I feared this was over the hill, but, wow, this is still very good. Speaks well of Rhys! Ripe black cherries and Asian spices. Muscular and ripe on the nose. Palate along the same lines, except that some tertiaries tame and balance the ripeness. Tannins fully integrated. Time to drink up, I think. Impressive QPR and ageability. My score reflects the fact that I paid a mere $30 for this.
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Very ripe black cherry aromas with sweet spice. Similar flavors are also large scaled, slightly less dominated by its ripeness. Good weight in the middle, slightly less complete on the finish that comes across slightly warm.
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Exceeded expectations. Prior bottles had been nice but simple with nothing more than ordinary length and little secondary flavors. This bottle has really evolved. Palate now has nice secondary flavors and mouthfeel and presence is much better.
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PnP. Garnet, with hint of orange at rim. Nose has loads of cherry, strawberry fruit and a stemmy, almost rhubarb streak that intertwines with asian spice, earth, mineral and floral notes. Palate has medium plus fruit with light acidity and soft, resolved tannins. Mineral noted on nose not really present texturally. Enters a bit round/simple but by the finish, acidity and remaining tannin strike a nice balance. Doing fine but not improving.
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Somewhat volatile and cleft. Sharp and almost biting. Seemed more like a riper Cali Pinot past where it should have been drunk than the dense stemmy wine from a couple years back. Not sure what that means or if it's just some variation. Judging by this bottle I'd say drink em.
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really good, drank with over cooked Salmon and the wine really made everything enjoyable. In a great window right now and I cant reccoemend holding any longer DRINK NOW!
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My last recollection of tasting this was in 2010 when it was served blind. My note suggests that stems were all over this thing. As for now, they seemed much more in sync with the wine. Nice earthy aromas. The fruit is aggressive on the palate. Big acidic cherries. The finish is clipped. Things seem pretty integrated and seems like a good time to drink up. Recommend having with food.
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I was sorry to see after drinking this that it was my last one, because it was certainly the best. This was a beautiful bottle of wine. Mixed red and darker berries, a touch of plum and cake spice, with a hint a cinnamon zing on the finish. Great mouthfeel too.
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Savage upon popping the cork. It was all over the place. Great nose but the finish was a medicinal and acidic mess. With 30 minutes of air, this mellowed out and was an enjoyable bottle.
The acidity was a bit out of sorts but it showed plenty of good fruit. Dark wild rasberries and cherries and some unripe stems.
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Delicious, with a complex and shifting nose. Good fresh acidity, bright red fruit, faint truffle and earth tones. One of the best Alesia wines I've had to date and this appears to have plenty of life ahead of it.
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Note after 2 hours in decanter. Some earth and stems on nose, maybe a little cola. Light initially, but building weight on the finish. Well balanced. this seems to be in a good place now. I really enjoy the style.
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Nice spice, great dark red berry with a touch of smoke ... I know the Rhys website says DRINK, but I will try to hold my last bottle a few more years, as I cannot see this going anywhere soon... Don't get me wrong, it drinks very well now, but I would bet it will continue to improve for another 5 years.
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PnP. Hazy strawberry red. Bright nose of red berries and some cherry fruit, forest floor, spice, earth. Fairly intense fruit with plenty of acidity and some soft tannin. Feels soft at first, but firms up. Good penetration, not particularly complex, elegant or thought-provoking, but this bottle was not reduced or feral in any way. Really nice. From the notes it looks likes there's bottle variation.
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Drinking beautifully from the first pour with rich dark cherry, raspberry, and forest floor aromas and flavors with moderate smokey oak notes on a long staining finish.
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14.1% alcohol. Slightly reduced on the nose, and there are plenty of whole cluster aromas, which couple with oddly ripe, almost port-like fruit. In the mouth, texturally quite pleasant, but that strange juxtaposition of earthy stems and ripe fruit. Clipped finish. B-
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Lots of pinot funk on the nose. The palate doesn't match. Mostly dark fruits. It doesn't come together as well. The finish is okay. I don't think age is going to iron out the problems. Still nice though, especially for a second label.
