Slightly lighter in color and flavor from the Horseshoe. Really lovely floral notes and ripe cherry candy along with Rhys's signature spiciness. Brighter with a little more acid spine. Amazing shape, really good and still fresh. CA PN EWG at Otono. 92-93 Prefered this slightlly over the Horseshoe.
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Popped, let sit a few hours, consumed over two nights. Improved with time/air. Nice nose, better palate. Red berries, spices, earth. Tannin still prevalent. Good finish. Agree with a few other comments that the mid palate was relatively weak. All in all, a very good Rhys outing that was a pleasure to drink. Try again in a few years.
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This is nice, with a beautiful nose and plenty of cherry fruit left but the midpalate is a bit hollow. Strong start, and long, slightly tannic finish, but lacking some weight and depth. Decanted right before service and drank over 2 hours so perhaps it would have benefited from more air and time.
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I gave this wine a couple hours of air and it improved the entire time. It had a fabulous nose of raspberry, sandalwood, tan spices, and plum.
This was a bit light in the mouth at first but rounded out and became more balanced with time. It had very good length.
This needs 4+ hours of air and had moments when it flirted with 95 points but just couldn’t sustain those heights. Will it improve with more time? It seems possible .
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Boston Wine & Poker, Lincoln, Mass.: Very dark. A lot of tannin. Serious intensity but no sweetness, with an unexpected edge of grapefruit flavor. This was impressive but not very generous, and I had no idea what it was, even though I would usually expect to be able to identify a Rhys Pinot.
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Darker translucent ruby. Nose of piercing red and black berry, iodine, a bit of orange peel, musky violets, earth. Layers of focused black cherry, raspberry, iron particles, packed earth, and a touch of austere astringency (not a negative) on the intense but lithe palate. Freshening acidity and firm but integrated tannin. Longer finish of bold dark berry, iodine, and iron granules. A beauty of a wine caught in early adolescence.
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I agree with Bravo.Solares, this is drinking very well right now, with fully expressive aromatics and great balance. The fruit is maturing and the acidity is totally integrated and fresh. With air, I found the tannins emerged and made this a touch firm on the back end. I think it's got enough life in it that they'll continue to integrate over the next few years, though they may never completely melt.
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This was exceptionally good. One of the best aged CA PNs I have ever had. Audozed in bottle for 2.5 hrs, then drank over 2 more hrs. Some lovely tertiaries have now emerged on the nose - even if, visually, it looks quite young, with barely any bricking. Superb nose. Red cherries, mushroom, Asian spices. With more air contact, it becomes less masculine and muscular, and the upper register starts singing. Palate follows the nose, with very good structure - especially in terms of acidity. I imagine this will keep drinking very well for 4-5more yrs.
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Still young, some tannin, good acidic balance, black cherry and rose petals, brambly, no cherry cola in sight. Could use a bit more time but I enjoy. B+
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I’ve previously not been a fan of Rhys Pinots - finding many of the wines to be quite reticent. Gorgeous nose and kaleidoscopic on the palate with mouth watering red fruits with almost a eucalyptus undertone. Lacks a bit of mid-palate depth to be truly world-class - but now I am nit-picking. Fun wine.
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Stood up for about 1 week. Decanted off fine sediment for 1.5h then back into bottle to restaurant. Note is about 3.5h after decant. Nice aromas of green stems, cherry fruit, earth, bark and nice minerals. Palate with lovely cherry fruit, some stems, minerals, and a bit of bark and leather. Full bodied with nice acids and medium tannins. The minerals really stood out on the palate and the use of stems is evident - may jut out just a bit now. I think there is still room for improvement with hopefully, greater integration and balance of the palate.
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A good example of a successful California Pinot Noir at peak - and its limitations. Nicely sappy and intense, although maybe a bit too tart. Juicy, fruity blackberry and raspberry flavors. Yet ultimately fairly simple and not all that interesting. Delightful for casual drinking with the right food, not for contemplation.
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Wow, this is still pretty tightly wound up. Medium dark fruit, some spice, lovely texture. This still needs time. Seems like I shouldn't open another bottle for four or five years.
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Finally ready to drink! Full fruit without being rich, deep without tannins poking through, good balance, perfect match with a roasted chicken. Long, complex and thoroughly enjoyable.
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I opened a bottle of this wine back in February, and while it was developing it was still a bit of a brute. This bottle decided to go in a completely different direction, at least so far. On opening it was a rose garden in the middle of a mossy wood. The fruit didn’t even show up on the nose. It showed up on the palate, all dark and stormy, and the roses had thorns, as the tannins clamped down on the mid-palate.
Another 30 minutes of air and the fruit gets fresher/brighter. Tannins remain firm, but it’s a better overall balance. 90 minutes after opening I wish I had waited to open this bottle. It’s on a good trajectory. At least I have one more…somewhere.
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Rhys wines require patience. This has finally really hit its stride. PnP. Very aromatic showing floral, spice and red fruit aromas. Layers of flavor with tart cherry, red raspberry, currant, spice, earthiness, and pepper that lead to a long smooth finish. Great balance and good acidity. My last bottle, but will probably continue to improve.
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The aromas displays a complex notes of dark cherry, coca leaf, wood spices, violet and potpourri.
Soft and well integrated mouthfeel. Some traces of tannin, medium plus acidity, dry, medium body. The fruit profile is of typical Pinot characters: cherry, raspberry, and cranberry. After an hour, the earthiness started to come through. Definitely forest floor and fungi. Finish is high toned with a decent length.
This Pinot is on the elegant side and after almost 13 years, ready for business. It does not show as much complexity as a 1er or grand cru burgundy but can definitely compete with any new world Pinot. Drink now or should hold for another 2-3 years. 91.
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Significantly better than the bottle we had several months ago. This was a jaw-dropper. Raspberries, wet leaves and damp soil evident immediately on the nose. Raspberry cough drop with light tobacco notes and more turned soil in the mouth. Still retains some tannic prickle but that only serves to complement the minerality. Fresh, focused, and layered but somehow still light on its feet. Best PN I've had in some time. This can go for another half-decade but really no reason to wait. Stood-up beautifully to beef tenderloin with a lemon/thyme compound butter. Bravo!
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Cherry cough drop, pine needles, and melted licorice on the nose. Not your typical PN profile but deep, intense, and spicy nonetheless. In the mouth the flavors moved toward the red spectrum with wild strawberry and dark raspberry. Still some minerality in evidence, too. This bottle seemed to be slightly past peak with all the elements slowly fading in harmony. So you're left with a great terroir-driven package with only a modest up-side. Drink now or soon.
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The 2008 Rhys Alpine Vineyard is rich, with concentrated dark berries, earth, herbs, leather, spices. The tannins are still there, but are now fine as sand. This is very drinkable now, but I think even greater rewards are in store if you can wait until it's 20th birthday.
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Getting on towards thirteen years from the vintage, and there is a clear glimmer of developing maturity. It’s not yet heading in the sous bois direction, but there is a distinct element of umami coming through on the mid-palate. Still it’s a massive wine in terms of overall density, but not heavy. Patience is starting to be rewarded, but further patience is required. Structure is developing on pace with the fruit, so I am not worried about balance. That holy grail of a Rhys Pinot that achieves maturity is still out there. Choose wisely.
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Decanted for one hour. Nearly opaque dark ruby color. Nose of dense forest floor, fecund soil, plum pits, deeply pitched berry, hyacinth. Layers of concentrated slightly tart black plum, raspberry, packed earth, and anise on the palate. Fresh acidity and young tannin buried by fruit. Long finish of pure dark berry, briar, and grippy earth. Young but poised to age beautifully for many years. Increasingly uncoiled and extraordinary.
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Quite good borderline great. I’d like it a bit more if this bottle had a bit more verve and delineation to it, but it has consistently shown well and tonight was no exception.
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Now in a peak window. Attractive nose of red cherry, pine, spice, florals and some toasted herbs. Palate has terrific concentration of modestly sweet red and black cherry. Juicy and well integrated acidity gives this a long and precise palate. Feels like it will hold for a decade+ with some modest upside.
Drank alongside the 2007 Alpine. Popped and poured at cellar temp. Nice dark ruby color with just a hint of bricking on the rim. Very bold meaty, dark fruited nose - tons of blackberry fruit with a nice limestone note. Dark brambly fruit with noticeable spicy, stemmy notes on the palate and some persistent fine tannins on the finish. This is in early days and should last many more years, with great potential for even more complexity with bottle age. The 07 is drinking well right now, but prefer the 08 for present and future potential.
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Decanted for two hours. Beautiful plum and berries. Complex with depth. Rich and juicy finish. Changed a lot over 3 hours of drinking being biggest at the end. Will age well. Can wait a few years for next, but excellent with decant.
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Sweet pomegranate, plum and black raspberry fruit. Baking spice, and a bit of wet earth on the finish. Still bright and vibrant, crisp acidity sings on the finish. Many years of potential evolution.
Rhys Alpine Virtual Tasting (Planet Earth): Broad array or red fruit, still fresh and bright, nicely supported by background spice. Very good depth and density, with even better harmony. Consistent with another bottle from last year. Jeff says these 2008s took a long time to reach this level of pleasure and harmony, but they are great today, and should continue to drink well for another decade.
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Pop and pour and followed for a few hours. Needed about 45 minutes of air to settle. This bottle is still so youthful. Black cherry, blackberry, damp earth, minerals, lily, pomegranate, cherry cough drop, and a little cocoa powder on the nose. Tart cherry, pomegranate, blackberry, red cherry, earth, lemon, minerals, and slight bloody meatiness on the palate. Tart, lemony acidity, grippy tannins, medium-long finish. Boy, there are many years ahead for this wine, though it's approachable now.
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Started buying Rhys early on. Have had mixed results which seems inconsistent with the huge scores from reviewers. The 2008 Alpine last year was ok but not worthy of a write up. This is now shinning bright. Many years left. Not fully mature yet.
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Rhys @ My Place--Part 5 (My House In The South OC): I last had this wine 5 years ago, so it was fortunate to have this in our Rhys tasting at the house yesterday. We also poured it blind, included blind with the 2008 Horseshoe and 2008 Swan Terrace. I'll write this up in two parts: one from my notes from yesterday and the other from tasting the wine right now from the bottle leftovers from last night. From yesterday, the wine showed a rose petal aromatic. And as with the 2014 bottle I wrote up 5 years ago, darker in color (as were all the 2008s we looked at yesterday, too). Depth, lots of color and concentration, burly and coiled. I closed my notes with the phrase "stacked and packed". Fast forward 24 hours to today, I just poured off another 2 ounces to retry. Not getting the rose petal today, but instead the whole cluster impact, with cracked spices and some herbals. The palate on the wine today is really concentrated, with a plump, filling kind of texture that has softened some from yesterday. What I find fascinating about these 2008s is that the wines are now past a decade old and this vintage for Rhys shows their aging ability--this does not show nor taste like something going on 11 years old. This remains fresh, pure and for me no signs of any fade or aged character. Terrific.
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-- double decanted approx. 3 hours before tasting -- -- tasted single blind over approx. 30 minutes --
Enjoyed the Nose on this one a lot, even though it was a touch funky; similar to the Swan Terrace (deep red berries), but a bit more tight (possibly a result of the different decant times). Light bodied. Very tight on the palate, but there were some dark red/purple fruits somewhat accessible; a touch tannic; 13.3% alc.. Still has tons of upside. Hold.
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Rhys Alpine/Horseshoe Tasting at Frank's (Frank Murray's Casa): Bagged but knew all but which vineyard was in which bag. All these 08's showed tons of young fruit still, especially in comparison to the much less extracted, much younger wines in front of them. Complex, rocky nose. Tight and very grippy on the palate. So very dense still. Almost modern showing the most ripeness of the three. But this one saw little air. Again, don't rush to open this.
