanting and/or aerating to verify that this is not an anomaly, but I"m encouraged. This has really taught me 1) I'm a patient person with wine, but sometimes even the most puzzling wines can blossom with time or aeration and 2) as a wine purist/traditionalist, maybe I should not poo-poo devices such as aerators.
I know this was long, but I hope it might help some of you who have had some puzzling/disappointing experiences with Rhys. From the tasting notes in CellarTracker I know I was not alone in my previous opinion.
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12/11/2009 - 14frimaire wrote:
Nothing flawed here; I just don't like these. Why market yourself on finesse and restraint if this is what you're selling? I understand this was the first year and it was a hot vintage, but I could have had two perfectly good bottles of Beaujolais for this.
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10/17/2009 - JFish wrote:
Night one: Bretty on the nose. On the palate, fizz and brett with underlying dark fruit. Corked and refrigerated.
Night two: Brett and fizz were gone. Drinking much better than the previous night. Dark fruited but not heavy, a touch of earth but not terribly complex. An okay showing and better than expected given the first night's experience.
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9/20/2009 - jwebtx wrote: flawed
Band aid nose. Poop in the mouth. :(
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9/20/2009 - jwebtx wrote: flawed
Band aid nose. Unbalanced and shrill in the mouth.
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9/6/2009 - onewineheaven wrote: 84 Points
There is something unclean about this wine.
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9/4/2009 - assaf wrote: 90 Points
Had a funky nose when first opened, but it blew off after a while and opened up nicely. Well balanced and easy to drink.
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8/24/2009 - JeffcB wrote: flawed
Undrinkable. At best. Tastes like a cheap barbecue sauce. Only worse.
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8/20/2009 - Mike V wrote: 83 Points
brett earth stinky
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8/8/2009 - sco3point14 wrote: 89 Points
Sulfur/reductive. Takes several hours of air to blow off (best to decant at this point). Very nice balance of dark red cherry fruit and acid, with quite firm tannins to finish. Widely reported as a brett-laden bottle, but all tasters agreed this one was clean.
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7/26/2009 - onewineheaven wrote: 85 Points
Tough call. All things considered, this is one of the more complex CA pinots I've tasted; it has a lot going on, including, unfortunately, perhaps a little too much brett. Without the brett I think I would have scored it 93-94. While I like them, the Alesias tend to show a pretty generic profile regardless of the site (note, I'm not talking about the domaine wines) so I was initially very pleased with this wine. I did not immediately say to myself "Oh! this is an Alesia." It was more complex, a little darker, and more brooding than most of the Alesia pinots I've drunk. The underlying qualities are fine: balanced, floral, dark fruit, spice, earth and tender oak. You could have convinced me this was a Chambolle (ok, from a ripe vintage) but the brett stomped all over everything in the end. The wine is young still with several years to go. Sadly it will make the trip with an undesirable. A terrific effort that falls short. (Tears drip down the side of my glass.)
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7/14/2009 - Mr T wrote:
I thought this was very nice and none of the negatives noted by others. People were fighting over what was still in the bottle on the 2nd day
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7/5/2009 - decaturwinedude wrote: 83 Points
Didn't care for this lat night. This one was dirty. Fruit was slightly roasted, bit bretty, too. There was also slightly volatile acidity to my palate. Improved marginally with air, but just never really came around.
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7/3/2009 - BonnieM wrote: flawed
Heavy dose of Brett was disappointing. There seems to be a fair amount of fruit underneath. We'll see what a day or two of vacuvin does. Nope, I think this was corked.
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6/13/2009 - llink wrote:
Stems, brett and some cranberry on the nose. Meaty palate, very earthy. Drink up.
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5/24/2009 - pjhr wrote: 92 Points
Tasty red cherry and raspberry aromas and flavors with nice complexity and lively acidity on the palate and finish.
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5/18/2009 - schimmy23 wrote: 89 Points
Drank with Assaf/Tara at Brasserie Beck
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5/17/2009 - assaf wrote: 92 Points
No tasting notes taken. This was very nice with about an hour of air. Bright red fruit and very well balanced with a nice finish. Initially gives some carbonation on the tongue which has happened with every one of these that I've had, but that goes away after a while.
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5/16/2009 - WetRock wrote:
Some reductive funkiness lingering on the nose with a touch of spritz at opening. Spritz fades leaving a wrapped up wine that seems to want more age. Balance is there for good development. Wish I had more time to check it out but the crew polished it off fairly quickly.