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Starts sharp, degenerates a bit into mushiness, but the overall picture is a good one, with good, six year old fruit, a very nice feel, and a very, very nice nose. Entrancing nose. Mushy length, but still entrancing nose,
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A standout amongst the Alesias I've had. Pale crimson color with a touch of bricking. Nice old world PN aromas of dried roses and spice. Elelgant and etheral with layers of red raspbery, spice and mineral. Very satsifying and blind I would have guessed aged Volnay or Chambolle. This would give most of the estate wines a good run from my memory. No new world cola or traits. Drinking great and ofcourse, my last btl. Popped and poured. I had this in ideal cabinet storage for about a year and then moved under my lower level steps in the drink ealier pile. So maybe, storing at 65 degrees was a good thing?
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Rhys Alesia '04-'07 Blind Tasting (Tom's House, Palo Alto, CA): I thought there was something off about this bottle, maybe low-level TCA because the nose was so tight, but no one else agreed. They just didn't like it. A few people cited green flavors that I didn't get. Nose was really tight, as was the palate. I tasted high acidity and that's about it. (my 9th, group's 9th)
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Pop and pour. Spice, earth, tobacco and leather on the nose. Lots of earth and minerals, fruit does not dominate but adds structure. Very well balanced. I really like this style.
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I really like this wine. It started out closed and a bit green but started to blossom around the 45 minute mark. Definitely get a sense of some stems mixed with subdued rasberry and some pomegranate. A bit of a vegetal nose but more in an interesting way, not in an off putting fashion. I also picked up some road tar and volcanic earthiness and minerality. Increbible well balanced, smooth tannins with a touch of heat at the very end of the finish. I would call this an intellectual wine. Almost a Cayuse like pinot experience without the drama of the huge flavors.
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Decanted for 30 min and enjoyed over the next 1 hour. The nose and palate are heavy on stems. Spicy stems and red fruit with a medium finish. This reminded many of several 1er Burgs I have enjoyed over the years. Spice & earth vs all fruit.
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Decanted for an hour. Excellent fruit and complexity. It truly is new world meets old world. Fruit not too bright. Complexity has a great deal of flavors (guessing it comes from stems/whole cluster, or difference in wine making). Worth the $ 44.
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Much more perfumed nose than the 06. Lots of fertile earth, tea and dark cherry on the nose. Good structured palate with more dark cherry fruit. Still has some aging potential, but defintiely starting to drink well. My favorite of the 04-06 flight.
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Funky fertile earth, chalky limestone, green tomato stems and uber ripe wild cherry on the nose. Very much alive and organic nose. Much more refined and delineated on the palate, sharp cherry and cranberry fruit with a lovely silky texture to it. Medium long finish. Even better with food, where the acidity is even more obvious. In its drinking window, with several good years left.
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Pretty good CA Pinot Noir though a bit dense for my tastes. Like a lot of CA pinot I taste these days we've got a wine here which is moving more towards a Syrah flavor profile than a nicely delineated and mineral Pinot Noir. Deep nose of stewed red cherries and tomato with balsamic notes on top. In the mouth very rich with good tannin and acidity which in all seems a bit heavy handed. Back end note of tar/charcoal which gives me some of the Syrah/Petite Sirah impression. Good wine but I really prefer the Rhys SC Mountains wines.
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Grabbed an Alesia in expectation for mailer season's full onslaught (including Rhys). I find I need to remind myself why I buy what I buy every so often, and especially in this situation since I'm making a concerted effort to keep my hands off the Rhys bottlings. It's a perplexing situation because no Alesia bottling has wowed me the way that a few Rhys wines have. Still, this is a fine effort. Tart red fruits and some chalkiness against a subdued background of woodsy, stemmy notes, and some spice. Very nervy, high-toned, and sharp in a positive way, but also seems the slightest bit underripe (there's very little sweetness to the fruit). There's a fine, lingering and plucky finish. A great pairing with a simple greens and tofu stir-fry; that in truth, got better with each glass. This wine makes me think that even the Alesias need more time than I give them.
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Dark red color. Aromas of sweet cherry pie filling, plums, a hint of orange peel, and a hint of sandalwood. Rich, sweet palate of dark red and black cherry, plum, with some complexity added by hints of orange, cinnamon, and vanilla. The finish is medium-long. This is easy to drink and delicious now, but seems to lack the structure and complexity to go long term. Drink over the next 3-5 years. Ready.
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VLG Does Pinot Blind ... No Parameters (The Home Office): Served blind. Wow. The stems really stole the show on the nose and palate. I love whole cluster so I wasn't too bothered but they kind of buried the fruit and earth. I am hopeful for this but it will need time.