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Tasted blind. Quick impression from a large tasting. Blackberries, mineral, touch of asparagus. But subtle nose overall. Dark fruit but with a glassy feel. Lots of grip. I wrote good potential but young!! Voted. Second fav on the day. I believe this wine garnered the most votes on the day. Showing pretty well and not even quite mature.
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Great wine and one of the better experiences I’ve had with a Rhys Pinot Noir. Saw another recent note indicating this had entered the drinking window and I completely agree. Structure is largely resolved and everything is in harmony.
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Rhys Dinner Following Rhys Tasting (Prairie Grass - Northbrook IL): Red cherry and berry with whole cluster spice, but more in the background (compared with 2009 Swan Terrace, where it dominated). Fully engaging aromas with red fruit, floral and spice elegantly intertwined, followed by similar flavors with ethereal textures. Better today vs last bottle from two years ago, I think this is entering its peak drinking window. Most people's top wine tonight, myself included.
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Weird. Wine spritzed from bottle when opened. I did drop the bottle over the way to my friends house. Was afraid the bottle was flawed. But Tasted fine.
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PnP Nose is so dark...black cherry, pomegranate, vanilla coke and stems...definitely pointing to Nuits St. Georges. Palate is so pure and layered....such dense fruit....spice, flowers, cola, stems, ginger, sassafras, herbs and menthol. Complex....and ready to be held for the long term...20+ more years easy. Finish is long...so much going on.
No rush on these...hold for 5 years at least.....10 if possible.
Wow this is really emerging as something special. 92 maybe is conservative. Lots of dark fruit and spice on the nose, dark rich palatable with loads of spice on the long finish, good balance. No heaviness on this for a lot of concentration.
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For me, this wine was subtle and alluring. Dusty, earthy reddish fruit with wonderfully balanced and restrained acid. Silky mouthfeel yet filling and lush. Lingering complex notes of forest and boysenberry. Exotic spice on the nose with air. Really enjoyed.
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Probably the darkest, blackest pinot I've ever tasted. This is only from memory, but it had a huge amount of dark fruit, tons of vivid licorice-laden cola, and some light earth/ash. It's not "heavy" or extracted dark fruit though- still a light touch. However, I agree with some other commenters that it's pretty closed and probably needs time- it feels like you have to struggle to get much out of it. It's pretty tannic as well and this obscures the palate. If opening now, decant. An amazing wine though- tried at a friends' house- not sure I'd go for the high price myself, but it's certainly memorable.
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This bottle is terrific! Dark, cool, berry fruit. Rich flavors of dark fruit, pretty spices. This wine has plenty of earth/soil perceptions, very complex. Great long lasting swallow. This wine held up easily for three days.
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Too early but this is a well made wine. Lots of crisp, austere red fruit with excellent acidity and still young tannin. Longer almost rustic finish. Needs time.
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Fruit is on the darker side of the spectrum, with tree bark, cola, spice and smoke. This was a pop and pour, so perhaps this needed a bit of decanting, as it came across a bit monolithic and hard. Enjoyable, but didn't blow me away.
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This was really, really good. Still somewhat young, actually. Somewhat primary, with tertiaries still not emerging. Delicious nose. Red cherries, mushroom, dirt, Asian spices. Palate follows the nose, with very good structure - both in terms of tannins and acidity. Stems are noticeable but well integrated. My sense is this wine could go to very interesting places if/when tertiaries emerge. I plan to revisit in 3-4 more yrs. If any Rhys frequent drinkers have views on this time-frame, I would love to hear from them.
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This was pretty wonderful. I guess 10 years is a good time to drink this vineyard. I'm just curious what happens with more time- my gut says it's probably near peak now- but I'll probably hold onto a bottle to experiment with
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This wine has finally really hit its stride. Minimal browning at the edge. Very aromatic, but benefited from time. Floral, spice and red fruit aromas. Layers of flavor with tart cherry, red raspberry, currant, spice, earthiness, and pepper that lead to a long smooth finish. Great balance with enough acidity and structure to not worry about laying this down even longer. Starting to show some secondary character.
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Delicious black berry, minerals, and hint of wood notes on the nose and smooth palate with refreshing acidity and fine tannins on the long finish. Coming together beautifully since the last bottle a year ago.
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Color is a translucent cherry with bricking around the edge. Upon opening, the wine was a tad reserved due to the 55 degree temp. As it warmed it was ready to go. The nose is all violets and spice. On the palate, you are immediately met with a delicious tart cherry, a nice hit of Asian spice, earthiness, mineral notes, white pepper, acidity and enough structure to allow this wine to run for awhile. The next sensation is one of impeccable balance that leads to a delicious lengthy finish that keeps reminding you just how good this wine is. Probably the best Rhys Pinot I have had to date and I've been following Rhys from the beginning. My first 2008 and thrilled to have several more bottles and a Mag. This is another confirmation for me that Kevin and team are on to something special.
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Chicago Wine Flock...Burgundy Al Asks "Is it Grand Cru?" (My home - Chicago IL): Served double blind to the tasting group. I can easily see how some would think this Grand Cru Burgundy with its baking spice and ripe red and black cherry aromas and flavors. Lots of structural elements here as well, but silky tannins and charming balance. Very good now.
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This was not open long – about a half hour, certainly not long enough – before we started on it; then enjoyed it over the next hour or two. Initially some rhubarb on the nose (which I'm not sure I’ve ever picked up in a wine), along with some spice. The use of stems is boldly evident in the structure, though not in a green way. This bottle is very tight, stern, unyielding – the tannins are dominant, though not in any way harsh. The somewhat shy fruit has just a hint of sweetness, though I certainly didn’t pick up anything that I would call “candied.” The overall structure and material is fairly impressive. A substantial wine but not ponderous. Judging from this bottle this is not a wine for immediate pleasure, but rather seems to beg for at least another five years of cellaring. Obviously somewhat difficult to assess the benefits of aging without a long track record, but it appears to have the underlying material to justify it. Time will tell.
The next morning, it has developed deep-pitched fruit on the nose, with a significant spice component. The palate has softened somewhat, though it remains firm. Finishes with juicy acidity and a burst of boysenberry.
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Dark purple color (which was a little surprising). Oak, red fruits, some earthiness. A little better later, more earthy, but oaky throughout. Nice overall. Others liked it more.
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2 hr decant. Wow is the first thing that comes to mind, wild berry/cherry with an explosion due to stem inclusion, bringing a hi toned party to your mouth. So full and energetic, I loved it. While not reaching the complexity level I'd like to see, it's unique on its own. More time will not hurt this wine.
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I love this. Lots of mushroom and herbs on the nose, along with copious black cherry. Big and fruity on the palate. I like this better than the grand cru Burgundy I drank yesterday.
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Delicious black berry, minerals, and hint of wood notes on the nose and smooth palate with refreshing acidity and fine tannins on the long finish. Approachable but with a long ahead of it!
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Brown-red, clear. Giant nose of strawberry, flint, raspberry. Moderate tannin, medium acidity. Very big on the palate, smoky, aggressive fruit, sour cherry, anise, BBQ meat. Long finish. This is a very big wine, although still maintains balance and lightness. It's delicious.
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13.2% abv. Medium light burgundy red, very expressive aromas. A predominately red fruit profile, with moderate depth and good length, this wine is hyper focused, fresh and vibrant on the palate. Enjoyable now and I'd expect this to continue to improve.
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Delicious. Beautifully complex nose of stems, spice, and black cherry. In the mouth, this has become very refined and smooth. Lovely texture with delightful black cherry fruit, light stemmy complexity, and plenty of earth and spice. Complete and delicious. A-/A
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Rhys @ QCH (Quality Chop House, London): Quite reduced on the nose. Cleans up with twenty minutes of air. Gently fragrant. Quite dense, black fruited and a little dry on the attack. Through to the mid palate. Again, an elegance. A bit drier and fuller than the Family Farm. ****
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Followed over two days. Dark garnet color. A powerful take on Pinot Noir with a sense of purity in the fruit. A portrait of balance as it shows dark red fruit, earthy spice, bright acid & a strong tannin framework. Full bodied with a lush texture accentuated with that tannic grip. Layers of aromatics are one of the real strong points here. Day 2 shows that power rising from the glass & the fruit to more brooding earthiness is that much more pronounced.
Pinot Noir at best shows that combination of power and finesse and that was my strongest takeaway. Throw in the spicy details and nuance and you have something truly excellent.
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I gave the same score for this wine as I gave a Kosta Browne pinot last week, but for entirely different reasons. I needed to decide whether or not to buy the 2013 vintage, so I decided to pop open this '08 Alpine to see how it's behaving. It is drinking beautifully. I disagree with a previous notes that mentioned it might be confused with syrah because it tastes like 100% varietally pure pinot noir. It tastes like a 2nd tier Premier Cru burg from a top vintage. Delicate and balanced, and the fruit and subtle spice sneaks up on you. It may not wow non-wine nerds but it is intellectually outstanding. This didn't help with my decision as it tastes exactly as a $80 price point pinot should taste, not underachieving or overachieving in my opinion.
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LBTG - with Alan hosting: I was able to guess Rhys right off the bat. has that funky earthy cola note. Ripe core of red fruit, sappy mid with sweet cherry and spices. long sweet finish missing just a touch of zing perhaps. very very good.
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13.3% abv. Dark burgundy red. The aromatics are exceptional, really expressive and luscious. On the palate, black raspberry, pomegranate, black cherry and spice. Great structure and depth. This wine is just coming into its own and will continue to improve.
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Powerful nose of blackberries, lilacs, cherry cola, and loamy earth. Black currant and red fruits on the palate. Great acidity, excellent balance. A superior effort.
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Pure dark fruit and menthol, fairly tight at first but blossomed with air. Very good but still needs time and it has all the stuffing and structure it needs to benefit from it.
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I bought this bottle off a website auction. It was brownish and somewhat opaque. Nose muted. Somewhat green and stemmy but did open a bit with about 30 of air. Seems as if it were cooked. I don't think it was just young. Will try more later.
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2008 Rhys (The Medlar, London): A touch lactic on the nose, then a bit diffuse. Dark red to black fruit. Good acidity with dense fruit behind it, but lacks a slight frisson cf the others. Tightens up with air to a densely mineral line through the fruit. ***(*)
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An Epic Night of Rhys (Sun Wah BBQ, Chicago IL): Nose: This was on the tighter side with red fruits, rhubarb, fresh picked berries, currants, roses, and some mineral tones. While this is on the tight side, there is a real attractiveness and elegance to the tones.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium/high acidity and noticeable tannins. The structure shows The feel leans more towards elegance with red fruits, fresh picked berries, currants, roses, and mineral tones.
Overall: This is a very young and elegant pinot. This needs time to allow itself to be as good as it can be. I would love to try this again in another 5 years.
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Tasted side-by-side with the 2007. This was tighter than the 2007 (and saw far less decanting time than the 2007). With vigorous swirling shows cherry and strawberry, herb and evergreen notes. Palate has medium richness, more red fruit, herbs, evergreen and some pepper. More body and presence than the 2007. It needs time to delineate and show more nuance and development. Outstanding core and very nice stuff.
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Just a tad under 2 years since the last time I had one of these. The bottle here was opened y/day, kept cool overnight under cork. Serving today at ideal temp, burg stem. I will say y/day that the stems on this were noticeable, the wine grew on me through the meal. As for today, interesting contrast here. I can clearly sense the fruit here, fuller tones, and part of where I can validate that is the color, which is a darker, maroon red. Yet, there is a rustic, gamy side too that I suspect is added from the stems. Those gamy notes in the palate, a little rhone-like too with a sweet leather, gamy cherry, cracked spice, some rocky tannin and the herbal shadings in the finish. I'd have a hard time with this blind if served in a burg/CA flight as the fruit level would suggest new world or say riper Burg year, yet the style it's made and the flavors in it say to me older world Burg stylings. Given the stems and adjoining structure, this is not yet peaked and I would think this is 2, maybe even 3-4 years from that and do see this bottle aging for some time. Might be a good one to study several years from now and watch it evolve.
