My last bottle, and I feel I timed that just right. I've found Rhys pinot noir to take some time, but they also aren't super long-lived. Today, this is an elegant and complex pinot where the fruit is in the background, earth and savory notes are in the foreground. I appreciate the complexity, where there's so much to take in and I regrettably can't isolate the individual components. There's some evergreen in there, warm spice, mushroom. I don't see this lasting much longer, and its as good as this wine has ever been. It's not a wow wine, its a ponderous, contemplative wine.
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Decanted for some fine sediment. The oldest Rhys I’ve had. In an awesome spot with no signs of fading. Sweet cherries, warm Christmas spice, hints of herbs. Medium bodied and seamless with great mouthfeel. Drink or hold!
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Medium red color. Game and plum Burgundy-like bouquet. Rich, supple, dark fruit flavor with lots of plum character. Still has mild tannins. Delicious now, will hold at least a couple more years. Has held up remarkably well
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Another year around the sun-Birthday #42 (Daisies and Pops for Champagne-Chicago, IL): This saw a few hours of air ahead of time. When it became time to drink this at dinner, it was beautifully expressive and deep with flowing tones of raspberries, red cherries, christmas cake, tart red fruits, baking spices, herbs, violets, and orange peels. This is a real joy to smell right now as the tones just come together in harmony and poise. The Full bodied feel is silky and deep with crisp, medium+ acidity and silky, medium tannins. This is just lovely and in a great zone. This is a lot of fun to finally drink one of these at a real point of maturity. I'm not sure that this will "get better" from here, but it certainly has the legs to last many more years to come.
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Pop and pour, drank double blind. Nice acidity, floral, lots of cherry, really nice. My first thought was California, but as the night went on I felt it had more in common with an Oregon pinot.
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Monthly Wine Group: Double Blind Pinots From Anywhere (Ciao Bella, Mpls): Medium plus red color. PNP, drank a tasting pour double blind over an hour plus. Wine #1. Lovely, floral, dried herbs, tobacco, black raspberry and cherry. This was drinking really well, and I was thinking this could be '08 or '10 Oregon.
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The cork was crumbly but the wine was fine. Popped and poured and consumed over a few hours. Similar impression to my last note. For me, this wine is fully mature. Feminine silky texture. Red berry fruit. Hints of earthiness. Very pure in a way that CA pinot comes across. Great showing.
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Medium to dark ruby color. Nose of graphite, damp cellar, plum pits, raspberry, violets. Layers of deeply pitched, rather primary dark raspberry and Bing cherry fruit on the palate with bright acidity and still-firm tannin. Longer finish of dark berry fruit, stone, and a touch of spicy, earthy astringency which adds interest (not a negative). This wine is very good and still young. Will be interesting to revisit in 3-5 years.
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From memory. Stood up for 5 days and decanted off sediment for about 1h. Really tight and took another 1.5-2h (so 2.5-3h after decant) to open up. Nice aromas of black cherries, green stems, minerals, herbs. Medium-full bodied palate with flavors similar to aromas. Nice good acids nicely balance the black fruits. The stems are noticeable but not intrusive which I liked. Very good but not great concentration of flavors and not as complex as 2007 Rhys Alpine PN I had earlier in the year. Still this is nitpicking. This is still a treat and wish I had another bottle.
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Popped and poured. The DNA is distinctly CA, not in a cola sort of way but the purity and ripeness without being out of place. Great density and sweet aromatics. Perhaps slightly lacking in detail but this is the best CA Pinot I've opened in years. Great wine.
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Serious cork crumble but no effect on the wine. A little thin on the tannins for the very thick NY steak but the flavor profile held well. Slight mushroom and earthy tones remain even at this age. NOt sure there is much more for htis wine to do, so drink up.
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Delicious dark berry, mushroom and earthy spice notes on the nose and savory palate with tasty acidity on the moderate finish. Drinking well with a bit of Old World charm!
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A little reticent on the nose. Berries, herbs, and some dark red fruit, eventually. In the mouth, nice balance of fruit, savory, and acid. Somewhat understated at the moment.
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Definitely better than last time, particularly on the palate where the presence and complexity comes out more. Stewed red berries, mushroom, and herb notes. Very pleasant.
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Quite aromatic and in a great place with lots of life left. Aromatically very spicy with earthy loamy aspects. Seems Dujac like with stemmy spice. Very well balanced and chewy with a cooked strawberries driven flavor most dominant. Offers up a lot of pleasure with some warmth on the finish. Quite Burgundian.
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Deep ruby color. Nose of black cherry, stoniness, and a slight candied note. Medium bodied on the palate, very pleasant but weakens slightly towards the finish.
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Decanted and followed over a three hour period. Deep ruby core turning slightly pink at the rim. The nose is mainly earth driven with perfumed aromas of crushed stones, wet earth, black cherry, and violets. The palate is precise, inviting, and structured with earthy red fruit, chalky acidity, and firm peppery tannins. I am really happy with how this wine is showing right now. From all my recent experiences with middle aged Rhys Pinots I think they are just that, middle aged, appropriately structured, and showing some awkward tendencies. I think this wine needs at least another 10-15 years.
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I was on The Rhys bandwagon from the early days, but fell off years ago and don't really buy the wines. I had this bottle hanging around and took it for a spin. The recent notes on CT are a bit all over the place, but learn positive. I dropped in decanter for a few minutes just to open up and it showed promise early on. Earthy, with some background stemmy-smoky notes. The fruit feels primary, borderline rich and leans blue and round. With air, the wine became somewhat one-dimensional to me, a bit too rich, brooding, almost what I want to call flabby. It seemed totally resolved to me. I don't think there was a flaw here, it may just be a palate preference where I wanted more body, more acid and structure. It didn't feel like it needed time. My two cents.
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Not sure if this is in a funky place or just not a great bottle. A bit flat to start, decanted for an hour, still not a lot of fruit, but had a lot of pinesap zing on the finish.
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Dark red color. On the palate some muted earthiness, spice and sandalwood. Very stemmy and devoid of a fruity component to contrast with the other elements. I sense complexity, but it really needs time. Let this age for a lot longer. Five years? At least. Very Good.
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Drank the last 2 glasses on different nights thanks to using the coravin. Gave the first a half glass 3 hours before drinking. The nose has some wood notes (cloves?). Medium body. Still wood notes, though splashing this around in my mouth reveals some red fruits w/ a black fruit/toasted wood spine. I like the tannins - there's a totally crunchable/gulpable feel here. That said, I'm not picking up too much in terms of complexity or interest - that may also be a fine thing for me, since there's more CA pinot that is interesting that is not of interest to me. I pulled this from the coravin. Between this experience & some of the other comments, I'd really like to see what happens w/ 12 or so hours of air. Addendum for the 2nd glass. I gave this a 6 hour decant and drank over 2 hours. The wood integrated/blew off. The red crunchy fruit turned a bit heavier and lost some of its lift. Still for this vintage, this was pretty good, but not great & probably not worth cellaring for 12 years.
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Seriously sweet and red fruited nose with cherry and strawberry notes combined with a bit of green stem. Well balanced palate, still very youthful and fruity, more stems as well and baking spices and pepper on the finish. Some earthiness just starting to show up (pop and pour). Good length. Curious how this will be in a few hours/day two. Still kind of surprisingly energetic compared to othe CA pinots of this period.
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I didn’t like this wine that much. Lacked typicity imo. Wasn’t flawed just not wowed. I did drink this side by side with a Lillian Syrah...so that might have been part of it. Red fruited, some earth, forest. Acid in balance.
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When initially opened it displayed a surprisingly ripe bouquet with notes of passion fruit tempered with cherry and blackberry. After 2 hours slow ox it started to exhibit more secondary characteristics with notes of forrest floor, mushroom, and baking spice. Impressive effort compared to other domestic pinots of this age I've been drinking lately.
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This is beginning to integrate very well, as the fruit expression is clear and focused and it's supporting the herbal and earthy notes of the nose very well. There is still a frame of fine tannins around the crunchy fruit on the palate, suggesting this is on the near side of maturity still. It will be interesting to check back in on this in 3-5 years to see how it's all come together. Oh and be sure to give this plenty of air. It's very attractive just when opened, but like most burgundy with bottle age, the palate fills out only after a few hours open.
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-Drank at Mountain House Restaurant and served at room temperature (70°) -Cork broke apart upon opening but otherwise in good condition -No decant. -Color: Deep, bright red, slight oxidation. -Nose: Cherry sweet tarts. -Palate: Red fruit dominated by cherry and raspberry up front with some blueberry then baking spice and clove on the back end. Medium to high acidity and good mouth feel with quick finish. -Paired with: Paired with elk. -Overall: For a 10 year old pinot noir there is still plenty of life in this although probably due to the acidity. More than most pinot noirs more cherry shows up with is a nice treat.
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Not sure what to think. Red fruited, acidity to spare, fruit old worldly (minimal in other words), lacking complexity and development. Seemed almost flat or one dimensional. Not wowed.
Day #2 - really fleshed out and developed beautiful earthy notes. Fruit more prominent and acids more balanced. Wish I’d not drank half the bottle yesterday. Great drink today.
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Beautiful, pure and balanced. My first Rhys with this much age. I've heard people describe these as stemmy. Not here; no green whatsoever; some fine tannins. I've been drinking my Rhys pinots too young.
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From Magnum: Score may be slightly generous, but I wish more California Pinot Noir was made in this style. Light red in color. Unmistakable Pinot Noir nose leads to a smooth fruity palate with enough stemmy tannin and acidity to provide focus. Nice finish. Drinking at peak, but will last many more years.
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Murky red and black fruit with plenty of mushroomy earth, underbrush, and meat. I found the fruit a tad dull and definition to be lacking. When I use the word "murky" in my reviews, it's never a good thing.
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Bright red fruits, lifted feel, medium body, nice spice from stem inclusion, just starting to drink well. Held up nicely, so this has time in hand. Not my favorite Rhys vineyard, but very well crafted and delicious. I love the balance, light handed winemaking, and purity.