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3/25/2009 - gutt22 wrote:
14.0% alcohol. Cranberry color. Provocative nose of red and black cherry, stems, minerals, earth, and flowers. In the mouth, pure, concentrated, and showing plenty of power for all its feminine charms. The fruit unfolds first, creating a straight line for the complexity to follow right down your palate. Strong acidity. Long finish, with the tannins resolved. A-
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3/11/2009 - jlm wrote:
I was expecting a ton of brett after reading other notes, but did not find this bottle to be overwhelmed by it. Instead some relaxing pinot fruit with just a bit of funk. On the palate the bright acidity of this wine was downright refreshing, something I can't ever remember saying about CA pinot before. The wine leaves behind the sweet, plush fruitiness of much of the genre in favor of a firm and linear feel. It also has a nice tannic structure remaining before revealing a long finish. This is perhaps not as open as it could be, and I think it's got a bit of development ahead of it, based on this bottle.
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3/2/2009 - DFC wrote: 88 Points
Fairly noticeable dose of brett pushed this one down for me.
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2/26/2009 - TomTom wrote:
Brett to the point of being flawed to my tastes. Seems to have affected o few of the 04s.
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2/23/2009 - JFish wrote:
There seems to be a lot of bottle variation from the notes on this wine. Popped and poured. Only a touch of brett that added complexity to sour cherry, pomegranite fruit flavors with a hint of earth. Better than I expected but it did not change much over the course of 2 hours.
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1/16/2009 - PortFanatic wrote: flawed
There is a lot of trapped CO2 in this wine. Very fizzy. Strong nose of Brett that follows through on the palate. This is just too Bretty for me and too Bretty for my friends. I am Brett tolerant, but this is too much. Undrinkable.
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10/30/2008 - Diane (LI) wrote:
First off, I noticed some brett, but it added a depth to the lush fruit. After a few minutes, there was a spritz that detracted. A little later, the brett became more noticeable obscuring the fruit. At the end, it was disappointing. I thought I had one more bottle, but I'm relieved to see that I don't.
That was lunch. At dinner, after being opened several hours, the brett subsided and the spritz disappeared leaving the lush fruit, and a much nicer wine.
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9/4/2008 - BonnieM wrote:
Spice and dark fruit, angular not soft. This could use more cellar time.
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6/3/2008 - 14frimaire wrote:
This is from the same bottle, having poured half off into a 375. No sign of oxidation and greater varietal character, this is still heavy into clove and nutmeg; the wood hasn't integrated yet. I hope it settles down as the size is worrying.
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6/2/2008 - 14frimaire wrote:
This was rather big and had no difficulty following a ten year-old Chateauneuf, but I didn't recognize it as Pinot Noir. Agressive red fruits, spice, and some leather. I could see liking this if it mellows but not in its current state.
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5/4/2008 - Mr T wrote:
This was poured in glasses as we sat down to dinner and started with a bottle of chablis. When I first tasted this after at least 30 minutes in glass, it had a wonderful nose of nutmeg and spices? The palate was soft with some cherry and pretty smooth although I would think more round with time. A very pleasant drink.
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4/13/2008 - NolesOnTop wrote:
Dark burgundy color. Nose is spicy cherry with a slightly funky smell. Taste is currants and spice. Then moves to baked cherries. A bit of acidity on the finish. Finish is a little bit clipped. Nice. Probably in a bit of awkward stage.
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4/9/2008 - Keith Levenberg wrote: 84 Points
Rhys and Alesia Spring '08 release dinner (Tabla): Very obviously stiffer and more tart than the 2005 version -- it just doesn't flow as effortlessly or have the same rounded softness.
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2/6/2008 - 5laton wrote:
Nose has some bruised dark fruits, high-pitched red berries, spice, and a little vegetal/rhubarb going on. Kind of tight. The palate is a little more giving, with juicy red berries, more spice, maybe some vege/stem flavors. Seems less ripe than the other 2004 Alesia pinots. Chunky tannins sort of obliterate the finish for now, this is rather awkward currently. This really needs a good bit of cellar time. A couple of winemakers present thought there was some brett here but if so i mistook it for something else.
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1/13/2008 - scooter260 wrote: 86 Points
Opened with a lot of fizz. Took forever for the fruit to show....once it did, it was pretty good. Bright fruit. Short finish though.
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12/30/2007 - fultonjf wrote: 92 Points
Nice pinot funk on the nose. Fruit is very subtle and remarkably structured for a wine this young. More impressive is the earth and leather undertones - very sophisticated. Looking forward to drinking the 2 bottles I have in the future.