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While the elusive "richness without weight" is coming together in this wine, it currently lacks a little mid-palate depth. This should continue to improve over the next several years.
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wow...this was rich, deep and dark. Decanted for 1-2 hours and drunk with a fish dinner....clearly the biggest and richest pinot I've ever had from Rhys....I really liked this
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Darker ruby than what i was expecting. Nose of earth, black cherry. The palate is full with intense fruit, spice, tea and some mineral. Medium mouthfeel. Medium to long finish. Has some years to go, but drinking very well now!
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I can't wait to see what this will taste like in five years...but you should know that it is really, really good right now. The Rhys folks say that Alpine Vineyard wines taste like no other Pinots on earth. I haven't tasted enough fine Burgundy to say, but they are like nothing I've tasted before and the 2008 certainly is in that league. My nose isn't well trained, but I smell the rocks and soil (and the berry fruits). The blend of these aromas intrigue the mouth too. All the right things are there and none overpowering the other. There's nice not-too-sweet-not-too-tart fruit...the earthiness and cut of the minerality. Wow!
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This was a very nice bottle of wine that still has baby fat to shed, very tasty but still quite fruity. It has yet to begin to develop the broader palate.
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Great nose, classic Pinot in and out, very burgundian in the nose and mostly on the palate with a tad sweeter quality. Still has very firm tannins that need some time to integrate so I would wait 3-4 years before drinking from this point. Good stuff as usual from Rhys.
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Blind Pinots and Syrahs at David's (Enfield, CT): Not a fan of this. Rather unexpressive aromatically, and quite dense and ripe on the palate, with a roasted element to the fruit. It calms down a bit with air, but always comes across rather one-note and monolithic. Not my thing.
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It was hard to coax much from the nose of the wine, but it had great density and depth. Much promise here, perhaps more than with any of the other Pinots. Definitely drunk way too soon, but I was interested to try it.
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Decanted and consumed over 3 hours. Some pine on the nose. Great balance and acidity. I was afraid this would be completely shut down - but it was actually very pleasant. It will certainly improve with more time in bottle - but if you have multiples give one a shot.
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40th Birthday Dinner at NoMad; 6/1/2013-6/4/2013 (NoMad Hotel, NY, NY): Opened about an hour before drinking. Medium bodied pinot dominated by cherries with some tart raspberry notes as well. A nicely put together pinot, but in my opinion this needed a lot more air than it got and I will probably refrain from opening one for at least 2 more years. Scored a 91 for current drinking but I definitely think this will show better with more time or at least more air.
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Nose was deep, bassy, spicy and a bit oaky. Medium bodied. Purple/red fruit on the palate -- moreso purple than red; oaky; a bit big, but the alc. is not noticeable; kind of reminds me of a Carneros or RRV Pinot, but with more acidity and the fruit a bit more tart than what I would normally expect from Carneros or RRV. Others at the table thought it was very good --- a few surmised it was a 1er – one person was guessing Gevrey, specifically, but – to be fair – nobody knew I had thrown a ringer into the lineup. I thought this was very obviously a CA Pinot, albeit a very good one.
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Pop and pour and followed for three hours, without food, unless you count Wheat Thin crackers as food. The re-corked, chilled, and tasted the following day. This has the Rhys signature nose and flavor profile. A savory and crisp Pinot. Some herbal elements (whole cluster) and fresh crushed raspberries. A hint of mint and basil mixed in. This has a lively flavor, some tartness, with the fresh fruit. Light in weight but there is good flavor, leaning to the savory side of the spectrum.
Rhys and Ceritas Tasting (NYC): Of the 4 vintages of Alpine tasted, this was the most closed down. After a lot of air it moved in a better direction, showing a lot of the same flavors of tart brambly fruit and stems seen in the '07, along with a similar slightly savory quality. Unfortunately with the wine being mostly closed down, this wasn't as much fun to drink, although I think that it will be quite enjoyable in a few more years.
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Outstanding showing for this wine. This seems to have evolved somewhat from the last experience with this wine. This bottle seems more complete and detailed. This has the potential to benefit from an additional year or two of bottle age.
Very dark, dense red. Quite tight on the nose, a touch of cherry and a bit of smoke, but dense and unyielding at this stage - probably a bit closed. Similar on the palate, dense and a sense of plushness underneath. A bit brooding and suppressed currently. Hard to judge but lots of potential I think. ***(*) but needs time to open again.
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Painfully young. Dark red color, restrained nose and firm tannins on the palate. Not giving up much on day 1; a bit softer on day 2 but still very tight. My remaining bottles will rest for a few years.
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Opened and poured some into glasses to aerate for about an hour. Intense nose of cranberries, with some background florals. The palate is tight, structured, medium-grained tannins, good acidity, crisp and tart -- though reticent -- red fruit, stem inclusion quite evident. Excellent, but this needs a few years to develop what seems to be some nice potential lurking underneath the structure.
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Some unresolved, but high quality oak on the nose and palate. A mouthful of black cherries and blackberries, but by no means would I call the fruit sweet. Long, smooth finish. A 2 hour decant helped significantly. 8/10
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As always, very solid and reliable. This one was particularly goos as the minerality in the wine came out more than on previous occasions. Red fruit profile with nice clean spice and lovely silky texture. Can be held for many more years, but this is drinking in its sweet spot right now for my palate. As good as Pinot Noir gets in California, in my opinion.
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I guessed California here. I enjoyed the fruit, which was lively and fresh with blue and red tones. Pure and also jammy, with what I perceived to be some oak sticking to the wine, too.
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Another Round of California Vs Burgundy Blind (Frank Murray's Casa): Served blind. Decanted about 2 hours prior to consumption. Dark, dense nose with notes like stems, herbs and mints. Almost SCM Cab like. Rich and dense. Tannic and chewy. Steve was joking about putting a Schrader in the lineup so I couldn't get Cab out of my head. While it was obviously not like a Schrader it did somewhere resemble Cabernet from Santa Cruz Mtns which has me wondering about terroir coming through. Had a hard time placing this but would have had to lean on a Rhys estate knowing I had brought one. I marked as liking it even though I wrestled with it. Clearly in need of time.
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Wow! This really suprised me. Wanted to give one of these a shot before the next mailer comes out as I was unsure if I wanted to stay on the list and keep going. Opening this may have been my demise as it surpassed my expectation. The nose was intoxicating and changed dramatically over the course of a long dinner. Started off with some nice briary fruit, spice box which later turned into a very floral lavender spice filled aroma. I could smell this all night. A tad tight on the palate but that was to be expected. Showed some nice fruit with a nice minerality and subtle steminess which i really liked in this wine. If you have them try one now and save some for later as it was drinking well with a little air.
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Very dark but appears to be well balanced ... fruit, tannin, acidity although it lacks the glycerine of a wine of this body. Subdued but beautiful nose. I think I've found the sweet spot for me among the Rhys bottlings. Potentially - not now - good mid palate and finish. After sampling all my recent Rhys wines, I'm excited about this one. Can't rate this wine on current flavor interest ... reminds me of my early tastings of Gouges les St Georges ... but I believe it has significant potential. The only proviso will be how the young vines provide complexity of flavor in old age. Hopefully, the soil will help us.
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I decanted this for 4 hours and poured it blind for some friends. Very dark in color. Very tannic with muted fruit. With time it showed hints of licorice and green bamboo shoot. Even more time revealed a touch of violet, a hint of stemmy spice and some drying tannin. At 12 hours it's finally showing some fruit - blackberry - is quite stemmy, smooth, with dusty green tannin on the finish.
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Opened and poured, this showed well but required about an hour of airing to show its best. This is less forthcoming and reticent on opening compared to previously tasted bottles. This appears to be in somewhat closed stage and will require a couple more years of bottle age to show its best.
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Doing this from memory, drank the bottle a few weeks back and lost my notes... delicious, but seemed quite rustic. Lots of brambles, but with a bit of fruit in the background. Could definitely use some more age, but very tasty now as well. Evolved nicely with air.
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Rich estery, dark cherry, vanilla, stone, saline, sweet rubber, tea and floral notes. As it sits, it loses expression and is reticent with cinnamon stick and moss and bark. Stout tannin, bright acid, black tea and mocha, long persistence. Enormous concentration, chalky texture, full of dry extract but acidity seems hidden. A beast. Needs years.
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The best domestic Pinot Noir I've ever tasted. I have said many times in the past that Rhys is sometimes overhyped, but based on this wine alone, I would have to retract my prior statements. The wine has structure, it has a perfumed nose, it shows earth, it has terrific fruit that never gets dull or flabby. It's wonderfully rich yet nervy at the same time. Never crossed into a zone where I detected even a hint of sweetness. Rather, the wine had a rocky, saline note to it. The fruit is darker and shows dark cherry, plum, and blackberry. I can see this ageing beautifully for many years. A true masterpiece that I am glad to own a couple more bottles of.
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Rhys (Peking Duck House): Stemmiest and tightest wine of the bunch and the most difficult to drink, so for the most part I didn't. Can't believe how much this has closed up in just a few months.
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The nose of this wine had red fruit aromas that had a chalky note to them. The palate had flavors of currant, berry and plum with loads of acidity. Medium bodied with a medium-long finish. We tasted this next to an 08 Horseshoe that had been open for several hours longer, so maybe I didn't give this wine a fair assessment, because I loved the Horseshoe and wanted this wine to taste more like the Horseshoe than it did...
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Gifted to us by Andrew. This was a wine that could have been from almost anywhere. Not obviously Cali Pinot at all to me. Wish we had given this more air. In the nose I saw some mulberry, molasses and truffle - which intrigued me very much. The taste and feel however was less intoxicating, not too shabby by any means though and maybe a little more suggestive of new world Cali. Would be interested in other vintages, vineyards, etc by Rhys.
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After purchasing the 07 & 08 Alpine yet not tasting one, I decided to remedy that. Popped and Vinituri'ed and tasted over two days. Dark color, nice pure nose of dark red fruit, some some herbal piney notes. On the palate its middlewight dark cherry flavors are amazingly pure with a really fine texture.A substantial mid-palate persistence of these flavors with nice acidity that keeps this elegant despite its dark fruit leanings. Still some tannin left to integrate as you would expect. What this lacks in complexity it makes up for in purity of fruit and precision. Kind of reminds a bit of a nice MSD 1er.
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Enjoyed with lunch at Sierra Mar. Encouraged by positive early notes here, the wine did not disappoint. A beautiful nose greeted us upon opening with dark fruit dominating. Lovely fine tannin and ample acidity suggest a long life ahead for this wine. A real pleasure to get a glimpse of this, holding my other bottles for 3-5 years minimum with confidence.
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After 2 hours in the decanter the wine really opened up. The nose was a great aroma of red fruit with some spice. On the mouth it had a slight sense of alcohol, but that quickly faded to a mouth full of ripe red fruit with cherry and red plum. The finish while muted in the first hour of drinking, eventually came around to hold on for 10-20 seconds.
Simply one of the best pinots I have had in the last couple of years. Very interested to see where this wine goes in the coming 5-10 years.
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The terrine matched up well with the 2008 Rhys Pinot Noir, Alpine Vineyard. Burgundy-loving Kevin Harvey and his team high up in the Santa Cruz Mountains are clearly inspired by France's expression of this variety, making a leaner, more pure wine when compared to many of their California brethren. Despite its youth, this wine drank well, with mixed fruit nose, medium body, and a long pure finish. It was much more approachable than its 2007 counterpart enjoyed in November and more complex than the 2008 Rhys Alesia Sonoma Coast consumed the previous night. Tom and Richard discussed which Burgundy they could secretly substitute this for without getting called out. I believe they settled on a 5-10 year old Dujac.