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VLG Does Pinots Blind (Jason Hagen's office): Served blind. Decanted about 3 hours prior to consumption. The nose and palate are full of stemmy notes. Sweet black cherry underneath that is clean tight and concentrated. When decanted this was more like a disjointed big RRV Pinot. By the time we got to the tasting it was much different. Tracked the last quarter of a bottle over two more days and the stems were even stronger but there is elegant fruit underneath. Will it ever integrate enough for the fruit to express itself?
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My first go at this. Splash decanted 20 mins, tasted w/ dinner and over the next 3 hours. This had a sort of matchstick nose not unlike I find in a number of Oregon PN, but not the earth or sous bois. To me the wine itself was very characteristic of Sonoma Coast - black cherry. This fleshed out quite a bit over even just the 1st hour, so pretty good depth. Overall seemed pretty ready to go but no big hurry.
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14.1% alcohol. Something amiss here. Dark red color. Heavily reduced on the nose, with burnt, caramelized flavors on the palate and only a hint of plush black fruit. After 24 hours, the reduction had mostly blown off, although it was still somewhat present. The palate was dominated by strong caramel flavors, with an a port-like edge to everything. Strange. I would say heat damage could be a consideration, although I'm not sure when it would have come into play. Regardless, obviously flawed. No rating.
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Red fruits, a little vegetation, and some minerals coming through on the initial nose. With a bit of vigor in your swirl, you get more of the whole cluster elements including a general spice and pepper component but you almost have to force these out. In the mouth, this wine just feels like its in a great place - really well integrated right now with just the right combination of fruit and acid. Not overly layered and defined, but more plush and polished if your to apply such adjectives. I think time in the bottle has done this well and rounded it out. Good mineral component on the finish which seems to linger ever so nicely. Nothing out of place, nothing overpowering, great balance. With 30+ minutes of air, it opened up to reveal itself. Just too easy to drink.
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This bottle was drinking quite well on opening. Sure there is little in the way of aged complexity, but it is still showing some interesting dimensions. very pronounced sour cherry milkshake qualities which were quite delicious. Great balance. Easy to drink as a cocktail or with food. No hurry, but worth drinking now if you have a few.
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A great value that has aged nicely the last few years. Smoky charcoal and tart raspberry show up on the nose, followed by a minerally sanguine note and more tart raspberry in the mouth. Foresty herbal notes appear toward the back end. It has a good long finish. It's totally balanced, and sort of Burgundian. I would've thought, too, that there was even less alcohol than the 14.1% noted on the label. That understatedness, along with the minerality, make this a true original among Cali Pinots.
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Nose - bright, rhubarb, strawberry, balsam. Zesty, black plum and raspberry, roasemary. Seems a bit ungiving. Needs time. Drink '13-'18. 91 pts My #7, group #6 0/3/2/4 (91)
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Dark crimson/plum color. Red and black fruit profile on the nose with some meaty/smoky elements intertwined. On the palate, this is much darker fruited than the '04 Sonoma, '04 Kanzler, and '06 San Mateo, all of which show a predominantly red-fruited profile. Cherries, plums, maybe a hint of black olive, earth, and smoke all present themselves. This wine is more brooding and masculine and was a good match for porterhouses from the grill with red beets. Good now and seems solidly built for medium-term improvement in the cellar (3-5 years).
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solid effort...consistent with effort to have more nuanced older world style pinot with new world fruit...my wife who needs more fruit to be happy with her wines liked it more than I would have expected so maybe more prominent fruit than I give it credit for but balance and secondary flavors gave it the personality for me so all in all a pretty darn good wine.
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Wow, this is such a burgundy knock-off, in a good way. Nose is very similar to La Tache (believe it or not). Palate has a bit of green component to it, not as well balanced as I would like, but good extraction and quite good overall.
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Pulled the cork on this at about 5pm, and let set until about 7:30, followed for several hours on night one, and then again the following night. Very consistent impressions between night one and night two. Dark red color in the glass, and voluminous nose of smoke and spiced fruits. Rich from entry to finish, but a bit rough. Notes of toasted oak, black spices and dark berries. Almost a bit bruising on the palate, in my opinion. My other bottle will be stashed away in a dark corner for several years in hopes that the edges come together.
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Nice fruit, a bit of heady menthol on the nice nose, length that is long but strikes me as a bit woody. Mouth a bit rough, but sufficiently fruity to be called pinot, though still seems rather large, if not overripe. Decent enough wine.