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Very tart, never really developed into a pleasurable experience on day one and was not pleasant on day 2. For my palate, Rhys Chards are stellar but their early vintage PN's are not in my style wheelhouse.
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Dark purple color. Hard to read. Good fruit and good wine but rather reticent and not showing much tonight. Would give others few years more development and/or more air.
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Good, not great. Was not able to focus on this wine intently, but: blue fruit dominant with red fruit on the nose and palate, some spice, good backbone, moderate acidity, fair finish. Seemed a bit bigger and darker than I anticipated. Probably more room to mature. Popped and poured and a fine complement to a chicken dinner.
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This wine surprised me. At this stage in its life, it seemed dominated by tart red fruit aromas--cranberry, as others have noted--along with some of the beet rooty/rootbeer/sassafras herbality that are typical of some Calera vineyards (Reed most prominently, I think). This was quite different from the characteristics I've found in the '04 and '06 Family Farm bottlings, which I've found to be more cherry/soil like in character. In any case, this is certainly a distinctly CA Pinot in aromatic profile. The palate is silky textured with very fine tannins, but the acidity is tight yet. It will be interesting to see how this develops as it gets more age.
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Pretty disappointed in these wines from Rhys. I still have a couple more, but these seem past their prime. They've all been properly cellared since purchase. Don't think I will be buying any more.
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Dusty cranberry, forest floor and lovely cinnamon spice on the nose. Nice tart sweetness with good texture and similar favors to the nose. In a lovely place, but still plenty of life left and I would guess will pick up some more tertiary favors with more bottle age.
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Initially nice black fruits with a bit of bark and minerals. After ~1 hr decant: A-Beautiful seamless melange of emerging sous bois, bark, high toned greeness (stems? - it's a good thing) black fruits, and baking spices. P - Nice weight. Balanced fruit, bark, and a bit of earth. More minerals in mid-palate. Finishes nicely with black fruits, mint, and minerals on a moderately long finish. As the aromas came up, palate seemed to lack a bit of focus and seemed more muddied. Still very enjoyable with basil salmon.
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Wonderful nose with forest notes and a nice blend of cranberry with other red fruits. However the nose was the best part as the flavor profile was lacking and didn't really come through. This also finished with a bit more alcohol than I'd care for.
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Writing now after five hours in the decanter. Significantly better with some air. The nose remains a bit reticent -- hints of cranberry, orange peel, blueberry, baking spice and menthol. Palate unfolds with cranberry, tart cherry and citrus -- leading to a pleasingly spicy attack and finish. Well balanced -- nicely tart with a bit of tannic structure -- and more integrated than an bottle of nine months ago. All that said, I find this wine to be a bit uninspiring. Well made, but not profound and not worth the tariff.
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Rhys Tasting With The Gang--Part 2 (My Place): Andrew opened this as his backup wine, so it didn't see the air that the rest of the wines at dinner received. Didn't matter much as this was firing really well. Has a beautiful blue fruit quality to it, reminding me a lot of Copain Kiser. Dusty, with a rock dust note, just a great aromatic. Juicy and fresh. Of note, we also did this wine at the last Rhys dinner from Oct 2014, when it showed great there, too.
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Getting into sort of an in-between stage here. Smells at first like mostly stems. On the palate the fruit covers them up, but the fruit flavors are starting to age into a more autumnal cast than the vibrant, zingy fruit these tend to have on release. In mouthfeel, though, it is still glossy and fleshy.
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Nice enough, but I found that the structure was a bit out of whack with the fruit here. Use after two hours, it was noticeable to the point of, well, something...
That all said, it was a fine bottle of wine. Perhaps opened a few years too soon, but then again, perhaps it wasn't going anywhere at all, stuck in the realm of structure.
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Rhys Tasting With The Gang (My House): Tasted alongside the 2007 Home, as well. Both of these wines show a riper style, a vintage similarity I suppose. The FF here had the bigger fruit of raspberry, strawberry and black cherry, with solid structure and light stem. This to me will need more time to let some of that structure relax.
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Grand Sich and the Eiswein Show: mushroom, forest floor on the nose. great ripe red fruit in the mid - with still a youthful tannic grip. red berries and minerality come to the fore with time. amazing balance - i would even give this a few years before opening. delicious wine.
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Liked but didn't love this. There's lots of ripe red fruit here tinged with some brambly and cola notes, the texture's quite polished and elegant but it feels a touch soft on the palate as well and the finish is a bit clipped.
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Nose pops with sweet red cherry fruit, herbs and cinnamon spice. Palate is just rocking on all cylinders. Lifted and round fruit matched with great acidic energy and verve. Long on the palate with incredible depth and complexity.
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An Epic Night of Rhys (Sun Wah BBQ, Chicago IL): Nose: The nose is very attractive and deep with tart red fruits, red cherries, licorice, red florals, currants, red berries, chalky tones, and some minerals. The nose is insanely complex with a real nice cool intensity to it.
Taste: Medium/full bodied with medium+ acidity and silky tannins. The structure lets itself be known, but it melds with the gorgeous tones of tart red fruits, red cherries, licorice, red florals, chalky tones, and minerals.
Overall: This is a real stunner. It's still very young, but ever so gorgeous right now. This really roared from the outset and showed a lot of class and poise.
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On the nose some coffee, just briefly a slight whiff of celery, spice, more savory than fruity. Palate is deep and rich, but not much going on, again some savory aspects with a bit of meat. Overall impression is that it’s a bit clumsy, with a somewhat heavy and dull palate feel. Seems atypical for Rhys. To drink sooner rather than later. That was on a pop 'n pour. The next morning the red fruit has now come out, and the nose is frankly quite nice, even if a bit straightforward. The palate is likewise much improved, showing little of the clumsiness, and a much more lively and energetic mouthfeel; also some red/black fruit mingles with the savory character. Still, not the best of the Rhys wines, but much better than last night.
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Consistent with notes of a year-and-a-half ago. Deep and dark on the nose -- black cherry, blackberry and some zin-like brambles, with an interesting counterpoint of Asian spice and floral notes. Shades toward red fruit on the palate -- cherry, cranberry, and orange rind. Very spicy and highly acidic, with a long finish. Seems a bit disjointed -- will this round out? Time will tell.
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Decanted 2 hrs from magnum. Garnet color. Nose of red fruits and spice with floral and earth notes. Palate has medium fresh fruit with focussing acidity and tannins. Loved the balance, freshness, textural complexity. Somewhat finesseful. Paired very well with food and was a stunner for our 3-generation mothers day dinner.
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Just beginning to open up. Great depth on the nose, and excellent freshness on the palate. There is a slightly discordant note of tannins and stems that will hopefully integrate further with time.
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Though I do think this will continue to age gracefully, I would say this is entering its window for my tastes. A solid effort, though I do not see this one ever turning into a really special wine.
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Very floral and deep red fruits in the nose. At first it was better in the nose than the mouth. In the mouth it was almost spicy and a little awkward. Left it for about an hour and came back and what a better experience. Nose was still great but now the taste was excellent too. Great finish and very enjoyable. If you drink it now, do yourself a favor and decant for at least an hour and probably 2-3 wouldn't hurt it at all!
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reasonably open from the get go, but clearly better with more air...decent acid and fruit but neither heavy nor thin, good balance although must concede these pinots don't really ring my personal bell...buddy Bill quite taken with the wine
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really good. rhys needs to age and this had plenty of years left. decanted and drank over 2 hours and the wine improved throughout the 2 hours, but was not super tight as oyher rhys ive had in the past and was quite enjoyable from the start. Nose of citrus, tangerine and rasberry. The mouthfeel is soft but nice in texture with ample acidity and flavors of strawberry and red fruit with a building finish that lasts for 30 seconds. This Rhys was much less tannic than other rhys ive had and shows how these wines will perform with some bottle age.
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No notes taken, but this seemed to be hitting on all cylinders. Awesome spice and red fruit on the nose. Great texture and good flavor intensity on the palate. A beauty.
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Salmon and Cellar Thinning at Dan's House (Bellevue, Washington): Tasted single-blind (abbreviated notes) - Smoke, black cherry, earth, green pepper, spice, a hint of meat. Good acidity, good structure, nice balance. This bottle was showing less fruit than I was expecting but still had a density and fruitiness that said California to me. 90+
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The corkscrew went right through the middle of the completely dried out cork!!! Have never had this happen before in the hundreds of bottles we have opened.
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Rhys and Ceritas Tasting (NYC): Unfortunately, this wine was very closed down at the moment. The nose only showed hints of what aromas might be lurking there, waiting for a better day. On the palate it was quite structured but also super tight. This needs much more time.
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SF Wineberserkers Offline (BerserkerDay) (San Francisco, CA): Ripe red strawberry fruit; solid palate with red fruit, light and fresh. Nice new world styled pinot with obviously good quality, but it is not distinctive and lacks any unique character. 89
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Still presenting young, this eloquent pinot needs a few more years to blossom. My perception is that a tiny bit of rustic tannin is the back end to an earthy but fruity pinot. I get sour cherry and cranberry with orange peel and some earthy elements. Good structure and balance make this a delight to drink.
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The wine is a deep ruby red color. The exotic and sexy nose features cherries, black raspberries, crushed stones, white pepper, Asian spices, fresh cut flowers and a touch of earthiness. This has medium body with fairly stiff tannins and outstanding acidity. On the palate spicy red and black fruit dominate with white pepper and some earthiness in the background. The wine has a long, lingering finish with tart, spicy cherries and some earthiness lingering seemingly forever. This is still very young and could use a couple more years in the cellar to fully reveal itself. As is, this is very good with considerable upside.
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Beautiful wine. Ripe, slightly sweet, dark red fruits (cherry, raspberry) with some damp earth. Great concentration, intensity and depth of flavors. Medium to full bodied with nice balance. Somewhat unusual texture as it is both soft and has plenty of structure. Not quite as elegant as I expected, but also not overdone. My sense was that this bottle was somewhat closed and that another year or two would pay big dividends.