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Nose: Powdered strawberries, dusty gravel, cherries upon popping the cork. 2 hours later, a darker side emerges with black cherries, cherry liqueur, tar, Chinese moon cakes, tiny hint of stems back there. Palate: Cherries, strawberries, a bit of smoke and gravel on the attack. The mid-palate is where this pinot really struts its stuff. Some bright berries, crisp acidity, and a healthy amount of tannins suggest a very long life ahead. Potpourri, spiced cherries linger on the long finish. Extremely good. I can see the darker side of this pinot dominating once it reaches maturity. I'm going to lay the others down for at least 5 years...
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Nose is mix of raspberries and blackberries with some cedary notes. Similar fruit profile on the palate. Some firm chalky tannins. Best part is the long vibrant finish. Quite harmonious for such a young wine.
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Great wine. Opened and decanted for a few hours. Bright cherries, on the acidic side. After a day, some mint and spice notes. Best after two days. Good balance and depth.
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I've never been the kind of guy to open wines right after delivery, but a great showing by the 07 Alpine several months ago made this too tempting not to open. The first whiff of this wine tells you this is a serious pinot - tightly wound but aromatic fruit, some exotic spice, and a touch of stemmy underbrush. The palate shows gorgeous fruit with excellent tangy acidity that makes this a very juicy, inviting wine. With air, a loamy note and slight cola impressions emerge on the nose. Color is verging toward purplish. Tasted over several nights, this wine does loosen up and unfurl a bit - it's delicious now and supremely balanced, with the stuffing to evolve nicely. A fantastic wine, and open enough that I'm glad I opened this. Will be interesting to compare to Copain 07 Kiser En Haut and 08 Soter Mineral Springs to see how they evolve comparatively, as I see elements that remind me of both of those wines. 93-94 pts
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Great, evolving nose of cherry, pomegranate, baking spice and wood. Red and blue fruit on the palate with firm tannins and nice acidity. Balanced. Last glass (after being open for three hours or so) was the best as it had softened quite a bit. I'll wait at least a year before opening another.
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Fresh off the truck! Relative to the last few Alpines, I'm not sure whether this one is ultimately "better," but it is more accessible on release than I remember any of the others being. The '06 in particular had a ton of primary fat that needed significant airing befor receding to show the wine's real contours - that's not the case here, which is pretty streamlined from the pop of the cork. There is plenty of fruit intensity here but it still cuts a slim, feminine figure. Like previous Alpines, it's definitely a showcase for the influence of the stems at this point, with a clear stalkiness to the scent like you'd just snapped a flower stem in two, which adds a refreshing counterpoint to the fruit.
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To be fair, had this after a long evening of excellent, and some bigger, wines. So my palate was pretty tired. This is very pretty, with floral themes dominant, but also a bit of wood. Think it was stems rather than oak. Unsurprisingly, not as open and accessible as the Alesia Sonoma Coast, but am looking forward to trying it again several years down the road.
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Opened and poured, this wine required about thirty to forty five minutes to shows its best. Tasted next to the '08 Rhys Family Farm, this wine shows a more complete profile with darker fruit, more depth and a denser palate. The aromatics show black cherry, stone, mineral, earth, and spice notes. The color is a medium to dark ruby. The medium plus weight palate shows a rich core of fruit that requires some airing to become expressive. The stone character continues on the plate giving the wine firmness and density. This will require a couple of years of bottle age to show its best.
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Rhys Tour and Tasting (Various Rhys vineyards): Lovely aromatics, floral, a very slight mocha note does not overpower; a mix of red fruit and darker fruit, along with some spice, but despite its deeper pitched fruit it maintains that Rhys sense of lightness. Terrific concentration and energy. A stellar wine.
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Tour and Tasting at Rhys Vineyards (All over): No Alpine Hillside this vintage, having being incorporated into the Alpine bottling. Lots of floral elements in the nose with some baking spice. In the mouth, there is not as firm and overt structure as the Skyline. Tannins are still very fine, but not as coating. Silky, smooth mouthfeel. There is a brisk (but not short) and orderly progression from entry to finish. At the finish, a feeling of "structure" lines the mouth. This wine feels a little more feminine versus the Skyline and Horseshoe. Aromas were really seductive for this one. Probably a little easier to enjoy early vs some of its stablemates, but I would leave this bottle alone for a while.
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Nose - ethereal spice, smooth rich but restrained fruit, purple basil and rosemary, strawberry, raspberry, boysenberry, roasty, smoky, cardamon, with notes of mango and green melon. Lovely, roasty, grippy, zesty, boysenberry and green melon, sage, nutmeg, balsa, black plum, lime, cinnamon, with a touch of mushroom and fine dusty tannin on the finish. 95+ pts
Tasted at the Rhys pickup day -- didn't take detailed notes. A different animal from the first two wines (2008 Alesia SC and 2008 Rhys Family Farm). In stark contrast to the Family Farm, which showed elegant red fruit, this one is deeper pitched, leaning more to the dark fruit end of the spectrum, but maintains a sense of elegance. As with all of the wines today, terrific structure. This will also require some time in the bottle.
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3/3/2024 - peternelson wrote: 92 Points
Slightly lighter in color and flavor from the Horseshoe. Really lovely floral notes and ripe cherry candy along with Rhys's signature spiciness. Brighter with a little more acid spine. Amazing shape, really good and still fresh. CA PN EWG at Otono. 92-93 Prefered this slightlly over the Horseshoe.
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1/27/2024 - Robert R. Likes this wine:
Popped, let sit a few hours, consumed over two nights. Improved with time/air. Nice nose, better palate. Red berries, spices, earth. Tannin still prevalent. Good finish. Agree with a few other comments that the mid palate was relatively weak. All in all, a very good Rhys outing that was a pleasure to drink. Try again in a few years.
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1/4/2024 - jjct Likes this wine:
Beautiful fruit, assertive, somewhat coarse tannins. I did not give this air, but will for my next bottle.
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12/29/2023 - zscheiner wrote:
This is nice, with a beautiful nose and plenty of cherry fruit left but the midpalate is a bit hollow. Strong start, and long, slightly tannic finish, but lacking some weight and depth. Decanted right before service and drank over 2 hours so perhaps it would have benefited from more air and time.
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11/23/2023 - L84Dinner Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened and decanted 2 hours. Smooth and refined, broad fruit palate. Still great color but a little bricking. Gained weight and complexity on day 5.
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10/17/2023 - paulst Likes this wine: 95 Points
Light and austere; elegant; light blackberry-cherry; lean elegant earthy finish.
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10/13/2023 - fclarity wrote: 94 Points
I gave this wine a couple hours of air and it improved the entire time. It had a fabulous nose of raspberry, sandalwood, tan spices, and plum.
This was a bit light in the mouth at first but rounded out and became more balanced with time. It had very good length.
This needs 4+ hours of air and had moments when it flirted with 95 points but just couldn’t sustain those heights. Will it improve with more time? It seems possible .
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7/24/2023 - talbot61 wrote:
Boston Wine & Poker, Lincoln, Mass.: Very dark. A lot of tannin. Serious intensity but no sweetness, with an unexpected edge of grapefruit flavor. This was impressive but not very generous, and I had no idea what it was, even though I would usually expect to be able to identify a Rhys Pinot.
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7/8/2023 - DougLee wrote: 92 Points
Darker translucent ruby. Nose of piercing red and black berry, iodine, a bit of orange peel, musky violets, earth. Layers of focused black cherry, raspberry, iron particles, packed earth, and a touch of austere astringency (not a negative) on the intense but lithe palate. Freshening acidity and firm but integrated tannin. Longer finish of bold dark berry, iodine, and iron granules. A beauty of a wine caught in early adolescence.
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5/19/2023 - jlm wrote:
I agree with Bravo.Solares, this is drinking very well right now, with fully expressive aromatics and great balance. The fruit is maturing and the acidity is totally integrated and fresh. With air, I found the tannins emerged and made this a touch firm on the back end. I think it's got enough life in it that they'll continue to integrate over the next few years, though they may never completely melt.
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4/15/2023 - bravo.solares Likes this wine: 94 Points
This was exceptionally good. One of the best aged CA PNs I have ever had. Audozed in bottle for 2.5 hrs, then drank over 2 more hrs. Some lovely tertiaries have now emerged on the nose - even if, visually, it looks quite young, with barely any bricking. Superb nose. Red cherries, mushroom, Asian spices. With more air contact, it becomes less masculine and muscular, and the upper register starts singing. Palate follows the nose, with very good structure - especially in terms of acidity. I imagine this will keep drinking very well for 4-5more yrs.
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12/21/2022 - DaleW wrote:
Still young, some tannin, good acidic balance, black cherry and rose petals, brambly, no cherry cola in sight. Could use a bit more time but I enjoy. B+
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11/22/2022 - Smooth Jazz Likes this wine: 94 Points
I’ve previously not been a fan of Rhys Pinots - finding many of the wines to be quite reticent. Gorgeous nose and kaleidoscopic on the palate with mouth watering red fruits with almost a eucalyptus undertone. Lacks a bit of mid-palate depth to be truly world-class - but now I am nit-picking. Fun wine.
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10/28/2022 - James Kim Likes this wine: 92 Points
Stood up for about 1 week. Decanted off fine sediment for 1.5h then back into bottle to restaurant. Note is about 3.5h after decant. Nice aromas of green stems, cherry fruit, earth, bark and nice minerals. Palate with lovely cherry fruit, some stems, minerals, and a bit of bark and leather. Full bodied with nice acids and medium tannins. The minerals really stood out on the palate and the use of stems is evident - may jut out just a bit now. I think there is still room for improvement with hopefully, greater integration and balance of the palate.
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10/17/2022 - fclarity wrote: 90 Points
This was a bit reduced upon first opening. It developed reasonably well with a few hours of air but was never great. It appears to be at peak.
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8/16/2022 - sdr Likes this wine: 91 Points
A good example of a successful California Pinot Noir at peak - and its limitations. Nicely sappy and intense, although maybe a bit too tart. Juicy, fruity blackberry and raspberry flavors. Yet ultimately fairly simple and not all that interesting. Delightful for casual drinking with the right food, not for contemplation.
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7/24/2022 - dougie Likes this wine: 94 Points
Same as two years ago. Drinking nicely with decant. No hurry st all. Nice to see Rhys hitting it out of the park.
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1/29/2022 - xwine wrote:
Wow, this is still pretty tightly wound up. Medium dark fruit, some spice, lovely texture. This still needs time. Seems like I shouldn't open another bottle for four or five years.
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11/28/2021 - Tree512 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Finally ready to drink! Full fruit without being rich, deep without tannins poking through, good balance, perfect match with a roasted chicken. Long, complex and thoroughly enjoyable.
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11/21/2021 - Rieslingfan wrote:
I opened a bottle of this wine back in February, and while it was developing it was still a bit of a brute. This bottle decided to go in a completely different direction, at least so far. On opening it was a rose garden in the middle of a mossy wood. The fruit didn’t even show up on the nose. It showed up on the palate, all dark and stormy, and the roses had thorns, as the tannins clamped down on the mid-palate.
Another 30 minutes of air and the fruit gets fresher/brighter. Tannins remain firm, but it’s a better overall balance. 90 minutes after opening I wish I had waited to open this bottle. It’s on a good trajectory. At least I have one more…somewhere.
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11/18/2021 - gharter Likes this wine: 93 Points
Rhys wines require patience. This has finally really hit its stride. PnP. Very aromatic showing floral, spice and red fruit aromas. Layers of flavor with tart cherry, red raspberry, currant, spice, earthiness, and pepper that lead to a long smooth finish. Great balance and good acidity. My last bottle, but will probably continue to improve.