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3/20/2021 - bravo.solares Likes this wine: 91 Points
I feared this was over the hill, but, wow, this is still very good. Speaks well of Rhys! Ripe black cherries and Asian spices. Muscular and ripe on the nose. Palate along the same lines, except that some tertiaries tame and balance the ripeness. Tannins fully integrated. Time to drink up, I think. Impressive QPR and ageability. My score reflects the fact that I paid a mere $30 for this.
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10/31/2019 - Burgundy Al wrote: 87 Points
Very ripe black cherry aromas with sweet spice. Similar flavors are also large scaled, slightly less dominated by its ripeness. Good weight in the middle, slightly less complete on the finish that comes across slightly warm.
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6/17/2017 - JBVino wrote:
Exceeded expectations. Prior bottles had been nice but simple with nothing more than ordinary length and little secondary flavors. This bottle has really evolved. Palate now has nice secondary flavors and mouthfeel and presence is much better.
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11/1/2016 - karpos wrote: 89 Points
Doing fine, though the oak is quite prominent now.
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4/29/2014 - thomaskeil wrote: 90 Points
PnP. Garnet, with hint of orange at rim. Nose has loads of cherry, strawberry fruit and a stemmy, almost rhubarb streak that intertwines with asian spice, earth, mineral and floral notes. Palate has medium plus fruit with light acidity and soft, resolved tannins. Mineral noted on nose not really present texturally. Enters a bit round/simple but by the finish, acidity and remaining tannin strike a nice balance. Doing fine but not improving.
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1/22/2014 - jc11 wrote: flawed
flawed
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9/3/2013 - WetRock wrote:
Somewhat volatile and cleft. Sharp and almost biting. Seemed more like a riper Cali Pinot past where it should have been drunk than the dense stemmy wine from a couple years back. Not sure what that means or if it's just some variation. Judging by this bottle I'd say drink em.
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8/18/2013 - jfkwines wrote: 91 Points
really good, drank with over cooked Salmon and the wine really made everything enjoyable. In a great window right now and I cant reccoemend holding any longer DRINK NOW!
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5/23/2013 - jasonh wrote: 89 Points
My last recollection of tasting this was in 2010 when it was served blind. My note suggests that stems were all over this thing. As for now, they seemed much more in sync with the wine. Nice earthy aromas. The fruit is aggressive on the palate. Big acidic cherries. The finish is clipped. Things seem pretty integrated and seems like a good time to drink up. Recommend having with food.
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11/5/2012 - gzim wrote: 92 Points
I was sorry to see after drinking this that it was my last one, because it was certainly the best.
This was a beautiful bottle of wine. Mixed red and darker berries, a touch of plum and cake spice, with a hint a cinnamon zing on the finish. Great mouthfeel too.
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10/17/2012 - redwhiteandrich wrote: 89 Points
Savage upon popping the cork. It was all over the place. Great nose but the finish was a medicinal and acidic mess. With 30 minutes of air, this mellowed out and was an enjoyable bottle.
The acidity was a bit out of sorts but it showed plenty of good fruit. Dark wild rasberries and cherries and some unripe stems.
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4/3/2012 - conform wrote:
Delicious, with a complex and shifting nose. Good fresh acidity, bright red fruit, faint truffle and earth tones. One of the best Alesia wines I've had to date and this appears to have plenty of life ahead of it.
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2/7/2012 - cookie7 wrote: 92 Points
Note after 2 hours in decanter. Some earth and stems on nose, maybe a little cola. Light initially, but building weight on the finish. Well balanced. this seems to be in a good place now. I really enjoy the style.
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1/30/2012 - gzim wrote: 90 Points
Nice spice, great dark red berry with a touch of smoke ... I know the Rhys website says DRINK, but I will try to hold my last bottle a few more years, as I cannot see this going anywhere soon... Don't get me wrong, it drinks very well now, but I would bet it will continue to improve for another 5 years.
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1/22/2012 - jbposell wrote: 91 Points
Rich, smoky, earthy, and delicious. Rhys continues to impress!
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1/13/2012 - thomaskeil wrote: 91 Points
PnP. Hazy strawberry red. Bright nose of red berries and some cherry fruit, forest floor, spice, earth. Fairly intense fruit with plenty of acidity and some soft tannin. Feels soft at first, but firms up. Good penetration, not particularly complex, elegant or thought-provoking, but this bottle was not reduced or feral in any way. Really nice. From the notes it looks likes there's bottle variation.