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Quite earthy on the nose, with primary black cherry intermingling with notes of mushroom, black tea, and wet leaves. More black cherry on the palate, with lively wild berry, black tea, and a mineral note. A bit angular and unyielding at this point, but seems to have the potential to blossom into a real winner.
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No decant. Still young with some upfront tannin. Dark berry fruit with a cool profile. Quite tasty but has room to improve. Better on day2 as the tannins softened. I may be shortchanging this. My discrete CT scale: 95-extraordinary; 90-very good; 85-good; 80-fair; 75-poor
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Charity Dinner (Rhys, Corra, Clerc Milon +++): Wow. A stunner. Almost everyone at the table stopped and commented on this. By far, the best Rhys I have had and a glimpse at what the experts are so excited about. I hope this bottle is representative. The nose is complex with some funk as cherries, macerated cherries, and a bit of a cherry blossom note too. On the palate, this is layered and complex. Soft to drink yet full of body and structure. Every sip seemed better. I am not sure I have had a better Pinot ever.
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Followed over 3 days, with very consistent notes throughout that time. I was very keen to try this alongside an '07 Bachelet CdN Villages, with the Rhys and the Bachelet both drinking well and possessing similar fruit and structure profiles. This wine has a nice perfume of black roses, tea and cherry skin. There's a sense of balance between the (mildly) sweet fruit and tannin that, while certainly still young, should open up nicely in the near term and drink (I suspect) quite nicely over the next several years. Proved to be a fun comparison with the Bachelet, and should improve into a very sneaky good wine.
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Monthly Wine Group: Domestic Pinots and Chards From Some Top Producers (Levain, Mpls): DArk red color. Drankone glass over 30 minutes. Nose was different from many of the night: very dusty, minerals, earth, black raspberry, some dark cherry, and spice notes. The palate was quite elegant, nice mouthfeel, round integrated tannins, consistent with the nose, good depth and layering of flavors, long finish. This is a winner.
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Checking in on how this guy is doing. Cool room temp. Pop n pour. Given plenty of swirling. Pretty dark red fruits. Not as closed off as it was two years ago, but still pretty tight. Some roses. Some stems. Spicy, juicy in the mouth. Fine tannins evident but still a tad astringent for me. There is a bit of lift on the finish. Still not ready. The quality is evident here, and as always the oak is not intrusive.
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Drinking nicely with an hour decant. Tangy black cherry palate with some dried herbs that add a nice savory quality. Much more complete at this stage than I was expecting. Very nice.
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I just can't stay away from my Rhys wines as of late. This one was opened and poured immediately and shared with friends over the better course of about an hour. I thought the wine was immediately ready to drink and showed both serious and fun at the same time. All about red cherry and berry fruit with some dried herbs, cold smoke and crushed rock. Not particularly tannic, this felt like it was in a great spot to be consumed. As always, these wines are so delicious that it is hard to describe much beyond that. I don't think it was an exercise in academia to drink this, but I know that it was a great pleasure to do so and I couldn't have asked for a better match to grilled beef.
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Opened this last night to accompany ribs that I glazed with a Barbeque and Pineapple Sauce. Very nice wine that is already drinking mighty fine. Seems like there might have been some stems included in making this wine, which I find adds an interesting dimension to this wine and gives it a more structured feel. Plenty of acidity in this, too, which balances the sweet and sappy fruit. Definitely on the darker side with its fruit, but never overwhelming or cloying. Finishes well and went terrifically with the food. My only nitpick is that it lacks a little complexity in my opinion, but it is a very nice wine to drink right now. One thing that always strikes me about the Rhys wines is that when I drink them as part of a larger tasting, I never find them to be very impressive and interesting. But when I sit down with them over a meal, I always find great pleasure in them. I think that might be the ultimate compliment to these wines...at least to me.
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Consumed in anticipation of upcoming 2010 offering. One of the better Cali PN I've had in the past few months. Perfectly balanced. Ripe cherry fruit, some savory funk, with tangy acidity on finish. Truly succulent stuff.
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A little stemmy, but that's the only knock on this beauty. Dark and red fruits mingle with bright acids to create a concentrated, deep, and quite refreshing wine. This is on the upswing with significant room for improvement.
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decanted for about 30 minutes. Initially the wine seemed balanced, light earthiness, hay, and mineral but wasn't really giving much up. After about 30 more minutes the flavors started to come out with mineral, fruit, black tea, rose petal, and a long spicy finish. I would hold on these for a few more years or decant for an hour.
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I'm not sure that "Burgundian" would be one of the first words out of my mouth with this one, but I sure did enjoy it! Still young and lively, but ready to drink, if you are!
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Wonderful pure aromatics--cherries and rhubarb. The palate takes some time to open up and shows good acidity, which expresses itself in the form of a chalky minerality.
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Young and primary, fruit driven, but with some earth and spice on top of the strawberries. Big palate that was a wee bit concentrated. Wish i had more.
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first go at this and a happy one. drinking quite well, even with modest air. cherry/cranberry fruit with some earthiness. lovely, seductive texture and already in good balance. still on the primarily/sappy end of the spectrum but with a poise that bodes well.
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Decanted for four hours. Tons of funk when first opened. It mellowed over time, but a healthy level remained. Rustic but enjoyable. One of the more approachable 2007 Rhys.
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Popped and poured. Medium red, opaque color. Medium body, good acidity, restrained red fruits, cherries, great balance, very elegant. Will continue to evolve. Hard not to really like this wine.
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Second bottle after first was corked - drank alongside 04 Family Farm. This proably did not get as fair a showing, as it was pop and pour from a cold basement as a replacement bottle. Coffee, dark cherry fruit, stems and loamy earth. Still quite closed on the palate, but showing great acidity and black fruits. Based on the strong 04 performance, I'll let my remaining bottle sleep for another 3-4 years.
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nose has some bits of baby powder, chalk and touches of rhubarb, lime and some black tea. palate is light-medium bodied with lots of acidity. rhubarb, bing cherries, lemon zest, and tea. good amount of minerality with a limestone like aspect in the mouthfeel, long finish. very nice wine but needs time. was drank in the course of 3 days, each time replacing the cork but not vacuvinned.
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Still seems rather restrained both on the nose and on the palate. Poured off one glass on day one and drank the remainder on day two. What I did get (strawberry and rhubarb) was well balanced. Will hold off a year before drinking the next bottle.
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Another outstanding showing for this wine. On this occasion, the wine showed more completeness and depth on both the bouquet and palate. This may still improve with additional bottle age.
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raw materials are definitely there, but the stems really need more time to integrate. i have no doubt this will not warrant an outstanding score in several years time. this wines really need to age!
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Dinner chez Matt Cohen. Sampled from a decanter over 4 hours. Whole cluster aromas of antique shop, dried mushrooms, black cherries, Chinese medicinal herbs, and green tea -- similar to a young Brewer-Clifton. Texturally polished on the palate with dark fruits against an acid spine. Cerebral and exotic at this young stage, this wine seems to need some time to let the stemmy notes more fully settle in.
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Absolutely everything you want in a young pinot. Some baking spice and brilliant rasberry, cranberry and rhubarb. Great acidity and nice smooth finish.
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Wowza, can't believe how much this has transformed and improved since last year. Looks like the Rhys folks have finally nailed this vineyard, after all. This is showing some serious spine as a result of the stems, but that's the only structural element that's sticking out at this point. The tannins are virtually imperceptible. And that's not because there's so much fruit that it's either sweetening or smothering the tannin; the fruit here is pretty but refined and slender to the point where it's more Burgundian than Californian, even by the standards of Rhys. An impeccably finessed, silky, Audrey Hepburn type of pinot. But even that doesn't entirely convey what's so captivating about this. It's hard to put my finger on, but something about the stalkiness energizing material that otherwise seems totally suave and serene gives this an overall style that's more than a little reminiscent of DRC.
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An even handed, subtle, very food friendly Pinot Noir. I didn't think that it displayed as much of the characteristics (wild cherry, earth, forest, complexity) that I like so much in Pinot as some other Rhys I've had recently but well balanced and very enjoyable. The wine is a little closed at the present but I'm not sure that time is going to substantially improve this one.
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Checking in on how this one is progressing. Initially super closed, barely revealing anything. After 3+ hours of air: some red berries, crushed rock with some cedar in the background. In the mouth there is a mid-weight, silky texture that gives way to light, fine tannins which are coating. The acidity is flinty and lends itself to a pleasant, juicy finish. This wine is still incredibly young and really needs several more years before I'll open another bottle.
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A nice pinot that needs time. Wouldn't call this earthy or burgundian - from the nose you can tell right away that it's California pinot. But it's a refreshing one - cool climate in approach, there's nothing stewed or overdone about the fruit here- just red fruits (without cola, for me) and some stemmy underbrush on the nose, with similar flavors on the palate. Mouthfeel is silky and light, the midpalate and finish show red fruits, good balancing acidity and structured tannins that come off as a bit bitter right now. If you must drink now, this is approachable and not closed, but I suspect this will be much better if given three years time for the tannins to resolve and mellow a bit. The fruit here is not as sweet and engaging as the 2006 San Mateo, but this is also better restrained from dipping into cola-land; will eventually be the better wine. Similar in some ways to some Rivers-Marie pinots I've had, but stemmier and with a lighter oak treatment that strikes just the right balance for this style of pinot. 91 now, up to 92+ in the future.
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Brief note...This needed about 45 minutes or so to open up. Drank really well for a couple hours but then began to tighten up. Nice, complex nose gives scents of piney forest and nutmeg. Impressively rich and deep on the palate, yet very fresh, alive and well structured. This has everything it needs to last 15 years or more. 93++
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13.4% ABV. This was tight on opening so we decanted and consumed over a couple hours. Garnet in the glass. Sappy red fruit tending toward cherry with some mineral complexity. Tangy finish. I hate to drop the "B" word, but this is rather Burgundian to me. This was starting to open after a couple hours, but just barely.