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10/23/2021 - DaleW wrote:
Much more complete than others, brambly fruit with forest floor and coffee, good acids, still some tannic structure, no hurry here, B+/A-
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10/13/2021 - pjhr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious black berry, minerals, and earthy notes on the nose and smooth palate with refreshing acidity and tannins on the moderate long finish.
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8/8/2021 - NarunP wrote: 91 Points
100% Pinot Noir
Brownish garnet, transparent rim, opaque core. Definitely showed signs of time.
The aromas displays a complex notes of dark cherry, coca leaf, wood spices, violet and potpourri.
Soft and well integrated mouthfeel. Some traces of tannin, medium plus acidity, dry, medium body. The fruit profile is of typical Pinot characters: cherry, raspberry, and cranberry. After an hour, the earthiness started to come through. Definitely forest floor and fungi. Finish is high toned with a decent length.
This Pinot is on the elegant side and after almost 13 years, ready for business. It does not show as much complexity as a 1er or grand cru burgundy but can definitely compete with any new world Pinot. Drink now or should hold for another 2-3 years. 91.
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5/23/2021 - drmarclevine Likes this wine: 95 Points
Significantly better than the bottle we had several months ago. This was a jaw-dropper. Raspberries, wet leaves and damp soil evident immediately on the nose. Raspberry cough drop with light tobacco notes and more turned soil in the mouth. Still retains some tannic prickle but that only serves to complement the minerality. Fresh, focused, and layered but somehow still light on its feet. Best PN I've had in some time. This can go for another half-decade but really no reason to wait. Stood-up beautifully to beef tenderloin with a lemon/thyme compound butter. Bravo!
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3/21/2021 - drmarclevine Likes this wine: 91 Points
Cherry cough drop, pine needles, and melted licorice on the nose. Not your typical PN profile but deep, intense, and spicy nonetheless. In the mouth the flavors moved toward the red spectrum with wild strawberry and dark raspberry. Still some minerality in evidence, too. This bottle seemed to be slightly past peak with all the elements slowly fading in harmony. So you're left with a great terroir-driven package with only a modest up-side. Drink now or soon.
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3/7/2021 - jgreco Likes this wine: 99 Points
The 2008 Rhys Alpine Vineyard is rich, with concentrated dark berries, earth, herbs, leather, spices. The tannins are still there, but are now fine as sand. This is very drinkable now, but I think even greater rewards are in store if you can wait until it's 20th birthday.
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2/23/2021 - Rieslingfan wrote:
Getting on towards thirteen years from the vintage, and there is a clear glimmer of developing maturity. It’s not yet heading in the sous bois direction, but there is a distinct element of umami coming through on the mid-palate. Still it’s a massive wine in terms of overall density, but not heavy. Patience is starting to be rewarded, but further patience is required. Structure is developing on pace with the fruit, so I am not worried about balance. That holy grail of a Rhys Pinot that achieves maturity is still out there. Choose wisely.
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2/5/2021 - DougLee wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for one hour. Nearly opaque dark ruby color. Nose of dense forest floor, fecund soil, plum pits, deeply pitched berry, hyacinth. Layers of concentrated slightly tart black plum, raspberry, packed earth, and anise on the palate. Fresh acidity and young tannin buried by fruit. Long finish of pure dark berry, briar, and grippy earth. Young but poised to age beautifully for many years. Increasingly uncoiled and extraordinary.
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1/22/2021 - jbaron wrote: 93 Points
Quite good borderline great. I’d like it a bit more if this bottle had a bit more verve and delineation to it, but it has consistently shown well and tonight was no exception.
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12/14/2020 - Nanda wrote:
Now in a peak window. Attractive nose of red cherry, pine, spice, florals and some toasted herbs. Palate has terrific concentration of modestly sweet red and black cherry. Juicy and well integrated acidity gives this a long and precise palate. Feels like it will hold for a decade+ with some modest upside.
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11/11/2020 - jreis Likes this wine:
Drank alongside the 2007 Alpine. Popped and poured at cellar temp. Nice dark ruby color with just a hint of bricking on the rim. Very bold meaty, dark fruited nose - tons of blackberry fruit with a nice limestone note. Dark brambly fruit with noticeable spicy, stemmy notes on the palate and some persistent fine tannins on the finish. This is in early days and should last many more years, with great potential for even more complexity with bottle age. The 07 is drinking well right now, but prefer the 08 for present and future potential.
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9/11/2020 - dougie Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for two hours. Beautiful plum and berries. Complex with depth. Rich and juicy finish. Changed a lot over 3 hours of drinking being biggest at the end. Will age well. Can wait a few years for next, but excellent with decant.
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5/28/2020 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 92 Points
Sweet pomegranate, plum and black raspberry fruit. Baking spice, and a bit of wet earth on the finish. Still bright and vibrant, crisp acidity sings on the finish. Many years of potential evolution.
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5/27/2020 - Burgundy Al wrote: 94 Points
Rhys Alpine Virtual Tasting (Planet Earth): Broad array or red fruit, still fresh and bright, nicely supported by background spice. Very good depth and density, with even better harmony. Consistent with another bottle from last year. Jeff says these 2008s took a long time to reach this level of pleasure and harmony, but they are great today, and should continue to drink well for another decade.
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4/16/2020 - rmh66 wrote: 92 Points
Pop and pour and followed for a few hours. Needed about 45 minutes of air to settle. This bottle is still so youthful. Black cherry, blackberry, damp earth, minerals, lily, pomegranate, cherry cough drop, and a little cocoa powder on the nose. Tart cherry, pomegranate, blackberry, red cherry, earth, lemon, minerals, and slight bloody meatiness on the palate. Tart, lemony acidity, grippy tannins, medium-long finish. Boy, there are many years ahead for this wine, though it's approachable now.
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3/1/2020 - mlawren1 wrote: 94 Points
Thick but smooth. Berries and cherries over an earthy core. Really nice wine.
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1/17/2020 - viking92067 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Started buying Rhys early on. Have had mixed results which seems inconsistent with the huge scores from reviewers. The 2008 Alpine last year was ok but not worthy of a write up. This is now shinning bright. Many years left. Not fully mature yet.
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1/12/2020 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Rhys @ My Place--Part 5 (My House In The South OC): I last had this wine 5 years ago, so it was fortunate to have this in our Rhys tasting at the house yesterday. We also poured it blind, included blind with the 2008 Horseshoe and 2008 Swan Terrace. I'll write this up in two parts: one from my notes from yesterday and the other from tasting the wine right now from the bottle leftovers from last night. From yesterday, the wine showed a rose petal aromatic. And as with the 2014 bottle I wrote up 5 years ago, darker in color (as were all the 2008s we looked at yesterday, too). Depth, lots of color and concentration, burly and coiled. I closed my notes with the phrase "stacked and packed". Fast forward 24 hours to today, I just poured off another 2 ounces to retry. Not getting the rose petal today, but instead the whole cluster impact, with cracked spices and some herbals. The palate on the wine today is really concentrated, with a plump, filling kind of texture that has softened some from yesterday. What I find fascinating about these 2008s is that the wines are now past a decade old and this vintage for Rhys shows their aging ability--this does not show nor taste like something going on 11 years old. This remains fresh, pure and for me no signs of any fade or aged character. Terrific.
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1/11/2020 - grafstrb wrote:
-- double decanted approx. 3 hours before tasting --
-- tasted single blind over approx. 30 minutes --
Enjoyed the Nose on this one a lot, even though it was a touch funky; similar to the Swan Terrace (deep red berries), but a bit more tight (possibly a result of the different decant times). Light bodied. Very tight on the palate, but there were some dark red/purple fruits somewhat accessible; a touch tannic; 13.3% alc.. Still has tons of upside. Hold.
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1/11/2020 - WetRock wrote:
Rhys Alpine/Horseshoe Tasting at Frank's (Frank Murray's Casa): Bagged but knew all but which vineyard was in which bag. All these 08's showed tons of young fruit still, especially in comparison to the much less extracted, much younger wines in front of them. Complex, rocky nose. Tight and very grippy on the palate. So very dense still. Almost modern showing the most ripeness of the three. But this one saw little air. Again, don't rush to open this.
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11/9/2019 - WetRock wrote:
Tasted blind. Quick impression from a large tasting. Blackberries, mineral, touch of asparagus. But subtle nose overall. Dark fruit but with a glassy feel. Lots of grip. I wrote good potential but young!! Voted. Second fav on the day. I believe this wine garnered the most votes on the day. Showing pretty well and not even quite mature.
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9/17/2019 - alanr wrote: 93 Points
Such beautiful dark raspberry fruit, great balance and lovely complexity.
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8/25/2019 - B Paul wrote:
Great wine and one of the better experiences I’ve had with a Rhys Pinot Noir. Saw another recent note indicating this had entered the drinking window and I completely agree. Structure is largely resolved and everything is in harmony.
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8/20/2019 - Burgundy Al wrote: 94 Points
Rhys Dinner Following Rhys Tasting (Prairie Grass - Northbrook IL): Red cherry and berry with whole cluster spice, but more in the background (compared with 2009 Swan Terrace, where it dominated). Fully engaging aromas with red fruit, floral and spice elegantly intertwined, followed by similar flavors with ethereal textures. Better today vs last bottle from two years ago, I think this is entering its peak drinking window. Most people's top wine tonight, myself included.
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7/20/2019 - jbaron wrote: 93 Points
Good wine. Balanced edgy fruity structured.
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5/24/2019 - Diane (LI) wrote:
Aging nicely.
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4/28/2019 - texaswinelover wrote:
Weird. Wine spritzed from bottle when opened. I did drop the bottle over the way to my friends house. Was afraid the bottle was flawed. But Tasted fine.
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2/15/2019 - Dave Canada wrote: 94 Points
Drank with Andrew, Greg and Joel in Garage at 342
PnP
Nose is so dark...black cherry, pomegranate, vanilla coke and stems...definitely pointing to Nuits St. Georges.
Palate is so pure and layered....such dense fruit....spice, flowers, cola, stems, ginger, sassafras, herbs and menthol. Complex....and ready to be held for the long term...20+ more years easy.
Finish is long...so much going on.
No rush on these...hold for 5 years at least.....10 if possible.
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2/13/2019 - Richard P Howden Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wow this is really emerging as something special. 92 maybe is conservative. Lots of dark fruit and spice on the nose, dark rich palatable with loads of spice on the long finish, good balance. No heaviness on this for a lot of concentration.
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2/13/2019 - texaswinelover wrote:
I didn’t get the notes of other tasters.
For me, this wine was subtle and alluring. Dusty, earthy reddish fruit with wonderfully balanced and restrained acid. Silky mouthfeel yet filling and lush. Lingering complex notes of forest and boysenberry. Exotic spice on the nose with air. Really enjoyed.
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1/2/2019 - sid_loves_wine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Probably the darkest, blackest pinot I've ever tasted. This is only from memory, but it had a huge amount of dark fruit, tons of vivid licorice-laden cola, and some light earth/ash. It's not "heavy" or extracted dark fruit though- still a light touch. However, I agree with some other commenters that it's pretty closed and probably needs time- it feels like you have to struggle to get much out of it. It's pretty tannic as well and this obscures the palate. If opening now, decant.
An amazing wine though- tried at a friends' house- not sure I'd go for the high price myself, but it's certainly memorable.
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12/14/2018 - Charlie Carnes Likes this wine: 94 Points
This bottle is terrific! Dark, cool, berry fruit. Rich flavors of dark fruit, pretty spices. This wine has plenty of earth/soil perceptions, very complex. Great long lasting swallow. This wine held up easily for three days.
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12/1/2018 - DougLee wrote: 90 Points
Too early but this is a well made wine. Lots of crisp, austere red fruit with excellent acidity and still young tannin. Longer almost rustic finish. Needs time.