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12/18/2011 - pjhr wrote: 93 Points
Drinking beautifully from the first pour with rich dark cherry, raspberry, and forest floor aromas and flavors with moderate smokey oak notes on a long staining finish.
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11/24/2011 - gutt22 wrote:
14.1% alcohol. Slightly reduced on the nose, and there are plenty of whole cluster aromas, which couple with oddly ripe, almost port-like fruit. In the mouth, texturally quite pleasant, but that strange juxtaposition of earthy stems and ripe fruit. Clipped finish. B-
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10/28/2011 - stevetimko wrote:
Lots of pinot funk on the nose. The palate doesn't match. Mostly dark fruits. It doesn't come together as well. The finish is okay. I don't think age is going to iron out the problems. Still nice though, especially for a second label.
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10/18/2011 - jbaron wrote: 91 Points
Starts sharp, degenerates a bit into mushiness, but the overall picture is a good one, with good, six year old fruit, a very nice feel, and a very, very nice nose. Entrancing nose. Mushy length, but still entrancing nose,
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9/23/2011 - mlawren1 wrote: 91 Points
Almost Syrah like up front with strong stone fruit, gives way to berries and some vanilla. Finishes with some earth and coca.
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8/4/2011 - chablis28 wrote: 93 Points
A standout amongst the Alesias I've had. Pale crimson color with a touch of bricking. Nice old world PN aromas of dried roses and spice. Elelgant and etheral with layers of red raspbery, spice and mineral. Very satsifying and blind I would have guessed aged Volnay or Chambolle. This would give most of the estate wines a good run from my memory. No new world cola or traits. Drinking great and ofcourse, my last btl. Popped and poured. I had this in ideal cabinet storage for about a year and then moved under my lower level steps in the drink ealier pile. So maybe, storing at 65 degrees was a good thing?
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6/2/2011 - zscheiner wrote: flawed
Rhys Alesia '04-'07 Blind Tasting (Tom's House, Palo Alto, CA): I thought there was something off about this bottle, maybe low-level TCA because the nose was so tight, but no one else agreed. They just didn't like it. A few people cited green flavors that I didn't get. Nose was really tight, as was the palate. I tasted high acidity and that's about it. (my 9th, group's 9th)
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6/2/2011 - cookie7 wrote: 92 Points
Pop and pour. Spice, earth, tobacco and leather on the nose. Lots of earth and minerals, fruit does not dominate but adds structure. Very well balanced. I really like this style.
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2/28/2011 - rdsboca wrote: 92 Points
I really like this wine. It started out closed and a bit green but started to blossom around the 45 minute mark. Definitely get a sense of some stems mixed with subdued rasberry and some pomegranate. A bit of a vegetal nose but more in an interesting way, not in an off putting fashion. I also picked up some road tar and volcanic earthiness and minerality. Increbible well balanced, smooth tannins with a touch of heat at the very end of the finish. I would call this an intellectual wine. Almost a Cayuse like pinot experience without the drama of the huge flavors.
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2/23/2011 - jwebtx wrote:
Decanted for 30 min and enjoyed over the next 1 hour. The nose and palate are heavy on stems. Spicy stems and red fruit with a medium finish. This reminded many of several 1er Burgs I have enjoyed over the years. Spice & earth vs all fruit.
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2/19/2011 - dougie wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for an hour. Excellent fruit and complexity. It truly is new world meets old world. Fruit not too bright. Complexity has a great deal of flavors (guessing it comes from stems/whole cluster, or difference in wine making). Worth the $ 44.
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1/29/2011 - jreis wrote:
Much more perfumed nose than the 06. Lots of fertile earth, tea and dark cherry on the nose. Good structured palate with more dark cherry fruit. Still has some aging potential, but defintiely starting to drink well. My favorite of the 04-06 flight.
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1/26/2011 - jreis wrote:
Funky fertile earth, chalky limestone, green tomato stems and uber ripe wild cherry on the nose. Very much alive and organic nose. Much more refined and delineated on the palate, sharp cherry and cranberry fruit with a lovely silky texture to it. Medium long finish. Even better with food, where the acidity is even more obvious. In its drinking window, with several good years left.