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This wine has a lot of potential. It needs years to resolve and integrate. I like the direction this wine is heading. I would hold off for 10 years befe opening this wine.
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Consumed over the course of two nights. Interesting wine that spans the bridge between old world and new world style. The new world part of this is the rather sweet fruit and polished tannins. I wouldn't say that it's cotton candy, but there are definitely shades of brown sugar flavors in the fruit. The old world part of the wine is its ample acidity, stern backbone, and focus of fruit. All in all, a good wine, but I don't think it's great. Probably worth the price on the mailing list, but likely not the price in the secondary market.
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Very nice and deft usage of oak. A lively wine although showing a touch green in a way that I would associate with young vines. Mineral, lengthy finish. One to watch. I guess I think they are good at $35 to $40, I am not sure I would be willing to go up to $50 a bottle quite yet.
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This was balanced and restrained. But to my palate, at this sitting at least, maybe to a fault. The nose was not giving up much, and the wine did not bring much to the palate either. Nice acidity, a touch of tannin, but overall less structure than I was expecting from this wine. And less fruit too. From the other reviews, and from the anecdotal reviews from people I know, I think maybe my palate was just tired.
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I know I should have waited on this, but I got into a conversation regarding Rhys earlier in the day and couldn't resist. Decanted for 45 minutes and consumed over the next 90. Even at this young age, the wine is layered and complex. Nose with upper register red fruit, a light weight palate (in a good way), and a long finish suggest years of evolution to come. I'll need to hold off on my remaining bottles or find a way to get more. http://twitter.com/VinoSean
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This wine is incredible. I didn't realize that there are such sophisticated Pinot being made state-side. Complex, with lots of structure. Deep berry and plum notes. Smooth and lingering finish. We had the bottle with Zuni Chicken. The wine was good before the dish was even served, but the pairing was incredible. Not entirely sure on the potential on aging on this wine, but with it drinking this nicely, why wait!
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Outstanding! This wine was opened and poured. The first experience with 2007 Rhys and this wine surpassed expectations. The wine shows wonderful balance, nuance and complexity. The aromatics show cherry, spice and forest notes. The color is a medium to dark ruby. The medium bodied palate shows finesse, depth and length. Unfortunately the wine did not have a chance to develop with airing due to its popularity at the table. This wine drinks well now and should benefit from a few years of bottle age.
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Tasted at the Odds and Ends pickup. I didn't take any notes, but this was clearly a couple notches up from the Alesia Green Valley. While not giving too much on the nose other than a whiff of red fruit with a spice backnote (but plenty lurking in the background), the palate was marvelously structured. Elegant yet deep, beautiful balance, restrained but champing at the bit. Simply put: a dazzling young wine. Reminded me of a solid V-R premier cru.
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Rhys (Seasonal): Enticing scent of crushed stones. Somewhat reminds me of the style of a lot of '06 Burgundies I've experienced lately in that there is a slightly candied edge to the fruit but the material is nevertheless airy and not as glossy as the flavor tends to connote. The tannins are nice and silky although the alcohol (which is pretty low by the numbers) feels a bit firm on the back end. Overall though, way more interesting and sophisticated than the declassified Family Farm juice in the '06 San Mateo.
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Lovely bouquet of black cherry, raspberry, stems, minerals, and earth. In the mouth, structured and a laser beam of fruit and complexity. Solid tannins on the long finish. A-
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4/11/2024 - galewskj wrote: 93 Points
My last bottle, and I feel I timed that just right. I've found Rhys pinot noir to take some time, but they also aren't super long-lived. Today, this is an elegant and complex pinot where the fruit is in the background, earth and savory notes are in the foreground. I appreciate the complexity, where there's so much to take in and I regrettably can't isolate the individual components. There's some evergreen in there, warm spice, mushroom. I don't see this lasting much longer, and its as good as this wine has ever been. It's not a wow wine, its a ponderous, contemplative wine.
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12/2/2023 - zscheiner wrote:
Decanted for some fine sediment. The oldest Rhys I’ve had. In an awesome spot with no signs of fading. Sweet cherries, warm Christmas spice, hints of herbs. Medium bodied and seamless with great mouthfeel. Drink or hold!
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12/17/2022 - VinhoVerde Likes this wine: 93 Points
Medium red color. Game and plum Burgundy-like bouquet. Rich, supple, dark fruit flavor with lots of plum character. Still has mild tannins. Delicious now, will hold at least a couple more years. Has held up remarkably well
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6/17/2022 - KenK Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking well with good ripeness of red dusty fruit with a nice spice. No rush to dink up, but does it improve?
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5/19/2022 - KeithAkers wrote: 93 Points
Another year around the sun-Birthday #42 (Daisies and Pops for Champagne-Chicago, IL): This saw a few hours of air ahead of time. When it became time to drink this at dinner, it was beautifully expressive and deep with flowing tones of raspberries, red cherries, christmas cake, tart red fruits, baking spices, herbs, violets, and orange peels. This is a real joy to smell right now as the tones just come together in harmony and poise. The Full bodied feel is silky and deep with crisp, medium+ acidity and silky, medium tannins. This is just lovely and in a great zone. This is a lot of fun to finally drink one of these at a real point of maturity. I'm not sure that this will "get better" from here, but it certainly has the legs to last many more years to come.
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3/27/2022 - galewskj wrote: 92 Points
Pop and pour, drank double blind. Nice acidity, floral, lots of cherry, really nice. My first thought was California, but as the night went on I felt it had more in common with an Oregon pinot.
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3/27/2022 - rocknroller wrote: 92 Points
Monthly Wine Group: Double Blind Pinots From Anywhere (Ciao Bella, Mpls): Medium plus red color. PNP, drank a tasting pour double blind over an hour plus. Wine #1. Lovely, floral, dried herbs, tobacco, black raspberry and cherry. This was drinking really well, and I was thinking this could be '08 or '10 Oregon.
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2/11/2022 - EhrlichDY Likes this wine:
The cork was crumbly but the wine was fine. Popped and poured and consumed over a few hours. Similar impression to my last note. For me, this wine is fully mature. Feminine silky texture. Red berry fruit. Hints of earthiness. Very pure in a way that CA pinot comes across. Great showing.
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7/25/2021 - dougie Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank over 5 hours. Silky smooth. Drink my last over next couple of years.
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6/21/2021 - DougLee wrote:
Just a taste. A bit restrained compared to the 2008 Anthill Tina Marie. Good.
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5/29/2021 - DougLee wrote: 91 Points
Medium to dark ruby color. Nose of graphite, damp cellar, plum pits, raspberry, violets. Layers of deeply pitched, rather primary dark raspberry and Bing cherry fruit on the palate with bright acidity and still-firm tannin. Longer finish of dark berry fruit, stone, and a touch of spicy, earthy astringency which adds interest (not a negative). This wine is very good and still young. Will be interesting to revisit in 3-5 years.
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5/20/2021 - James Kim Likes this wine: 91 Points
From memory. Stood up for 5 days and decanted off sediment for about 1h. Really tight and took another 1.5-2h (so 2.5-3h after decant) to open up. Nice aromas of black cherries, green stems, minerals, herbs. Medium-full bodied palate with flavors similar to aromas. Nice good acids nicely balance the black fruits. The stems are noticeable but not intrusive which I liked. Very good but not great concentration of flavors and not as complex as 2007 Rhys Alpine PN I had earlier in the year. Still this is nitpicking. This is still a treat and wish I had another bottle.
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5/7/2021 - EhrlichDY wrote:
Popped and poured. The DNA is distinctly CA, not in a cola sort of way but the purity and ripeness without being out of place. Great density and sweet aromatics. Perhaps slightly lacking in detail but this is the best CA Pinot I've opened in years. Great wine.
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3/5/2021 - jfkwines wrote: 90 Points
Serious cork crumble but no effect on the wine. A little thin on the tannins for the very thick NY steak but the flavor profile held well. Slight mushroom and earthy tones remain even at this age. NOt sure there is much more for htis wine to do, so drink up.
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11/20/2020 - huberww wrote:
Last bit of cork crumbled causing concern. But what was in the bottle was quite tasty! Last bottle, alas...
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10/5/2020 - pjhr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious dark berry, mushroom and earthy spice notes on the nose and savory palate with resolving tannins on the moderate finish.
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8/12/2020 - pjhr Likes this wine: 93 Points
As savory and delicious as the last bottle!
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7/25/2020 - Mlermontov wrote: 92 Points
more resolved now but with no signs of slowing down. riper sweet fruit up front. more structured on the palate. great length and power.
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7/13/2020 - pjhr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious dark berry, mushroom and earthy spice notes on the nose and savory palate with tasty acidity on the moderate finish. Drinking well with a bit of Old World charm!
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4/26/2020 - gbauer Likes this wine:
A little reticent on the nose. Berries, herbs, and some dark red fruit, eventually. In the mouth, nice balance of fruit, savory, and acid. Somewhat understated at the moment.
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4/17/2020 - dougsmith Likes this wine: 92 Points
Definitely better than last time, particularly on the palate where the presence and complexity comes out more. Stewed red berries, mushroom, and herb notes. Very pleasant.
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4/16/2020 - KenK Likes this wine: 92 Points
Quite aromatic and in a great place with lots of life left. Aromatically very spicy with earthy loamy aspects. Seems Dujac like with stemmy spice. Very well balanced and chewy with a cooked strawberries driven flavor most dominant. Offers up a lot of pleasure with some warmth on the finish. Quite Burgundian.
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1/25/2020 - ljl203 wrote: 91 Points
Soft cherry fruit, well integrated, tannin, thyme, mushroom. Nice forest nose. Slightly clipped finish.
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1/18/2020 - dougsmith Likes this wine: 90 Points
Deep ruby color. Nose of black cherry, stoniness, and a slight candied note. Medium bodied on the palate, very pleasant but weakens slightly towards the finish.