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11/20/2018 - Charlie Carnes wrote: 89 Points
This had a pretty nose... The red fruit came across backward, and a little austere. We still finished the bottle, I was just expecting a little more.
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9/21/2018 - theharve wrote: 91 Points
settling down but not near peak. try again in one year.
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8/21/2018 - mdefreitas wrote:
Fruit is on the darker side of the spectrum, with tree bark, cola, spice and smoke. This was a pop and pour, so perhaps this needed a bit of decanting, as it came across a bit monolithic and hard. Enjoyable, but didn't blow me away.
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8/15/2018 - bravo.solares Likes this wine: 92 Points
This was really, really good. Still somewhat young, actually. Somewhat primary, with tertiaries still not emerging. Delicious nose. Red cherries, mushroom, dirt, Asian spices. Palate follows the nose, with very good structure - both in terms of tannins and acidity. Stems are noticeable but well integrated. My sense is this wine could go to very interesting places if/when tertiaries emerge. I plan to revisit in 3-4 more yrs. If any Rhys frequent drinkers have views on this time-frame, I would love to hear from them.
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8/4/2018 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Excellent. Elegant but complex. Notes of black cherry, cola, smoked meat, herbs, and mushroom. Drinking very well now.
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6/30/2018 - Grenik Likes this wine: 92 Points
Warm red fruit profile. Nice structure; not fat or over the top. Nice lingering finish.
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6/9/2018 - collin wrote:
This was pretty wonderful. I guess 10 years is a good time to drink this vineyard. I'm just curious what happens with more time- my gut says it's probably near peak now- but I'll probably hold onto a bottle to experiment with
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4/8/2018 - gharter Likes this wine: 93 Points
This wine has finally really hit its stride. Minimal browning at the edge. Very aromatic, but benefited from time. Floral, spice and red fruit aromas. Layers of flavor with tart cherry, red raspberry, currant, spice, earthiness, and pepper that lead to a long smooth finish. Great balance with enough acidity and structure to not worry about laying this down even longer. Starting to show some secondary character.
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2/22/2018 - fisk15 wrote: 91 Points
A bit tart for my taste, but resolved and maybe not decanted enough this time.
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1/17/2018 - Dagman Likes this wine: 93 Points
My first Rhys and now I know what I have been missing. Deep, slightly smokey, fruit, and silky tannins. Drank beautifully across a 3 day period.
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11/28/2017 - pjhr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious black berry, minerals, and hint of wood notes on the nose and smooth palate with refreshing acidity and fine tannins on the long finish. Coming together beautifully since the last bottle a year ago.
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9/30/2017 - RussW Likes this wine:
Color is a translucent cherry with bricking around the edge. Upon opening, the wine was a tad reserved due to the 55 degree temp. As it warmed it was ready to go. The nose is all violets and spice. On the palate, you are immediately met with a delicious tart cherry, a nice hit of Asian spice, earthiness, mineral notes, white pepper, acidity and enough structure to allow this wine to run for awhile. The next sensation is one of impeccable balance that leads to a delicious lengthy finish that keeps reminding you just how good this wine is. Probably the best Rhys Pinot I have had to date and I've been following Rhys from the beginning. My first 2008 and thrilled to have several more bottles and a Mag. This is another confirmation for me that Kevin and team are on to something special.
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9/8/2017 - Burgundy Al wrote: 92 Points
Chicago Wine Flock...Burgundy Al Asks "Is it Grand Cru?" (My home - Chicago IL): Served double blind to the tasting group. I can easily see how some would think this Grand Cru Burgundy with its baking spice and ripe red and black cherry aromas and flavors. Lots of structural elements here as well, but silky tannins and charming balance. Very good now.
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7/16/2017 - paulst Likes this wine: 96 Points
Earthy cherry with long balanced finish.
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7/3/2017 - alpha_ori Likes this wine: 93 Points
3rd of July Dranking (Mah house): My WOTN in a pretty strong field. Smoke, earth, and a clear, dark fruit. This wine definitely makes an impression.
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5/28/2017 - xwine wrote:
This was not open long – about a half hour, certainly not long enough – before we started on it; then enjoyed it over the next hour or two. Initially some rhubarb on the nose (which I'm not sure I’ve ever picked up in a wine), along with some spice. The use of stems is boldly evident in the structure, though not in a green way. This bottle is very tight, stern, unyielding – the tannins are dominant, though not in any way harsh. The somewhat shy fruit has just a hint of sweetness, though I certainly didn’t pick up anything that I would call “candied.” The overall structure and material is fairly impressive. A substantial wine but not ponderous. Judging from this bottle this is not a wine for immediate pleasure, but rather seems to beg for at least another five years of cellaring. Obviously somewhat difficult to assess the benefits of aging without a long track record, but it appears to have the underlying material to justify it. Time will tell.
The next morning, it has developed deep-pitched fruit on the nose, with a significant spice component. The palate has softened somewhat, though it remains firm. Finishes with juicy acidity and a burst of boysenberry.
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3/28/2017 - ChrisR Likes this wine: 88 Points
Dark purple color (which was a little surprising). Oak, red fruits, some earthiness. A little better later, more earthy, but oaky throughout. Nice overall. Others liked it more.
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12/31/2016 - Acohen Likes this wine: 92 Points
Silky cherry, slight tartness and complexity of mushroom, earth and spice
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12/9/2016 - Louvin Likes this wine: 93 Points
2 hr decant. Wow is the first thing that comes to mind, wild berry/cherry with an explosion due to stem inclusion, bringing a hi toned party to your mouth. So full and energetic, I loved it. While not reaching the complexity level I'd like to see, it's unique on its own. More time will not hurt this wine.
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11/24/2016 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 93 Points
I love this. Lots of mushroom and herbs on the nose, along with copious black cherry. Big and fruity on the palate. I like this better than the grand cru Burgundy I drank yesterday.
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10/5/2016 - pjhr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious black berry, minerals, and hint of wood notes on the nose and smooth palate with refreshing acidity and fine tannins on the long finish.
Approachable but with a long ahead of it!
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7/28/2016 - jbaron Likes this wine:
Opened this bottle after a few days on the road, so no real note, but a good drink.
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7/26/2016 - B Paul wrote:
Nose is great and this is drinking well. That said, didn't let up a bit on night two and I think this still has some upside with further age.
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7/9/2016 - mhauser Likes this wine:
Brown-red, clear. Giant nose of strawberry, flint, raspberry. Moderate tannin, medium acidity. Very big on the palate, smoky, aggressive fruit, sour cherry, anise, BBQ meat. Long finish. This is a very big wine, although still maintains balance and lightness. It's delicious.
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7/2/2016 - GrapeScott wrote: 92 Points
In a very good place right now, but likely to improve further. Crystalline red cherry fruit with a long finish.
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4/29/2016 - jbaron Likes this wine: 93 Points
Definitely a Wow Wine. Good nose, great mouth feel, and a very good length. A bit of a brute, but heck.
Good drinking now, but seems like it will surely get (quite a bit?) better.
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4/29/2016 - Tree512 wrote: 91 Points
Just beginning to be approachable but will be better in 2020. Lots of purple fruit with excellent balance.
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2/12/2016 - Diane (LI) wrote:
Delicious! A little spritz when first opened, but it turned into a richly textured and evolved wine. Lovely now, but no hurry here.
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2/3/2016 - Mike Dildine wrote: 92 Points
13.2% abv. Medium light burgundy red, very expressive aromas. A predominately red fruit profile, with moderate depth and good length, this wine is hyper focused, fresh and vibrant on the palate. Enjoyable now and I'd expect this to continue to improve.
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1/1/2016 - gutt22 Likes this wine:
Delicious. Beautifully complex nose of stems, spice, and black cherry. In the mouth, this has become very refined and smooth. Lovely texture with delightful black cherry fruit, light stemmy complexity, and plenty of earth and spice. Complete and delicious. A-/A
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11/19/2015 - SimonG wrote: 92 Points
Rhys @ QCH (Quality Chop House, London): Quite reduced on the nose. Cleans up with twenty minutes of air. Gently fragrant. Quite dense, black fruited and a little dry on the attack. Through to the mid palate. Again, an elegance. A bit drier and fuller than the Family Farm. ****
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8/31/2015 - paulst Likes this wine: 90 Points
Austere and tannic; young; nice finish; great potential.
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8/31/2015 - Anthony Lombardi Likes this wine: 96 Points
Followed over two days. Dark garnet color. A powerful take on Pinot Noir with a sense of purity in the fruit. A portrait of balance as it shows dark red fruit, earthy spice, bright acid & a strong tannin framework. Full bodied with a lush texture accentuated with that tannic grip. Layers of aromatics are one of the real strong points here. Day 2 shows that power rising from the glass & the fruit to more brooding earthiness is that much more pronounced.
Pinot Noir at best shows that combination of power and finesse and that was my strongest takeaway. Throw in the spicy details and nuance and you have something truly excellent.
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8/21/2015 - Acohen Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lovely cherry, raspberry, with light earth, dark spice and great balance
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8/19/2015 - Jonathan T wrote: 92 Points
I gave the same score for this wine as I gave a Kosta Browne pinot last week, but for entirely different reasons. I needed to decide whether or not to buy the 2013 vintage, so I decided to pop open this '08 Alpine to see how it's behaving. It is drinking beautifully. I disagree with a previous notes that mentioned it might be confused with syrah because it tastes like 100% varietally pure pinot noir. It tastes like a 2nd tier Premier Cru burg from a top vintage. Delicate and balanced, and the fruit and subtle spice sneaks up on you. It may not wow non-wine nerds but it is intellectually outstanding. This didn't help with my decision as it tastes exactly as a $80 price point pinot should taste, not underachieving or overachieving in my opinion.
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7/21/2015 - Mr T wrote:
Very nice and well described my Mlermontov...good rich cherry flavors..very nice
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7/14/2015 - Mlermontov wrote: 93 Points
LBTG - with Alan hosting: I was able to guess Rhys right off the bat. has that funky earthy cola note. Ripe core of red fruit, sappy mid with sweet cherry and spices. long sweet finish missing just a touch of zing perhaps. very very good.
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2/15/2015 - Mike Dildine Likes this wine: 93 Points
13.3% abv. Dark burgundy red. The aromatics are exceptional, really expressive and luscious. On the palate, black raspberry, pomegranate, black cherry and spice. Great structure and depth. This wine is just coming into its own and will continue to improve.
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2/1/2015 - juggernt wrote: 94 Points
Powerful nose of blackberries, lilacs, cherry cola, and loamy earth. Black currant and red fruits on the palate. Great acidity, excellent balance. A superior effort.
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12/29/2014 - Ski4Vin wrote: flawed
Corked. I don't know why corks can't be tested before being used.
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11/22/2014 - MikeATL Likes this wine: 92 Points
Pure dark fruit and menthol, fairly tight at first but blossomed with air. Very good but still needs time and it has all the stuffing and structure it needs to benefit from it.
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9/27/2014 - norsktorsk wrote:
I bought this bottle off a website auction. It was brownish and somewhat opaque. Nose muted. Somewhat green and stemmy but did open a bit with about 30 of air. Seems as if it were cooked. I don't think it was just young. Will try more later.
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9/11/2014 - SimonG wrote: 92 Points
2008 Rhys (The Medlar, London): A touch lactic on the nose, then a bit diffuse. Dark red to black fruit. Good acidity with dense fruit behind it, but lacks a slight frisson cf the others. Tightens up with air to a densely mineral line through the fruit. ***(*)
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7/25/2014 - arniec Likes this wine: 94 Points
Pop and pour. LOTS of cherry flavors. Smooth and drinkable. Has another year to develop before really hitting its stride.