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12/21/2007 - jbaron wrote: flawed
Spritzy and funky.
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12/21/2007 - Elkiholic wrote: 92 Points
Savage decant to remove any fiz... did the charm. Nice red cherry nose with forest floor and dried cranberry highlights. Very nice red fruit on the palate centered on cherries and cranberries. Slight pinot tanginess was fun and added to the package. Beautiful balance.
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12/15/2007 - scooter260 wrote: 94 Points
Damn this is mighty fine. Gobs of cherries and strawberries and lots of weight and an outstanding nose. WOW! My wife's "favorite wine of the year" by far. Enjoyed with cajun tilapia and red beans and rice.
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11/5/2007 - shemmy wrote: flawed
spritzy and flat on the palate. I've had very bad luck with alesia.
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10/19/2007 - futronic wrote: 91 Points
Dark burgundy colour. Aromas of beetroot, currant, and hot stones. Light-medium bodied, very elegant, with currant, beetroot, earth. Good acidity. Moderate finish, ~25-30s with red fruit.
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9/8/2007 - etherscreen wrote:
dark fruits, a touch of brett (in an enhancing way), earth, and later pine needles. aromatics increased significantly over a few hours. creamy mouthfeel and adequate acid to support the fruit. nice finish that becomes more substantial over several hours, yet somewhat tannic. fun to drink and will look for more on the secondary market.
i've yet to drink an rhys/alesia that wasn't very good/great. i love the fact that each bottling is so very distinctive from the others. kevin harvey is doing a fantastic job, and i look forward to tracking his wines for years to come.
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9/8/2007 - tanglenet wrote:
Opened not decanted. i've been sitting here typing notes to the wines I tasted today. Meanwhile, I'm drinking this guy while typing up the notes. After drinking a bunch of 01 Brunello's, some of which were closed down, this wine seems raring to go.
Moist compost and earth with spice on the nose; sweet dark tastes with citrus notes, somewhat watery on the palate with a dry finish. I've killed about 2/3 of the bottle with no trouble at all. Easy drinking wine. Good to very good.
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5/19/2007 - tanglenet wrote:
Opened not decanted. Strong candy apple on the nose; sweet strawberry on the palate with a dry, lean finish. After awhile, some smoke and charcoal on the nose and really dark, dense spice with a tangy, dry finish. Good.
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5/14/2007 - MikeCW wrote: 87 Points
This wine is closed at this point and stands in great contrast to the Kanzler, which seemed fairly open to me. Very dark for a pinot and very big. Nice acidity but just not showing much of anything. Very muted nose that only started to show itself after two hours. On the palate it was very tightly wound with. You could tell it had much to offer, but not today. Will not touch the remainder for at least two to five years. Probably infanticide. Rated 87 now but I fully expect this to improve.
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5/12/2007 - NolesOnTop wrote:
Slightly sprityzy. Dark red, although not quite opaque. Red and black berries. Cola. Pine scent. Slightly syrupy. Good acidity. Bright and dark at the same time, leaning slightly to the darker side of pinot. Enjoyable. Decanted for 2 hours.
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5/6/2007 - kris.h wrote: 93 Points
New Pinot at 35th St. Bistro (Seattle, WA): Lovely acidity and structure. A little spritzy on the palate too. Complex and earthy, dark fruit. Subtle oak and expressive minerality.
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4/16/2007 - steffenpelz wrote:
Wow. What a beauty. Blockbuster nose of currant, plum, dried herbs, tree bark and loads of funk. Reminds me ever so slightly of the nose of the 2003 Jaboulet Aine Domaine the Thalabert Crozes Hermitage. Focused and sappy cherry fruit with cinnamon and ginger spices. Finishes extremely well. No hint of heat or candy, so this is right down my alley. My favorite Pinot from California from the 2004 vintage and reminiscent of the 2003 efforts from Walter Hansel in terms of aromatics. I love this wine.
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4/6/2007 - jwwinec wrote: 92 Points
Wow, this is one of the very few new-world Pinots I have found that shows some mid-palate structure! Very nice acid structure lends this wine terrific vibrancy. The fruit is sweet, and as the winery says, sappy and focued. Fined-graned tannins dominate the finish. This should age very nicely.
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3/25/2007 - Rich Hanna wrote: 90 Points
Fun wine. Bright cherries and strawberries, lively acid backbone, nice undercurrent of sterner stuff.
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