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12/4/2019 - Badfish Likes this wine:
Decanted and followed over a three hour period. Deep ruby core turning slightly pink at the rim. The nose is mainly earth driven with perfumed aromas of crushed stones, wet earth, black cherry, and violets. The palate is precise, inviting, and structured with earthy red fruit, chalky acidity, and firm peppery tannins. I am really happy with how this wine is showing right now. From all my recent experiences with middle aged Rhys Pinots I think they are just that, middle aged, appropriately structured, and showing some awkward tendencies. I think this wine needs at least another 10-15 years.
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8/26/2019 - decaturwinedude wrote: 88 Points
I was on The Rhys bandwagon from the early days, but fell off years ago and don't really buy the wines. I had this bottle hanging around and took it for a spin. The recent notes on CT are a bit all over the place, but learn positive. I dropped in decanter for a few minutes just to open up and it showed promise early on. Earthy, with some background stemmy-smoky notes. The fruit feels primary, borderline rich and leans blue and round. With air, the wine became somewhat one-dimensional to me, a bit too rich, brooding, almost what I want to call flabby. It seemed totally resolved to me. I don't think there was a flaw here, it may just be a palate preference where I wanted more body, more acid and structure. It didn't feel like it needed time. My two cents.
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8/22/2019 - jjct Likes this wine:
Still very young and structured. Powerful and tensile.
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7/13/2019 - leadpencil wrote: 93 Points
Medium bodied. Raspberry, cherry, cinnamon, clove, anise
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7/13/2019 - dougie Likes this wine: 92 Points
Poured off a glass for an hour. Beautiful. Drank bottle over 4 hours. I’ll drink the next two over the next 3 years. Wonderful texture.
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6/2/2019 - gzim wrote: 87 Points
Not sure if this is in a funky place or just not a great bottle. A bit flat to start, decanted for an hour, still not a lot of fruit, but had a lot of pinesap zing on the finish.
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5/25/2019 - theRealPepe wrote: 88 Points
Dark red color. On the palate some muted earthiness, spice and sandalwood. Very stemmy and devoid of a fruity component to contrast with the other elements. I sense complexity, but it really needs time. Let this age for a lot longer. Five years? At least. Very Good.
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5/3/2019 - gresch Likes this wine: 89 Points
Drank the last 2 glasses on different nights thanks to using the coravin.
Gave the first a half glass 3 hours before drinking. The nose has some wood notes (cloves?). Medium body. Still wood notes, though splashing this around in my mouth reveals some red fruits w/ a black fruit/toasted wood spine. I like the tannins - there's a totally crunchable/gulpable feel here. That said, I'm not picking up too much in terms of complexity or interest - that may also be a fine thing for me, since there's more CA pinot that is interesting that is not of interest to me.
I pulled this from the coravin. Between this experience & some of the other comments, I'd really like to see what happens w/ 12 or so hours of air.
Addendum for the 2nd glass. I gave this a 6 hour decant and drank over 2 hours. The wood integrated/blew off. The red crunchy fruit turned a bit heavier and lost some of its lift. Still for this vintage, this was pretty good, but not great & probably not worth cellaring for 12 years.
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2/1/2019 - Richard P Howden Likes this wine: 91 Points
Seriously sweet and red fruited nose with cherry and strawberry notes combined with a bit of green stem. Well balanced palate, still very youthful and fruity, more stems as well and baking spices and pepper on the finish. Some earthiness just starting to show up (pop and pour). Good length. Curious how this will be in a few hours/day two. Still kind of surprisingly energetic compared to othe CA pinots of this period.
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2/1/2019 - texaswinelover wrote:
I didn’t like this wine that much. Lacked typicity imo. Wasn’t flawed just not wowed. I did drink this side by side with a Lillian Syrah...so that might have been part of it. Red fruited, some earth, forest. Acid in balance.
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1/2/2019 - KenK wrote: 92 Points
In a very nice place lots of spice and elegance. Very Burgundian.
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8/18/2018 - Stingo Likes this wine: 91 Points
When initially opened it displayed a surprisingly ripe bouquet with notes of passion fruit tempered with cherry and blackberry. After 2 hours slow ox it started to exhibit more secondary characteristics with notes of forrest floor, mushroom, and baking spice. Impressive effort compared to other domestic pinots of this age I've been drinking lately.
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7/4/2018 - jlm wrote:
This is beginning to integrate very well, as the fruit expression is clear and focused and it's supporting the herbal and earthy notes of the nose very well. There is still a frame of fine tannins around the crunchy fruit on the palate, suggesting this is on the near side of maturity still. It will be interesting to check back in on this in 3-5 years to see how it's all come together. Oh and be sure to give this plenty of air. It's very attractive just when opened, but like most burgundy with bottle age, the palate fills out only after a few hours open.
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2/18/2018 - Black Kat Likes this wine: 92 Points
-Drank at Mountain House Restaurant and served at room temperature (70°)
-Cork broke apart upon opening but otherwise in good condition
-No decant.
-Color: Deep, bright red, slight oxidation.
-Nose: Cherry sweet tarts.
-Palate: Red fruit dominated by cherry and raspberry up front with some blueberry then baking spice and clove on the back end. Medium to high acidity and good mouth feel with quick finish.
-Paired with: Paired with elk.
-Overall: For a 10 year old pinot noir there is still plenty of life in this although probably due to the acidity. More than most pinot noirs more cherry shows up with is a nice treat.
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2/6/2018 - texaswinelover wrote:
Not sure what to think. Red fruited, acidity to spare, fruit old worldly (minimal in other words), lacking complexity and development. Seemed almost flat or one dimensional. Not wowed.
Day #2 - really fleshed out and developed beautiful earthy notes. Fruit more prominent and acids more balanced. Wish I’d not drank half the bottle yesterday. Great drink today.
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10/16/2017 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 92 Points
Tangy strawberry fruit. Nice baking spice notes on finish. Barely budged in its evolution in comparison to last bottle several years ago.
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9/10/2017 - WST Likes this wine:
Beautiful, pure and balanced. My first Rhys with this much age. I've heard people describe these as stemmy. Not here; no green whatsoever; some fine tannins. I've been drinking my Rhys pinots too young.
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8/23/2017 - melzar wrote: 93 Points
From Magnum: Score may be slightly generous, but I wish more California Pinot Noir was made in this style. Light red in color. Unmistakable Pinot Noir nose leads to a smooth fruity palate with enough stemmy tannin and acidity to provide focus. Nice finish. Drinking at peak, but will last many more years.
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2/8/2017 - Acohen Likes this wine: 92 Points
deep cherry core with great balance and nice acidity and slight earthy spiceness on finish
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11/26/2016 - mlawren1 wrote: 93 Points
Dark and earthy with a fruity core of strawberries and cherries.
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11/6/2016 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 88 Points
Murky red and black fruit with plenty of mushroomy earth, underbrush, and meat. I found the fruit a tad dull and definition to be lacking. When I use the word "murky" in my reviews, it's never a good thing.
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10/23/2016 - sawira wrote: 91 Points
Bright red fruits, lifted feel, medium body, nice spice from stem inclusion, just starting to drink well. Held up nicely, so this has time in hand. Not my favorite Rhys vineyard, but very well crafted and delicious. I love the balance, light handed winemaking, and purity.
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9/16/2016 - fisk15 wrote: 85 Points
Very tart, never really developed into a pleasurable experience on day one and was not pleasant on day 2. For my palate, Rhys Chards are stellar but their early vintage PN's are not in my style wheelhouse.
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7/5/2016 - LW31 wrote:
Dark purple color. Hard to read. Good fruit and good wine but rather reticent and not showing much tonight. Would give others few years more development and/or more air.
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4/23/2016 - bobdobilina wrote: 93 Points
Tasted blind.
Brilliant garnet color.
Slightly high toned floral nose.
Red fruited with ripe cherries and some rhubarb. Cherry pit and a touch of bitterness on the end palate. Quite open but still fairly primary.
Rhys family farm? It was. Shows as well, although differently, to the Swan Terrace on the night.
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4/17/2016 - Robert R. Likes this wine: 89 Points
Good, not great. Was not able to focus on this wine intently, but: blue fruit dominant with red fruit on the nose and palate, some spice, good backbone, moderate acidity, fair finish. Seemed a bit bigger and darker than I anticipated. Probably more room to mature. Popped and poured and a fine complement to a chicken dinner.
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3/21/2016 - mlawren1 wrote: 94 Points
Deep black cherries and over ripe raspberries ooze sweetness
. Finishes with a hint of heat.
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12/19/2015 - jlm wrote:
This wine surprised me. At this stage in its life, it seemed dominated by tart red fruit aromas--cranberry, as others have noted--along with some of the beet rooty/rootbeer/sassafras herbality that are typical of some Calera vineyards (Reed most prominently, I think). This was quite different from the characteristics I've found in the '04 and '06 Family Farm bottlings, which I've found to be more cherry/soil like in character. In any case, this is certainly a distinctly CA Pinot in aromatic profile. The palate is silky textured with very fine tannins, but the acidity is tight yet. It will be interesting to see how this develops as it gets more age.
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12/14/2015 - brettlaurvick wrote: 85 Points
Pretty disappointed in these wines from Rhys. I still have a couple more, but these seem past their prime. They've all been properly cellared since purchase. Don't think I will be buying any more.
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11/26/2015 - jreis wrote:
Dusty cranberry, forest floor and lovely cinnamon spice on the nose. Nice tart sweetness with good texture and similar favors to the nose. In a lovely place, but still plenty of life left and I would guess will pick up some more tertiary favors with more bottle age.
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6/15/2015 - brettlaurvick wrote: 91 Points
Muted nose. Balanced, but not outstanding. Paled in comparison to Williams Selyem Rochioli 2007 last night. Not even close
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3/29/2015 - James Kim wrote: 90 Points
Initially nice black fruits with a bit of bark and minerals. After ~1 hr decant: A-Beautiful seamless melange of emerging sous bois, bark, high toned greeness (stems? - it's a good thing) black fruits, and baking spices. P - Nice weight. Balanced fruit, bark, and a bit of earth. More minerals in mid-palate. Finishes nicely with black fruits, mint, and minerals on a moderately long finish. As the aromas came up, palate seemed to lack a bit of focus and seemed more muddied. Still very enjoyable with basil salmon.