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7/18/2014 - KeithAkers wrote: 91 Points
An Epic Night of Rhys (Sun Wah BBQ, Chicago IL): Nose: This was on the tighter side with red fruits, rhubarb, fresh picked berries, currants, roses, and some mineral tones. While this is on the tight side, there is a real attractiveness and elegance to the tones.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium/high acidity and noticeable tannins. The structure shows The feel leans more towards elegance with red fruits, fresh picked berries, currants, roses, and mineral tones.
Overall: This is a very young and elegant pinot. This needs time to allow itself to be as good as it can be. I would love to try this again in another 5 years.
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7/18/2014 - Nanda wrote:
Tasted side-by-side with the 2007. This was tighter than the 2007 (and saw far less decanting time than the 2007). With vigorous swirling shows cherry and strawberry, herb and evergreen notes. Palate has medium richness, more red fruit, herbs, evergreen and some pepper. More body and presence than the 2007. It needs time to delineate and show more nuance and development. Outstanding core and very nice stuff.
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6/8/2014 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Just a tad under 2 years since the last time I had one of these. The bottle here was opened y/day, kept cool overnight under cork. Serving today at ideal temp, burg stem. I will say y/day that the stems on this were noticeable, the wine grew on me through the meal. As for today, interesting contrast here. I can clearly sense the fruit here, fuller tones, and part of where I can validate that is the color, which is a darker, maroon red. Yet, there is a rustic, gamy side too that I suspect is added from the stems. Those gamy notes in the palate, a little rhone-like too with a sweet leather, gamy cherry, cracked spice, some rocky tannin and the herbal shadings in the finish. I'd have a hard time with this blind if served in a burg/CA flight as the fruit level would suggest new world or say riper Burg year, yet the style it's made and the flavors in it say to me older world Burg stylings. Given the stems and adjoining structure, this is not yet peaked and I would think this is 2, maybe even 3-4 years from that and do see this bottle aging for some time. Might be a good one to study several years from now and watch it evolve.
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6/4/2014 - MikeATL Likes this wine: 90 Points
Rhys in Atlanta (Aria, Atlanta, GA): Needed a little time to open, and just a hint of brett, but excellent.
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5/19/2014 - Mike Dildine Likes this wine: 92 Points
While the elusive "richness without weight" is coming together in this wine, it currently lacks a little mid-palate depth. This should continue to improve over the next several years.
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5/19/2014 - Mr T wrote:
wow...this was rich, deep and dark. Decanted for 1-2 hours and drunk with a fish dinner....clearly the biggest and richest pinot I've ever had from Rhys....I really liked this
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5/10/2014 - norsktorsk wrote: 94 Points
Favorite CA pinot.
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3/30/2014 - TomTom wrote:
Decanted about half and hour, but not near enough. This one needs some time.
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2/8/2014 - winopops3 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Darker ruby than what i was expecting. Nose of earth, black cherry. The palate is full with intense fruit, spice, tea and some mineral. Medium mouthfeel. Medium to long finish. Has some years to go, but drinking very well now!
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1/25/2014 - Tom Warden Likes this wine: 93 Points
I can't wait to see what this will taste like in five years...but you should know that it is really, really good right now. The Rhys folks say that Alpine Vineyard wines taste like no other Pinots on earth. I haven't tasted enough fine Burgundy to say, but they are like nothing I've tasted before and the 2008 certainly is in that league. My nose isn't well trained, but I smell the rocks and soil (and the berry fruits). The blend of these aromas intrigue the mouth too. All the right things are there and none overpowering the other. There's nice not-too-sweet-not-too-tart fruit...the earthiness and cut of the minerality. Wow!
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12/28/2013 - Mike Dildine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Medium dark ruby, spicy, vibrant and long. Has year of life remaining.
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11/29/2013 - Stumpy wrote: 92 Points
This was a very nice bottle of wine that still has baby fat to shed, very tasty but still quite fruity. It has yet to begin to develop the broader palate.
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10/30/2013 - pakabear Likes this wine: 92 Points
Great nose, classic Pinot in and out, very burgundian in the nose and mostly on the palate with a tad sweeter quality. Still has very firm tannins that need some time to integrate so I would wait 3-4 years before drinking from this point. Good stuff as usual from Rhys.
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10/6/2013 - danstrings Likes this wine: 90 Points
A crowd pleaser, juicy round fruit, spice, balanced...
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9/5/2013 - salil wrote: 81 Points
Blind Pinots and Syrahs at David's (Enfield, CT): Not a fan of this. Rather unexpressive aromatically, and quite dense and ripe on the palate, with a roasted element to the fruit. It calms down a bit with air, but always comes across rather one-note and monolithic. Not my thing.
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9/5/2013 - Rieslingfan Likes this wine:
It was hard to coax much from the nose of the wine, but it had great density and depth. Much promise here, perhaps more than with any of the other Pinots. Definitely drunk way too soon, but I was interested to try it.
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8/18/2013 - jhieb Likes this wine: 92 Points
Rich and savory
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7/22/2013 - cookie7 wrote:
Decanted and consumed over 3 hours. Some pine on the nose. Great balance and acidity. I was afraid this would be completely shut down - but it was actually very pleasant. It will certainly improve with more time in bottle - but if you have multiples give one a shot.
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6/3/2013 - Zonk wrote: 91 Points
40th Birthday Dinner at NoMad; 6/1/2013-6/4/2013 (NoMad Hotel, NY, NY): Opened about an hour before drinking. Medium bodied pinot dominated by cherries with some tart raspberry notes as well. A nicely put together pinot, but in my opinion this needed a lot more air than it got and I will probably refrain from opening one for at least 2 more years. Scored a 91 for current drinking but I definitely think this will show better with more time or at least more air.
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5/10/2013 - grafstrb wrote:
Burgundy Tasting (JBaker's in York): -- decanted for 10 hours before the event --
-- tasted a single pour non-blind --
Nose was deep, bassy, spicy and a bit oaky. Medium bodied. Purple/red fruit on the palate -- moreso purple than red; oaky; a bit big, but the alc. is not noticeable; kind of reminds me of a Carneros or RRV Pinot, but with more acidity and the fruit a bit more tart than what I would normally expect from Carneros or RRV. Others at the table thought it was very good --- a few surmised it was a 1er – one person was guessing Gevrey, specifically, but – to be fair – nobody knew I had thrown a ringer into the lineup. I thought this was very obviously a CA Pinot, albeit a very good one.
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4/15/2013 - t_moderne wrote: 90 Points
Pop and pour and followed for three hours, without food, unless you count Wheat Thin crackers as food. The re-corked, chilled, and tasted the following day. This has the Rhys signature nose and flavor profile. A savory and crisp Pinot. Some herbal elements (whole cluster) and fresh crushed raspberries. A hint of mint and basil mixed in. This has a lively flavor, some tartness, with the fresh fruit. Light in weight but there is good flavor, leaning to the savory side of the spectrum.
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4/13/2013 - davidn wrote: 86 Points
Decanted for an hour. Nothing much happening. Very little fruit like zero complexity. Dusty.
On the other hand the second wine we had was the 2007 which was a beauutiful 94 points.
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3/1/2013 - rm wines wrote:
Rhys and Ceritas Tasting (NYC): Of the 4 vintages of Alpine tasted, this was the most closed down. After a lot of air it moved in a better direction, showing a lot of the same flavors of tart brambly fruit and stems seen in the '07, along with a similar slightly savory quality. Unfortunately with the wine being mostly closed down, this wasn't as much fun to drink, although I think that it will be quite enjoyable in a few more years.
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2/15/2013 - Melli Likes this wine: 93 Points
Really nice. Dark, smoke, and amazing finish.
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1/22/2013 - shaferguy91 wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 3.5 hours.
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11/28/2012 - sehill Likes this wine: 93 Points
Outstanding showing for this wine. This seems to have evolved somewhat from the last experience with this wine. This bottle seems more complete and detailed. This has the potential to benefit from an additional year or two of bottle age.
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11/24/2012 - SimonG wrote: 92 Points
Very dark, dense red. Quite tight on the nose, a touch of cherry and a bit of smoke, but dense and unyielding at this stage - probably a bit closed. Similar on the palate, dense and a sense of plushness underneath. A bit brooding and suppressed currently. Hard to judge but lots of potential I think. ***(*) but needs time to open again.
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11/20/2012 - vinocerus wrote:
Painfully young. Dark red color, restrained nose and firm tannins on the palate. Not giving up much on day 1; a bit softer on day 2 but still very tight. My remaining bottles will rest for a few years.
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9/16/2012 - xwine wrote:
Opened and poured some into glasses to aerate for about an hour. Intense nose of cranberries, with some background florals. The palate is tight, structured, medium-grained tannins, good acidity, crisp and tart -- though reticent -- red fruit, stem inclusion quite evident. Excellent, but this needs a few years to develop what seems to be some nice potential lurking underneath the structure.
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8/12/2012 - T-Mac wrote:
Some unresolved, but high quality oak on the nose and palate. A mouthful of black cherries and blackberries, but by no means would I call the fruit sweet. Long, smooth finish. A 2 hour decant helped significantly. 8/10
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8/11/2012 - jonphillips wrote: 91 Points
Young. Minerally.
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7/30/2012 - cubswinws wrote: 92 Points
Nice depth and dark fruits. Seemed more like blackberries and some earth tones. Very nice
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7/21/2012 - steffenpelz wrote:
As always, very solid and reliable. This one was particularly goos as the minerality in the wine came out more than on previous occasions. Red fruit profile with nice clean spice and lovely silky texture. Can be held for many more years, but this is drinking in its sweet spot right now for my palate. As good as Pinot Noir gets in California, in my opinion.
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6/18/2012 - brigcampbell wrote:
Cali and Burgs Blind (FMIII in the OC): Blind - guessed Cali but though about burg serious. I didn't really enjoy this wine.
Rank: #4 of 4 in Second Flight
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6/16/2012 - Frank Murray III wrote:
I guessed California here. I enjoyed the fruit, which was lively and fresh with blue and red tones. Pure and also jammy, with what I perceived to be some oak sticking to the wine, too.
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6/16/2012 - WetRock wrote:
Another Round of California Vs Burgundy Blind (Frank Murray's Casa): Served blind. Decanted about 2 hours prior to consumption. Dark, dense nose with notes like stems, herbs and mints. Almost SCM Cab like. Rich and dense. Tannic and chewy. Steve was joking about putting a Schrader in the lineup so I couldn't get Cab out of my head. While it was obviously not like a Schrader it did somewhere resemble Cabernet from Santa Cruz Mtns which has me wondering about terroir coming through. Had a hard time placing this but would have had to lean on a Rhys estate knowing I had brought one. I marked as liking it even though I wrestled with it. Clearly in need of time.
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3/22/2012 - shaferguy91 wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 4 hours.
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1/30/2012 - shaferguy91 wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 3.5 hours.
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1/26/2012 - twelch wrote: 94 Points
Wow! This really suprised me. Wanted to give one of these a shot before the next mailer comes out as I was unsure if I wanted to stay on the list and keep going. Opening this may have been my demise as it surpassed my expectation. The nose was intoxicating and changed dramatically over the course of a long dinner. Started off with some nice briary fruit, spice box which later turned into a very floral lavender spice filled aroma. I could smell this all night. A tad tight on the palate but that was to be expected. Showed some nice fruit with a nice minerality and subtle steminess which i really liked in this wine. If you have them try one now and save some for later as it was drinking well with a little air.
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10/30/2011 - Chris@77 wrote: 93 Points
Very dark but appears to be well balanced ... fruit, tannin, acidity although it lacks the glycerine of a wine of this body. Subdued but beautiful nose. I think I've found the sweet spot for me among the Rhys bottlings. Potentially - not now - good mid palate and finish. After sampling all my recent Rhys wines, I'm excited about this one. Can't rate this wine on current flavor interest ... reminds me of my early tastings of Gouges les St Georges ... but I believe it has significant potential. The only proviso will be how the young vines provide complexity of flavor in old age. Hopefully, the soil will help us.