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1/11/2011 - locovino wrote: 90 Points
Pretty good CA Pinot Noir though a bit dense for my tastes. Like a lot of CA pinot I taste these days we've got a wine here which is moving more towards a Syrah flavor profile than a nicely delineated and mineral Pinot Noir. Deep nose of stewed red cherries and tomato with balsamic notes on top. In the mouth very rich with good tannin and acidity which in all seems a bit heavy handed. Back end note of tar/charcoal which gives me some of the Syrah/Petite Sirah impression. Good wine but I really prefer the Rhys SC Mountains wines.
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1/5/2011 - Moorese wrote: 92 Points
Grabbed an Alesia in expectation for mailer season's full onslaught (including Rhys). I find I need to remind myself why I buy what I buy every so often, and especially in this situation since I'm making a concerted effort to keep my hands off the Rhys bottlings. It's a perplexing situation because no Alesia bottling has wowed me the way that a few Rhys wines have. Still, this is a fine effort. Tart red fruits and some chalkiness against a subdued background of woodsy, stemmy notes, and some spice. Very nervy, high-toned, and sharp in a positive way, but also seems the slightest bit underripe (there's very little sweetness to the fruit). There's a fine, lingering and plucky finish. A great pairing with a simple greens and tofu stir-fry; that in truth, got better with each glass. This wine makes me think that even the Alesias need more time than I give them.
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1/3/2011 - fredb Likes this wine:
Dark red color. Aromas of sweet cherry pie filling, plums, a hint of orange peel, and a hint of sandalwood. Rich, sweet palate of dark red and black cherry, plum, with some complexity added by hints of orange, cinnamon, and vanilla. The finish is medium-long. This is easy to drink and delicious now, but seems to lack the structure and complexity to go long term. Drink over the next 3-5 years. Ready.
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12/10/2010 - Paul Lin wrote: 80 Points
VLG - Random Pinots Served Blind (Brea, CA): Served blind. Beef broth and stem. Disjointed and raw.
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12/10/2010 - jasonh wrote:
VLG Does Pinot Blind ... No Parameters (The Home Office): Served blind.
Wow. The stems really stole the show on the nose and palate. I love whole cluster so I wasn't too bothered but they kind of buried the fruit and earth. I am hopeful for this but it will need time.
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12/10/2010 - WetRock wrote:
VLG Does Pinots Blind (Jason Hagen's office): Served blind. Decanted about 3 hours prior to consumption. The nose and palate are full of stemmy notes. Sweet black cherry underneath that is clean tight and concentrated. When decanted this was more like a disjointed big RRV Pinot. By the time we got to the tasting it was much different.
Tracked the last quarter of a bottle over two more days and the stems were even stronger but there is elegant fruit underneath. Will it ever integrate enough for the fruit to express itself?
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10/16/2010 - 14frimaire wrote:
I liked this better than most of the Alesias. The sandalwood/cola thing was better under control.
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10/13/2010 - jdiv wrote:
My first go at this. Splash decanted 20 mins, tasted w/ dinner and over the next 3 hours. This had a sort of matchstick nose not unlike I find in a number of Oregon PN, but not the earth or sous bois. To me the wine itself was very characteristic of Sonoma Coast - black cherry. This fleshed out quite a bit over even just the 1st hour, so pretty good depth. Overall seemed pretty ready to go but no big hurry.
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9/21/2010 - gutt22 wrote: flawed
14.1% alcohol. Something amiss here. Dark red color. Heavily reduced on the nose, with burnt, caramelized flavors on the palate and only a hint of plush black fruit. After 24 hours, the reduction had mostly blown off, although it was still somewhat present. The palate was dominated by strong caramel flavors, with an a port-like edge to everything. Strange. I would say heat damage could be a consideration, although I'm not sure when it would have come into play. Regardless, obviously flawed. No rating.
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6/14/2010 - LanceEA wrote: 92 Points
Red fruits, a little vegetation, and some minerals coming through on the initial nose. With a bit of vigor in your swirl, you get more of the whole cluster elements including a general spice and pepper component but you almost have to force these out. In the mouth, this wine just feels like its in a great place - really well integrated right now with just the right combination of fruit and acid. Not overly layered and defined, but more plush and polished if your to apply such adjectives. I think time in the bottle has done this well and rounded it out. Good mineral component on the finish which seems to linger ever so nicely. Nothing out of place, nothing overpowering, great balance. With 30+ minutes of air, it opened up to reveal itself. Just too easy to drink.
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5/18/2010 - yui wrote: 92 Points
fresh berries explodes a sec after it hits the palate.