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2/12/2015 - VinoDiver wrote: 88 Points
Wonderful nose with forest notes and a nice blend of cranberry with other red fruits. However the nose was the best part as the flavor profile was lacking and didn't really come through. This also finished with a bit more alcohol than I'd care for.
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2/6/2015 - JOJ wrote: 92 Points
Writing now after five hours in the decanter. Significantly better with some air. The nose remains a bit reticent -- hints of cranberry, orange peel, blueberry, baking spice and menthol. Palate unfolds with cranberry, tart cherry and citrus -- leading to a pleasingly spicy attack and finish. Well balanced -- nicely tart with a bit of tannic structure -- and more integrated than an bottle of nine months ago. All that said, I find this wine to be a bit uninspiring. Well made, but not profound and not worth the tariff.
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1/17/2015 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Rhys Tasting With The Gang--Part 2 (My Place): Andrew opened this as his backup wine, so it didn't see the air that the rest of the wines at dinner received. Didn't matter much as this was firing really well. Has a beautiful blue fruit quality to it, reminding me a lot of Copain Kiser. Dusty, with a rock dust note, just a great aromatic. Juicy and fresh. Of note, we also did this wine at the last Rhys dinner from Oct 2014, when it showed great there, too.
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11/28/2014 - Keith Levenberg wrote:
Getting into sort of an in-between stage here. Smells at first like mostly stems. On the palate the fruit covers them up, but the fruit flavors are starting to age into a more autumnal cast than the vibrant, zingy fruit these tend to have on release. In mouthfeel, though, it is still glossy and fleshy.
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11/27/2014 - cubswinws wrote: 87 Points
Seems muddled and murky. Not much pleasure here.
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11/21/2014 - Diane (LI) wrote:
Family Farm is not my favorite. Herbal and high acid without much fruit.
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11/8/2014 - jbaron wrote: 91 Points
Took quite more than an hour to open.
Nice enough, but I found that the structure was a bit out of whack with the fruit here. Use after two hours, it was noticeable to the point of, well, something...
That all said, it was a fine bottle of wine. Perhaps opened a few years too soon, but then again, perhaps it wasn't going anywhere at all, stuck in the realm of structure.
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10/11/2014 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Rhys Tasting With The Gang (My House): Tasted alongside the 2007 Home, as well. Both of these wines show a riper style, a vintage similarity I suppose. The FF here had the bigger fruit of raspberry, strawberry and black cherry, with solid structure and light stem. This to me will need more time to let some of that structure relax.
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10/9/2014 - Mlermontov wrote: 92 Points
Grand Sich and the Eiswein Show: mushroom, forest floor on the nose. great ripe red fruit in the mid - with still a youthful tannic grip. red berries and minerality come to the fore with time. amazing balance - i would even give this a few years before opening. delicious wine.
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10/8/2014 - salil wrote: 88 Points
Liked but didn't love this. There's lots of ripe red fruit here tinged with some brambly and cola notes, the texture's quite polished and elegant but it feels a touch soft on the palate as well and the finish is a bit clipped.
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10/1/2014 - Randoon wrote:
Consistent with my notes 8/14/12
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7/18/2014 - Nanda wrote:
Nose pops with sweet red cherry fruit, herbs and cinnamon spice. Palate is just rocking on all cylinders. Lifted and round fruit matched with great acidic energy and verve. Long on the palate with incredible depth and complexity.
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7/18/2014 - KeithAkers wrote: 94 Points
An Epic Night of Rhys (Sun Wah BBQ, Chicago IL): Nose: The nose is very attractive and deep with tart red fruits, red cherries, licorice, red florals, currants, red berries, chalky tones, and some minerals. The nose is insanely complex with a real nice cool intensity to it.
Taste: Medium/full bodied with medium+ acidity and silky tannins. The structure lets itself be known, but it melds with the gorgeous tones of tart red fruits, red cherries, licorice, red florals, chalky tones, and minerals.
Overall: This is a real stunner. It's still very young, but ever so gorgeous right now. This really roared from the outset and showed a lot of class and poise.
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6/13/2014 - xwine wrote:
On the nose some coffee, just briefly a slight whiff of celery, spice, more savory than fruity. Palate is deep and rich, but not much going on, again some savory aspects with a bit of meat. Overall impression is that it’s a bit clumsy, with a somewhat heavy and dull palate feel. Seems atypical for Rhys. To drink sooner rather than later. That was on a pop 'n pour. The next morning the red fruit has now come out, and the nose is frankly quite nice, even if a bit straightforward. The palate is likewise much improved, showing little of the clumsiness, and a much more lively and energetic mouthfeel; also some red/black fruit mingles with the savory character. Still, not the best of the Rhys wines, but much better than last night.
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5/25/2014 - JOJ wrote: 91 Points
Consistent with notes of a year-and-a-half ago. Deep and dark on the nose -- black cherry, blackberry and some zin-like brambles, with an interesting counterpoint of Asian spice and floral notes. Shades toward red fruit on the palate -- cherry, cranberry, and orange rind. Very spicy and highly acidic, with a long finish. Seems a bit disjointed -- will this round out? Time will tell.
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5/12/2014 - thomaskeil wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 2 hrs from magnum. Garnet color. Nose of red fruits and spice with floral and earth notes. Palate has medium fresh fruit with focussing acidity and tannins. Loved the balance, freshness, textural complexity. Somewhat finesseful. Paired very well with food and was a stunner for our 3-generation mothers day dinner.
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3/16/2014 - rm wines wrote:
Just beginning to open up. Great depth on the nose, and excellent freshness on the palate. There is a slightly discordant note of tannins and stems that will hopefully integrate further with time.
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3/8/2014 - Brunello123 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Great wine, but I think it still needs a little more time. Cherry flavor and lovely wine. Just not sure I love it as much as I thought I would.
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12/30/2013 - B Paul wrote: 92 Points
Though I do think this will continue to age gracefully, I would say this is entering its window for my tastes. A solid effort, though I do not see this one ever turning into a really special wine.
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12/9/2013 - Jbird73 wrote: 91 Points
Very floral and deep red fruits in the nose. At first it was better in the nose than the mouth. In the mouth it was almost spicy and a little awkward. Left it for about an hour and came back and what a better experience. Nose was still great but now the taste was excellent too. Great finish and very enjoyable. If you drink it now, do yourself a favor and decant for at least an hour and probably 2-3 wouldn't hurt it at all!
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11/17/2013 - Mr T wrote:
reasonably open from the get go, but clearly better with more air...decent acid and fruit but neither heavy nor thin, good balance although must concede these pinots don't really ring my personal bell...buddy Bill quite taken with the wine
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11/5/2013 - beau11 wrote: 94 Points
really good. rhys needs to age and this had plenty of years left. decanted and drank over 2 hours and the wine improved throughout the 2 hours, but was not super tight as oyher rhys ive had in the past and was quite enjoyable from the start. Nose of citrus, tangerine and rasberry. The mouthfeel is soft but nice in texture with ample acidity and flavors of strawberry and red fruit with a building finish that lasts for 30 seconds. This Rhys was much less tannic than other rhys ive had and shows how these wines will perform with some bottle age.
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10/29/2013 - Red Mountain Man wrote: 93 Points
Dave Dalluge's notes below are spot on, as well as his score. It's a weekday and I can't put this bottle away for the next day. Addicting!!
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8/12/2013 - Mike Dildine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nice now, another year or two wouldn't hurt.
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6/23/2013 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 93 Points
No notes taken, but this seemed to be hitting on all cylinders. Awesome spice and red fruit on the nose. Great texture and good flavor intensity on the palate. A beauty.
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5/20/2013 - rmh66 wrote: 90 Points
Salmon and Cellar Thinning at Dan's House (Bellevue, Washington): Tasted single-blind (abbreviated notes) - Smoke, black cherry, earth, green pepper, spice, a hint of meat. Good acidity, good structure, nice balance. This bottle was showing less fruit than I was expecting but still had a density and fruitiness that said California to me. 90+
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3/16/2013 - WST Likes this wine: 90 Points
Grand Crew Bellingham raids my cellar; Huet, Rhys, Ceritas, Breton, Charvin, VT and others (Bellingham, WA): Clearly needs more time to strut its stuff. Raspberry and strawberry, brown spice and mushroom. Once again, good acidity and fine tannins. Enjoyed by the group, but could have used a formal decant rather than Audouze method.
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3/15/2013 - BonnieM wrote: flawed
The corkscrew went right through the middle of the completely dried out cork!!! Have never had this happen before in the hundreds of bottles we have opened.
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3/10/2013 - OCgasman wrote: 92 Points
In a great place right now. Really enjoyed this bottle.
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3/1/2013 - rm wines wrote:
Rhys and Ceritas Tasting (NYC): Unfortunately, this wine was very closed down at the moment. The nose only showed hints of what aromas might be lurking there, waiting for a better day. On the palate it was quite structured but also super tight. This needs much more time.
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2/8/2013 - leadpencil wrote: 88 Points
Ruby red. Light in body. Raspberry pushing edge of ripeness, little heat on back end. Clove undertones.
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2/1/2013 - Diane (LI) wrote:
Not showing much, but at least it was clean. Open for 3 nights, the last night it showed best.
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1/27/2013 - aagrawal wrote: 89 Points
SF Wineberserkers Offline (BerserkerDay) (San Francisco, CA): Ripe red strawberry fruit; solid palate with red fruit, light and fresh. Nice new world styled pinot with obviously good quality, but it is not distinctive and lacks any unique character. 89
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1/13/2013 - fisk15 wrote:
Had a cold so I could not accurately decipher the flavors. Seemed nice though. NR
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12/29/2012 - jbaron wrote: 90 Points
Nice enough, but given the pedigree, I would have expected more. Generally, still quite closed even with an hour of air.