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10/29/2011 - yhn wrote:
I decanted this for 4 hours and poured it blind for some friends. Very dark in color. Very tannic with muted fruit. With time it showed hints of licorice and green bamboo shoot. Even more time revealed a touch of violet, a hint of stemmy spice and some drying tannin. At 12 hours it's finally showing some fruit - blackberry - is quite stemmy, smooth, with dusty green tannin on the finish.
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10/25/2011 - madeiradog wrote: 93 Points
Dark cranberry core with a tinge of earthy sweetness on the finish. Solid structure and backbone, I think it will continue to get better with time.
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9/15/2011 - sehill Likes this wine: 91 Points
Opened and poured, this showed well but required about an hour of airing to show its best. This is less forthcoming and reticent on opening compared to previously tasted bottles. This appears to be in somewhat closed stage and will require a couple more years of bottle age to show its best.
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9/10/2011 - youngjc1 wrote: 92 Points
Doing this from memory, drank the bottle a few weeks back and lost my notes... delicious, but seemed quite rustic. Lots of brambles, but with a bit of fruit in the background. Could definitely use some more age, but very tasty now as well. Evolved nicely with air.
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9/7/2011 - sethmorgenlong wrote:
Rich estery, dark cherry, vanilla, stone, saline, sweet rubber, tea and floral notes. As it sits, it loses expression and is reticent with cinnamon stick and moss and bark. Stout tannin, bright acid, black tea and mocha, long persistence. Enormous concentration, chalky texture, full of dry extract but acidity seems hidden. A beast. Needs years.
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9/7/2011 - kanab ram wrote:
Would have guessed Burgundy had I not known the region. Earthen tones throughout with a strong mineral undertone. Minimal fruit. Well structured.
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8/22/2011 - steffenpelz wrote:
The best domestic Pinot Noir I've ever tasted. I have said many times in the past that Rhys is sometimes overhyped, but based on this wine alone, I would have to retract my prior statements. The wine has structure, it has a perfumed nose, it shows earth, it has terrific fruit that never gets dull or flabby. It's wonderfully rich yet nervy at the same time. Never crossed into a zone where I detected even a hint of sweetness. Rather, the wine had a rocky, saline note to it. The fruit is darker and shows dark cherry, plum, and blackberry. I can see this ageing beautifully for many years. A true masterpiece that I am glad to own a couple more bottles of.
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7/22/2011 - flentvall wrote:
Drank way too young. Exceedingly primary. Will reserve judgment. Do yourself a favor and wait a couple of years.
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4/15/2011 - Keith Levenberg wrote:
Rhys (Peking Duck House): Stemmiest and tightest wine of the bunch and the most difficult to drink, so for the most part I didn't. Can't believe how much this has closed up in just a few months.
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4/1/2011 - last chance wrote: 90 Points
The nose of this wine had red fruit aromas that had a chalky note to them. The palate had flavors of currant, berry and plum with loads of acidity. Medium bodied with a medium-long finish. We tasted this next to an 08 Horseshoe that had been open for several hours longer, so maybe I didn't give this wine a fair assessment, because I loved the Horseshoe and wanted this wine to taste more like the Horseshoe than it did...
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3/28/2011 - GrandeSerataFuori wrote: 88 Points
Gifted to us by Andrew. This was a wine that could have been from almost anywhere. Not obviously Cali Pinot at all to me. Wish we had given this more air. In the nose I saw some mulberry, molasses and truffle - which intrigued me very much. The taste and feel however was less intoxicating, not too shabby by any means though and maybe a little more suggestive of new world Cali. Would be interested in other vintages, vineyards, etc by Rhys.
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2/1/2011 - ebrown35 wrote: 92 Points
After purchasing the 07 & 08 Alpine yet not tasting one, I decided to remedy that. Popped and Vinituri'ed and tasted over two days. Dark color, nice pure nose of dark red fruit, some some herbal piney notes. On the palate its middlewight dark cherry flavors are amazingly pure with a really fine texture.A substantial mid-palate persistence of these flavors with nice acidity that keeps this elegant despite its dark fruit leanings. Still some tannin left to integrate as you would expect. What this lacks in complexity it makes up for in purity of fruit and precision. Kind of reminds a bit of a nice MSD 1er.
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1/31/2011 - jto3 wrote: 94 Points
Enjoyed with lunch at Sierra Mar. Encouraged by positive early notes here, the wine did not disappoint. A beautiful nose greeted us upon opening with dark fruit dominating. Lovely fine tannin and ample acidity suggest a long life ahead for this wine. A real pleasure to get a glimpse of this, holding my other bottles for 3-5 years minimum with confidence.
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1/26/2011 - Will5304 wrote: 96 Points
After 2 hours in the decanter the wine really opened up. The nose was a great aroma of red fruit with some spice. On the mouth it had a slight sense of alcohol, but that quickly faded to a mouth full of ripe red fruit with cherry and red plum. The finish while muted in the first hour of drinking, eventually came around to hold on for 10-20 seconds.
Simply one of the best pinots I have had in the last couple of years. Very interested to see where this wine goes in the coming 5-10 years.
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1/16/2011 - Brady D Likes this wine: 94 Points
The terrine matched up well with the 2008 Rhys Pinot Noir, Alpine Vineyard. Burgundy-loving Kevin Harvey and his team high up in the Santa Cruz Mountains are clearly inspired by France's expression of this variety, making a leaner, more pure wine when compared to many of their California brethren. Despite its youth, this wine drank well, with mixed fruit nose, medium body, and a long pure finish. It was much more approachable than its 2007 counterpart enjoyed in November and more complex than the 2008 Rhys Alesia Sonoma Coast consumed the previous night. Tom and Richard discussed which Burgundy they could secretly substitute this for without getting called out. I believe they settled on a 5-10 year old Dujac.
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1/15/2011 - gunpwdr wrote: 94 Points
Nose: Powdered strawberries, dusty gravel, cherries upon popping the cork. 2 hours later, a darker side emerges with black cherries, cherry liqueur, tar, Chinese moon cakes, tiny hint of stems back there. Palate: Cherries, strawberries, a bit of smoke and gravel on the attack. The mid-palate is where this pinot really struts its stuff. Some bright berries, crisp acidity, and a healthy amount of tannins suggest a very long life ahead. Potpourri, spiced cherries linger on the long finish. Extremely good.
I can see the darker side of this pinot dominating once it reaches maturity. I'm going to lay the others down for at least 5 years...
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12/30/2010 - Screameagle wrote: 90 Points
A pinot thats got a lot of upside but isn't showing it's best after an hour decant. Wait at least 6 months before trying the next bottle.
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12/4/2010 - HenryW wrote: 94 Points
Nose is mix of raspberries and blackberries with some cedary notes. Similar fruit profile on the palate. Some firm chalky tannins. Best part is the long vibrant finish. Quite harmonious for such a young wine.
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12/2/2010 - yui wrote: 93 Points
Wow, Decanted 1/2 and drank over 2 hrs. Rest left in the bottle and drank next day. It was a bit closed up the next day.
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11/29/2010 - Matt T wrote: 92 Points
Great wine. Opened and decanted for a few hours. Bright cherries, on the acidic side. After a day, some mint and spice notes. Best after two days. Good balance and depth.
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11/12/2010 - amateurwino wrote: 93 Points
I've never been the kind of guy to open wines right after delivery, but a great showing by the 07 Alpine several months ago made this too tempting not to open. The first whiff of this wine tells you this is a serious pinot - tightly wound but aromatic fruit, some exotic spice, and a touch of stemmy underbrush. The palate shows gorgeous fruit with excellent tangy acidity that makes this a very juicy, inviting wine. With air, a loamy note and slight cola impressions emerge on the nose. Color is verging toward purplish. Tasted over several nights, this wine does loosen up and unfurl a bit - it's delicious now and supremely balanced, with the stuffing to evolve nicely. A fantastic wine, and open enough that I'm glad I opened this. Will be interesting to compare to Copain 07 Kiser En Haut and 08 Soter Mineral Springs to see how they evolve comparatively, as I see elements that remind me of both of those wines. 93-94 pts
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11/10/2010 - B Paul wrote: 93 Points
Great, evolving nose of cherry, pomegranate, baking spice and wood. Red and blue fruit on the palate with firm tannins and nice acidity. Balanced. Last glass (after being open for three hours or so) was the best as it had softened quite a bit. I'll wait at least a year before opening another.
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11/9/2010 - Keith Levenberg wrote: 92 Points
Fresh off the truck! Relative to the last few Alpines, I'm not sure whether this one is ultimately "better," but it is more accessible on release than I remember any of the others being. The '06 in particular had a ton of primary fat that needed significant airing befor receding to show the wine's real contours - that's not the case here, which is pretty streamlined from the pop of the cork. There is plenty of fruit intensity here but it still cuts a slim, feminine figure. Like previous Alpines, it's definitely a showcase for the influence of the stems at this point, with a clear stalkiness to the scent like you'd just snapped a flower stem in two, which adds a refreshing counterpoint to the fruit.
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11/8/2010 - herberto wrote: 92 Points
To be fair, had this after a long evening of excellent, and some bigger, wines. So my palate was pretty tired. This is very pretty, with floral themes dominant, but also a bit of wood. Think it was stems rather than oak. Unsurprisingly, not as open and accessible as the Alesia Sonoma Coast, but am looking forward to trying it again several years down the road.
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11/6/2010 - sehill Likes this wine: 94 Points
Opened and poured, this wine required about thirty to forty five minutes to shows its best. Tasted next to the '08 Rhys Family Farm, this wine shows a more complete profile with darker fruit, more depth and a denser palate. The aromatics show black cherry, stone, mineral, earth, and spice notes. The color is a medium to dark ruby. The medium plus weight palate shows a rich core of fruit that requires some airing to become expressive. The stone character continues on the plate giving the wine firmness and density. This will require a couple of years of bottle age to show its best.
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5/21/2010 - xwine wrote:
Rhys Tour and Tasting (Various Rhys vineyards): Lovely aromatics, floral, a very slight mocha note does not overpower; a mix of red fruit and darker fruit, along with some spice, but despite its deeper pitched fruit it maintains that Rhys sense of lightness. Terrific concentration and energy. A stellar wine.
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5/21/2010 - jakuda wrote:
Tour and Tasting at Rhys Vineyards (All over): No Alpine Hillside this vintage, having being incorporated into the Alpine bottling. Lots of floral elements in the nose with some baking spice. In the mouth, there is not as firm and overt structure as the Skyline. Tannins are still very fine, but not as coating. Silky, smooth mouthfeel. There is a brisk (but not short) and orderly progression from entry to finish. At the finish, a feeling of "structure" lines the mouth. This wine feels a little more feminine versus the Skyline and Horseshoe. Aromas were really seductive for this one. Probably a little easier to enjoy early vs some of its stablemates, but I would leave this bottle alone for a while.
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3/13/2010 - yhn wrote: 95 Points
Nose - ethereal spice, smooth rich but restrained fruit, purple basil and rosemary, strawberry, raspberry, boysenberry, roasty, smoky, cardamon, with notes of mango and green melon.
Lovely, roasty, grippy, zesty, boysenberry and green melon, sage, nutmeg, balsa, black plum, lime, cinnamon, with a touch of mushroom and fine dusty tannin on the finish. 95+ pts
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3/13/2010 - xwine wrote:
Tasted at the Rhys pickup day -- didn't take detailed notes. A different animal from the first two wines (2008 Alesia SC and 2008 Rhys Family Farm). In stark contrast to the Family Farm, which showed elegant red fruit, this one is deeper pitched, leaning more to the dark fruit end of the spectrum, but maintains a sense of elegance. As with all of the wines today, terrific structure. This will also require some time in the bottle.
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