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2/22/2010 - shaferguy91 wrote: 89 Points
Too much herbal and green stems for me to score any higher.
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1/3/2010 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 92 Points
This bottle was drinking quite well on opening. Sure there is little in the way of aged complexity, but it is still showing some interesting dimensions. very pronounced sour cherry milkshake qualities which were quite delicious. Great balance. Easy to drink as a cocktail or with food. No hurry, but worth drinking now if you have a few.
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12/21/2009 - Stephan O wrote: 93 Points
A great value that has aged nicely the last few years. Smoky charcoal and tart raspberry show up on the nose, followed by a minerally sanguine note and more tart raspberry in the mouth. Foresty herbal notes appear toward the back end. It has a good long finish. It's totally balanced, and sort of Burgundian. I would've thought, too, that there was even less alcohol than the 14.1% noted on the label. That understatedness, along with the minerality, make this a true original among Cali Pinots.
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11/27/2009 - pjhr wrote: 93 Points
Dark cherry and forest floor aromas and flavors with a hint of oak culminating in a rich tasty finish.
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11/5/2009 - S. Lorin wrote: 91 Points
rich, large, dark pinot dominated by clove, peel and spice with a touch of oak, medium finish with a wisp of mint and rosemary - interesting wine
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8/21/2009 - dougie wrote: 90 Points
Heavier pinot, opened up a little afer an few hours.
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7/3/2009 - JonnyB wrote: 90 Points
wonderful nose that continued to develop and open up over the course of the evening, gorgeous wine.
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6/23/2009 - Mr T wrote:
WOnderful pinot that expanded with time. Lots of strawberry and rhubarb and easy to drink. WIsh I had more.
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5/21/2009 - yhn wrote: 91 Points
Nose - bright, rhubarb, strawberry, balsam.
Zesty, black plum and raspberry, roasemary. Seems a bit ungiving. Needs time. Drink '13-'18. 91 pts
My #7, group #6 0/3/2/4 (91)
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3/7/2009 - fredb wrote:
Dark crimson/plum color. Red and black fruit profile on the nose with some meaty/smoky elements intertwined. On the palate, this is much darker fruited than the '04 Sonoma, '04 Kanzler, and '06 San Mateo, all of which show a predominantly red-fruited profile. Cherries, plums, maybe a hint of black olive, earth, and smoke all present themselves. This wine is more brooding and masculine and was a good match for porterhouses from the grill with red beets. Good now and seems solidly built for medium-term improvement in the cellar (3-5 years).
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2/1/2009 - JBVino wrote:
solid effort...consistent with effort to have more nuanced older world style pinot with new world fruit...my wife who needs more fruit to be happy with her wines liked it more than I would have expected so maybe more prominent fruit than I give it credit for but balance and secondary flavors gave it the personality for me so all in all a pretty darn good wine.
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10/27/2008 - CMCLR wrote: 89 Points
Needed some air to let the CO2 blow off. I would give it a couple hours in the decanter.
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10/6/2008 - charbo wrote:
great stuff. Love the style. Elegant and pure. Needs more bottle time
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7/7/2008 - pakabear wrote: 91 Points
Wow, this is such a burgundy knock-off, in a good way. Nose is very similar to La Tache (believe it or not). Palate has a bit of green component to it, not as well balanced as I would like, but good extraction and quite good overall.
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5/31/2008 - rjoyer wrote: 88 Points
Pulled the cork on this at about 5pm, and let set until about 7:30, followed for several hours on night one, and then again the following night.
Very consistent impressions between night one and night two. Dark red color in the glass, and voluminous nose of smoke and spiced fruits. Rich from entry to finish, but a bit rough. Notes of toasted oak, black spices and dark berries. Almost a bit bruising on the palate, in my opinion. My other bottle will be stashed away in a dark corner for several years in hopes that the edges come together.
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4/9/2008 - Keith Levenberg wrote: 90 Points
Rhys and Alesia Spring '08 release dinner (Tabla): I like this better than the Falstaff, because it's prettier. Remarkably well-balanced yet expansive in its breadth.
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3/17/2008 - jbaron wrote: 89 Points
Nice fruit, a bit of heady menthol on the nice nose, length that is long but strikes me as a bit woody. Mouth a bit rough, but sufficiently fruity to be called pinot, though still seems rather large, if not overripe. Decent enough wine.
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3/1/2008 - karpos wrote: 88 Points
This is a strong spicy pinot with a decent amount of oak
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