Save the remaining bottle until mid 2014?
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12/22/2012 - OCgasman wrote:
This was rocking tonight. In a great place right now.
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12/21/2012 - madeiradog wrote: 92 Points
Still presenting young, this eloquent pinot needs a few more years to blossom. My perception is that a tiny bit of rustic tannin is the back end to an earthy but fruity pinot. I get sour cherry and cranberry with orange peel and some earthy elements. Good structure and balance make this a delight to drink.
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12/8/2012 - cbbrown3 wrote: 93 Points
The wine is a deep ruby red color. The exotic and sexy nose features cherries, black raspberries, crushed stones, white pepper, Asian spices, fresh cut flowers and a touch of earthiness. This has medium body with fairly stiff tannins and outstanding acidity. On the palate spicy red and black fruit dominate with white pepper and some earthiness in the background. The wine has a long, lingering finish with tart, spicy cherries and some earthiness lingering seemingly forever. This is still very young and could use a couple more years in the cellar to fully reveal itself. As is, this is very good with considerable upside.
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10/29/2012 - rickspicks wrote: 92 Points
Beautiful wine. Ripe, slightly sweet, dark red fruits (cherry, raspberry) with some damp earth. Great concentration, intensity and depth of flavors. Medium to full bodied with nice balance. Somewhat unusual texture as it is both soft and has plenty of structure. Not quite as elegant as I expected, but also not overdone. My sense was that this bottle was somewhat closed and that another year or two would pay big dividends.
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10/18/2012 - silton wrote:
Taken to Chez TJ and lovely with my pork entree. Lovely balance, lovely profile, maybe just a little stemmy. See note by JOJ, which rings true. 91-93.
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10/18/2012 - JOJ wrote: 91 Points
Quite earthy on the nose, with primary black cherry intermingling with notes of mushroom, black tea, and wet leaves. More black cherry on the palate, with lively wild berry, black tea, and a mineral note. A bit angular and unyielding at this point, but seems to have the potential to blossom into a real winner.
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10/11/2012 - joe d wrote: 85 Points
No decant. Still young with some upfront tannin. Dark berry fruit with a cool profile. Quite tasty but has room to improve. Better on day2 as the tannins softened. I may be shortchanging this. My discrete CT scale: 95-extraordinary; 90-very good; 85-good; 80-fair; 75-poor
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9/29/2012 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 95 Points
Charity Dinner (Rhys, Corra, Clerc Milon +++): Wow. A stunner. Almost everyone at the table stopped and commented on this. By far, the best Rhys I have had and a glimpse at what the experts are so excited about. I hope this bottle is representative. The nose is complex with some funk as cherries, macerated cherries, and a bit of a cherry blossom note too. On the palate, this is layered and complex. Soft to drink yet full of body and structure. Every sip seemed better. I am not sure I have had a better Pinot ever.
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9/7/2012 - shaferguy91 wrote: 92 Points
With a 4 hour decant, this was yummy.
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7/29/2012 - rjoyer wrote:
Followed over 3 days, with very consistent notes throughout that time. I was very keen to try this alongside an '07 Bachelet CdN Villages, with the Rhys and the Bachelet both drinking well and possessing similar fruit and structure profiles. This wine has a nice perfume of black roses, tea and cherry skin. There's a sense of balance between the (mildly) sweet fruit and tannin that, while certainly still young, should open up nicely in the near term and drink (I suspect) quite nicely over the next several years. Proved to be a fun comparison with the Bachelet, and should improve into a very sneaky good wine.
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7/23/2012 - galewskj wrote: 92 Points
Towards the end of a tasting, but I felt that this wine had great elegance. I like forward to trying it in the coming years.
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7/22/2012 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
Monthly Wine Group: Domestic Pinots and Chards From Some Top Producers (Levain, Mpls): DArk red color. Drankone glass over 30 minutes. Nose was different from many of the night: very dusty, minerals, earth, black raspberry, some dark cherry, and spice notes. The palate was quite elegant, nice mouthfeel, round integrated tannins, consistent with the nose, good depth and layering of flavors, long finish. This is a winner.
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7/5/2012 - zinfidel Likes this wine: 92 Points
Cranberries, cherries and cinnamon. Med body and still just a bit tight. Needs an hour or so to open up. Nice.
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6/16/2012 - jakuda wrote:
Checking in on how this guy is doing. Cool room temp. Pop n pour. Given plenty of swirling. Pretty dark red fruits. Not as closed off as it was two years ago, but still pretty tight. Some roses. Some stems. Spicy, juicy in the mouth. Fine tannins evident but still a tad astringent for me. There is a bit of lift on the finish. Still not ready. The quality is evident here, and as always the oak is not intrusive.
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6/13/2012 - yui wrote: 93 Points
better next day. Very smooth, silky
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5/31/2012 - Acohen wrote: 92 Points
Rich dark cherry flavor with nice fruit on the nose and a lingering finish of finely integrated tannins and some slight spice
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5/26/2012 - glaze3 wrote:
Drinking nicely with an hour decant. Tangy black cherry palate with some dried herbs that add a nice savory quality. Much more complete at this stage than I was expecting. Very nice.
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4/29/2012 - steffenpelz wrote:
I just can't stay away from my Rhys wines as of late. This one was opened and poured immediately and shared with friends over the better course of about an hour. I thought the wine was immediately ready to drink and showed both serious and fun at the same time. All about red cherry and berry fruit with some dried herbs, cold smoke and crushed rock. Not particularly tannic, this felt like it was in a great spot to be consumed. As always, these wines are so delicious that it is hard to describe much beyond that. I don't think it was an exercise in academia to drink this, but I know that it was a great pleasure to do so and I couldn't have asked for a better match to grilled beef.
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3/23/2012 - steffenpelz wrote:
Opened this last night to accompany ribs that I glazed with a Barbeque and Pineapple Sauce. Very nice wine that is already drinking mighty fine. Seems like there might have been some stems included in making this wine, which I find adds an interesting dimension to this wine and gives it a more structured feel. Plenty of acidity in this, too, which balances the sweet and sappy fruit. Definitely on the darker side with its fruit, but never overwhelming or cloying. Finishes well and went terrifically with the food. My only nitpick is that it lacks a little complexity in my opinion, but it is a very nice wine to drink right now. One thing that always strikes me about the Rhys wines is that when I drink them as part of a larger tasting, I never find them to be very impressive and interesting. But when I sit down with them over a meal, I always find great pleasure in them. I think that might be the ultimate compliment to these wines...at least to me.
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1/30/2012 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 93 Points
Consumed in anticipation of upcoming 2010 offering. One of the better Cali PN I've had in the past few months. Perfectly balanced. Ripe cherry fruit, some savory funk, with tangy acidity on finish. Truly succulent stuff.
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1/6/2012 - shaferguy91 wrote: 90 Points
Decanted 1 hour. A little too much stem for me to score it higher.
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10/31/2011 - rc@ughey wrote: 91 Points
A little stemmy, but that's the only knock on this beauty. Dark and red fruits mingle with bright acids to create a concentrated, deep, and quite refreshing wine. This is on the upswing with significant room for improvement.
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9/18/2011 - calnative Likes this wine: 92 Points
decanted for about 30 minutes. Initially the wine seemed balanced, light earthiness, hay, and mineral but wasn't really giving much up. After about 30 more minutes the flavors started to come out with mineral, fruit, black tea, rose petal, and a long spicy finish. I would hold on these for a few more years or decant for an hour.
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9/14/2011 - 2loyal wrote: 92 Points
I'm not sure that "Burgundian" would be one of the first words out of my mouth with this one, but I sure did enjoy it! Still young and lively, but ready to drink, if you are!
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7/4/2011 - danstrings wrote: 91 Points
Lovely sweet fruit, but balanced and refreshing on the palate.
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6/12/2011 - HenryW wrote: 93 Points
Wonderful pure aromatics--cherries and rhubarb. The palate takes some time to open up and shows good acidity, which expresses itself in the form of a chalky minerality.
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4/27/2011 - sehill Likes this wine: 92 Points
This continues to drink well. The wine benefits from airing. This should benefit from two to three years of additional bottle age.
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4/15/2011 - Lessthanzero wrote: 92 Points
Young and primary, fruit driven, but with some earth and spice on top of the strawberries. Big palate that was a wee bit concentrated. Wish i had more.
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3/27/2011 - djb wrote: 91 Points
first go at this and a happy one. drinking quite well, even with modest air. cherry/cranberry fruit with some earthiness. lovely, seductive texture and already in good balance. still on the primarily/sappy end of the spectrum but with a poise that bodes well.
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3/9/2011 - cookie7 wrote:
Decanted for four hours. Tons of funk when first opened. It mellowed over time, but a healthy level remained. Rustic but enjoyable. One of the more approachable 2007 Rhys.
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2/12/2011 - toddjerry wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured. Medium red, opaque color. Medium body, good acidity, restrained red fruits, cherries, great balance, very elegant. Will continue to evolve. Hard not to really like this wine.
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1/29/2011 - jreis wrote:
Second bottle after first was corked - drank alongside 04 Family Farm. This proably did not get as fair a showing, as it was pop and pour from a cold basement as a replacement bottle. Coffee, dark cherry fruit, stems and loamy earth. Still quite closed on the palate, but showing great acidity and black fruits. Based on the strong 04 performance, I'll let my remaining bottle sleep for another 3-4 years.
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1/29/2011 - jreis wrote: flawed
Corked!
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1/16/2011 - angryphoton wrote: 92 Points
nose has some bits of baby powder, chalk and touches of rhubarb, lime and some black tea. palate is light-medium bodied with lots of acidity. rhubarb, bing cherries, lemon zest, and tea. good amount of minerality with a limestone like aspect in the mouthfeel, long finish. very nice wine but needs time. was drank in the course of 3 days, each time replacing the cork but not vacuvinned.
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1/14/2011 - curtispomeroy wrote: 91 Points
Still seems rather restrained both on the nose and on the palate. Poured off one glass on day one and drank the remainder on day two. What I did get (strawberry and rhubarb) was well balanced. Will hold off a year before drinking the next bottle.
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1/6/2011 - pakabear wrote: 93 Points
A very Burgundian nose quite nice! Very balanced palate with classic strawberry, cherry and lots of minerals and dirt. So very good.
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12/22/2010 - BillB656 Likes this wine:
Sappy, stemmy, juicy, and super balance. I really like the greenness showing through the fruit here. Lots of depth. Well done!
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9/21/2010 - sehill Likes this wine: 94 Points
Another outstanding showing for this wine. On this occasion, the wine showed more completeness and depth on both the bouquet and palate. This may still improve with additional bottle age.
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9/12/2010 - hkfoebee wrote:
Beautiful strawberry bouquet nose. However, very dry, almost chalky finish. Medium weight.
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8/27/2010 - etherscreen wrote:
raw materials are definitely there, but the stems really need more time to integrate. i have no doubt this will not warrant an outstanding score in several years time. this wines really need to age!
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7/26/2010 - Paul Lin wrote: 88 Points
Dinner chez Matt Cohen. Sampled from a decanter over 4 hours. Whole cluster aromas of antique shop, dried mushrooms, black cherries, Chinese medicinal herbs, and green tea -- similar to a young Brewer-Clifton. Texturally polished on the palate with dark fruits against an acid spine. Cerebral and exotic at this young stage, this wine seems to need some time to let the stemmy notes more fully settle in.
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7/25/2010 - pmcquillen wrote: 92 Points
Balanced and fruity.
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7/25/2010 - winelovr2001 wrote: 94 Points
an amazing pinot, beat out a rochioli SVD...
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7/23/2010 - jbrekke wrote:
Amazingly open for such a young Rhys. Lots of red fruits going on, nice finish.
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7/13/2010 - rdsboca wrote: 94 Points
Absolutely everything you want in a young pinot. Some baking spice and brilliant rasberry, cranberry and rhubarb. Great acidity and nice smooth finish.
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7/6/2010 - rdsboca wrote: 94 Points
Rhubarb,, cherry, raspberry with forest floor and the perfect amount of acidity. Kudos!
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6/28/2010 - Keith Levenberg wrote: 93 Points
Wowza, can't believe how much this has transformed and improved since last year. Looks like the Rhys folks have finally nailed this vineyard, after all. This is showing some serious spine as a result of the stems, but that's the only structural element that's sticking out at this point. The tannins are virtually imperceptible. And that's not because there's so much fruit that it's either sweetening or smothering the tannin; the fruit here is pretty but refined and slender to the point where it's more Burgundian than Californian, even by the standards of Rhys. An impeccably finessed, silky, Audrey Hepburn type of pinot. But even that doesn't entirely convey what's so captivating about this. It's hard to put my finger on, but something about the stalkiness energizing material that otherwise seems totally suave and serene gives this an overall style that's more than a little reminiscent of DRC.
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5/23/2010 - Wine Drinker wrote: 90 Points
An even handed, subtle, very food friendly Pinot Noir. I didn't think that it displayed as much of the characteristics (wild cherry, earth, forest, complexity) that I like so much in Pinot as some other Rhys I've had recently but well balanced and very enjoyable. The wine is a little closed at the present but I'm not sure that time is going to substantially improve this one.
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5/22/2010 - jakuda wrote:
Checking in on how this one is progressing. Initially super closed, barely revealing anything. After 3+ hours of air: some red berries, crushed rock with some cedar in the background. In the mouth there is a mid-weight, silky texture that gives way to light, fine tannins which are coating. The acidity is flinty and lends itself to a pleasant, juicy finish. This wine is still incredibly young and really needs several more years before I'll open another bottle.
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4/17/2010 - amateurwino wrote: 91 Points
A nice pinot that needs time. Wouldn't call this earthy or burgundian - from the nose you can tell right away that it's California pinot. But it's a refreshing one - cool climate in approach, there's nothing stewed or overdone about the fruit here- just red fruits (without cola, for me) and some stemmy underbrush on the nose, with similar flavors on the palate. Mouthfeel is silky and light, the midpalate and finish show red fruits, good balancing acidity and structured tannins that come off as a bit bitter right now. If you must drink now, this is approachable and not closed, but I suspect this will be much better if given three years time for the tannins to resolve and mellow a bit. The fruit here is not as sweet and engaging as the 2006 San Mateo, but this is also better restrained from dipping into cola-land; will eventually be the better wine. Similar in some ways to some Rivers-Marie pinots I've had, but stemmier and with a lighter oak treatment that strikes just the right balance for this style of pinot. 91 now, up to 92+ in the future.
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4/16/2010 - sehill wrote: 93 Points
Another outstanding showing for this wine.
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3/30/2010 - T-Mac wrote: 93 Points
Brief note...This needed about 45 minutes or so to open up. Drank really well for a couple hours but then began to tighten up. Nice, complex nose gives scents of piney forest and nutmeg. Impressively rich and deep on the palate, yet very fresh, alive and well structured. This has everything it needs to last 15 years or more. 93++
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3/28/2010 - OneLastSyrah Likes this wine:
13.4% ABV. This was tight on opening so we decanted and consumed over a couple hours. Garnet in the glass. Sappy red fruit tending toward cherry with some mineral complexity. Tangy finish. I hate to drop the "B" word, but this is rather Burgundian to me. This was starting to open after a couple hours, but just barely.
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2/8/2010 - kgmobley wrote: 90 Points
This wine has a lot of potential. It needs years to resolve and integrate. I like the direction this wine is heading. I would hold off for 10 years befe opening this wine.
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1/29/2010 - steffenpelz wrote:
Consumed over the course of two nights. Interesting wine that spans the bridge between old world and new world style. The new world part of this is the rather sweet fruit and polished tannins. I wouldn't say that it's cotton candy, but there are definitely shades of brown sugar flavors in the fruit. The old world part of the wine is its ample acidity, stern backbone, and focus of fruit. All in all, a good wine, but I don't think it's great. Probably worth the price on the mailing list, but likely not the price in the secondary market.
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1/10/2010 - Melli wrote: 96 Points
REALLY a nice wine
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1/1/2010 - t_moderne wrote: 91 Points
Beautiful earthy bouquet mixed with spice and some cocoa. Raspberry fruits with a center core of Chambord mixed with mushrooms. Silky texture. Nice.
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12/30/2009 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Very nice and deft usage of oak. A lively wine although showing a touch green in a way that I would associate with young vines. Mineral, lengthy finish. One to watch. I guess I think they are good at $35 to $40, I am not sure I would be willing to go up to $50 a bottle quite yet.
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12/18/2009 - jwebtx wrote:
Nice now, but a bit tight. Let them sleep for a couple of years.
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12/17/2009 - herberto wrote: 90 Points
This was balanced and restrained. But to my palate, at this sitting at least, maybe to a fault. The nose was not giving up much, and the wine did not bring much to the palate either. Nice acidity, a touch of tannin, but overall less structure than I was expecting from this wine. And less fruit too. From the other reviews, and from the anecdotal reviews from people I know, I think maybe my palate was just tired.
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12/4/2009 - vinosean wrote:
I know I should have waited on this, but I got into a conversation regarding Rhys earlier in the day and couldn't resist. Decanted for 45 minutes and consumed over the next 90. Even at this young age, the wine is layered and complex. Nose with upper register red fruit, a light weight palate (in a good way), and a long finish suggest years of evolution to come. I'll need to hold off on my remaining bottles or find a way to get more.
http://twitter.com/VinoSean
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10/21/2009 - edchi wrote: 94 Points
This wine is incredible. I didn't realize that there are such sophisticated Pinot being made state-side. Complex, with lots of structure. Deep berry and plum notes. Smooth and lingering finish. We had the bottle with Zuni Chicken. The wine was good before the dish was even served, but the pairing was incredible. Not entirely sure on the potential on aging on this wine, but with it drinking this nicely, why wait!
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10/17/2009 - sehill wrote: 93 Points
Outstanding! This wine was opened and poured. The first experience with 2007 Rhys and this wine surpassed expectations. The wine shows wonderful balance, nuance and complexity. The aromatics show cherry, spice and forest notes. The color is a medium to dark ruby. The medium bodied palate shows finesse, depth and length. Unfortunately the wine did not have a chance to develop with airing due to its popularity at the table. This wine drinks well now and should benefit from a few years of bottle age.
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6/27/2009 - yhn wrote: 94 Points
Nose - light resin, roasted plum, tight.
Earthy, smoky, roasted plum, resin. Just packing, with zest and earth. Needs time to open up. Drink '15-'30.
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5/30/2009 - xwine wrote:
Tasted at the Odds and Ends pickup. I didn't take any notes, but this was clearly a couple notches up from the Alesia Green Valley. While not giving too much on the nose other than a whiff of red fruit with a spice backnote (but plenty lurking in the background), the palate was marvelously structured. Elegant yet deep, beautiful balance, restrained but champing at the bit. Simply put: a dazzling young wine. Reminded me of a solid V-R premier cru.
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4/24/2009 - Keith Levenberg wrote: 89 Points
Rhys (Seasonal): Enticing scent of crushed stones. Somewhat reminds me of the style of a lot of '06 Burgundies I've experienced lately in that there is a slightly candied edge to the fruit but the material is nevertheless airy and not as glossy as the flavor tends to connote. The tannins are nice and silky although the alcohol (which is pretty low by the numbers) feels a bit firm on the back end. Overall though, way more interesting and sophisticated than the declassified Family Farm juice in the '06 San Mateo.
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3/20/2009 - gutt22 wrote:
Lovely bouquet of black cherry, raspberry, stems, minerals, and earth. In the mouth, structured and a laser beam of fruit and complexity. Solid tannins on the long finish. A-
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