Big and beautiful. Can go many years due to acid going strong. Went through many changes over 4 hours, decanted for an hour. Enjoyed the 08 skyline a bit more a few months back, more polished and lush- preferences. This was more burly and spicy.
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Muted cherry, plum and dried berry fruit is nicely complemented by tertiary notes that linger. Harmonious with modest depth and complexity. Has the balance and still a bit of tannin to last a while but I'm happy with my decision to pop this now. 93-94. @Naschmarkt Palo Alto.
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Translucent ruby. Nose of hawthorn, red berry, bits of pine, dense earth. Layers of sinewy but sweetly rich and slightly tart red berry, brier, and graphite on the palate. Freshening acidity and firm tannin. Moderately long finish of berry, fine soil, and hints of iron. Nicely done.
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My experience mirrors JBaron's below. This is a nice wine, with that telling cool light stem-inclusion texture, but it's doesn't grab me as particularly exciting. Maybe it still needs time to unfurl, or maybe these are more interesting at an earlier stage of the aging trajectory. I guess it will be some years until we find out.
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Decanted for 90 minutes. Good nose and great length, but the mouth seems unintelligible, hidden under structure. The wine appears with coaxing, and is good, but to what ultimate end?
With only one other bottle remaining, I’d say wait until ... 2025?
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13% abv. Medium burgundy red, very aromatic. On the palate, raspberry, pomegranate, dried flowers and Christmas spices. Excellent depth and length. Beautifully evolved and integrated, still vibrant, showing power and finesse. This is superior Pinot, delicious and thought provoking, wish I had more.
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Really really tight initially, however the nose has some resolved elements to it. It starts to open with air, medium cherry, mixed spice blend, dried earth, tar, licorice, rhubarb, good density, medium fine grain tannins. Very good, could get better.
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Rhys @ My Place--Part 5 (My House In The South OC): Oddly, I have never tasted this wine. We included it yesterday in our Rhys tasting at the house, to be poured alongside the Horseshoe and Alpine 2008s, a three bottle flight poured single blind. Let me sketch this wine in two parts: my notes from yesterday and my notes from a pour I just made tonight from yesterday's bottle leftovers. Yesterday I found a caramel/brewed coffee note in the aromatic. Black cherry intensity, berry jam. Tangy. Seems tight and coiled with a mineral, tangy finish. Funny, a few people at the table yesterday though this was Alpine or Horseshoe. So, fast forward to today, I am revisiting the wine again. Similar brewed coffee note, but with added florally that I did not sense yesterday. There is a density to this wine, and like the 2008 Alpine, a distinct concentration that is pretty amazing for a wine that is now over a decade old. I'd call this classy, pure, with a broad swath of red fruit that coats my palate. There is a light tang here to the fruit too, joined with a complementing acidity. Overall, this is the real deal and if this is what Swan Terrace can do with age, I can see why this plot is esteemed as it is. Beautiful. If I can find this vintage of Swan on the auction market at a good price, I am buying.
-- decanted approx. 6 hours before tasting -- -- tasted single blind over approx. 30 minutes --
Incredible Nose on this one: concentrated strawberry; deep cherry; concentrated brown sauce. Light bodied on the palate, with dark red fruits, good acidity, and a touch of brett. 13.0% alc.. My favorite of this flight, alongside the '08 Horseshoe and the '08 Alpine. A very pleasant drink now, but I see more upside with the 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. Decanted about 6 hours prior to tasting. 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. Floral, subtle sexy nose. Fleshy still. juicy yet showing minerals. Grippy. This one probably showed the best of the three. Seems like there is something a touch more special in here. Giving the showing even after plenty of air you've got plenty of time to find out. Could be playing on another level.
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Lovely light spice/earth nose, beautiful dark raspberry and black cherry palate, more of those wonderful light spice notes, great complexity and balance.
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Rhys Dinner (Golden Triangle, Los Gatos): Complex nose of spices, red berries, and smoke. Great acidity with tart berries, cherries, and more spices on the palate. Long finish. Out of the 2006-2010 Swan Terrace flight, this was a close second to the 2010. 94+
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Popped and poured. Certainly get the burgundy comparisons as the fruit was restrained. A lot of forestry, underbrush notes. Acid high to my palate. Lingering finish. Enjoyed. Not a quaffable thirst quencher by any means.
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I'm not convinced this one is going to come around to be a great wine. Second bottle and this was is about the same as two years ago. Somewhat bitter finish. Not a bad wine, per se, but clearly not was I was hoping when I spent $70 for a California Pinot.
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Wait many years more! Decanted for an hour. Awkward and a touch harshness at first. Evolved a lot over 4 hours. A stunning fruit came out for a while and then went away. The mystery continues.
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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. Lots of rich black, red and blue fruit aromas with some baking spice. Similar flavors, but less forthcoming and slightly masked by firm tannins. Similar to the Swan Terrace in the next glass, just less harmonious. Needs time.
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In a nice spot with room to improve. Expressive nose and middleweight palate with nice depth and richness. Beautiful texture, crunchy fruit, and some earth. On the riper end of the spectrum but the balance is good.
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Complex, enchanted forrest aromas of cedar, leaves, rain, and wild tiny blue fruits. Incredible chewy, creamy texture. The palate has a multi-dimensional, serious yet pretty nature, with savory wild game, blueberry, blackberry, black truffle, and earth. Very powerful finish. At age 9, this is still on the primary side.
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Pop and pour and followed over 5 hours. Wonderful nose of spice, flowers (roses), and earth (forest floor). A bit reddish brown in color. Initial impressions shows flowers, then good fruit. Very lively in the mouth. Crunchy berries and good acidity. Nicely balanced. Quite good.
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Pop and pour and served with bread and then tasted on its own. Dark color, darker than a typical Rhys Pinot. Nose shows some dried rose petal, blackberries, a touch of menthol and the smell of wet rocks. Deeply concentrated and rich, this shows greater complexity than the 2008 Bearwallow recently tasted. Good acidity that keeps it lively, with good lift, showing some tart cranberries along with black and red berries and a hint of licorice. While rich and concentrated, it carries itself with elegance. Quite nice.
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Rhys (Peking Duck House): Kicks it up a notch aromatically from the basic Alpine, showing more stuff and somehow seeming more finessed just from the aroma although I'm not sure how that's possible. It's actually the bigger wine of the two but it has a pliancy to it, not quite as tough to drink as the Alpine but not showing nearly as well as the rest of the lineup, best to let both of these sit for awhile.
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Rhys Tour and Tasting (Various Rhys vineyards): I'm immediately struck by the Chambolle character of this wine. Very pretty red fruit, and it was hard to get my nose out of the glass. The palate is structured, but oh so very feminine. Very long finish. Simply stunning. If pressed, I'd probably pick this as my favorite today -- but on any other day, who knows? Between this and the Horseshoe, Skyline and Alpine, it's a tough call.
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Tour and Tasting at Rhys Vineyards (All over): Deep floral elements and a touch of powdery vanilla on the nose. Lots of energetic acid at entry. Very fine tannins. Clean, juicy finish. (Palate fatigue is creeping in)
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11/17/2023 - shaferguy91 wrote: 93 Points
Drinking Beautifully
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4/29/2023 - pjhr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Delicious dark cherry, earth, and spice on the nose and savory palate with refreshing acidity on the long finish. Simply delicious!
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3/23/2023 - dougie Likes this wine: 93 Points
Big and beautiful. Can go many years due to acid going strong. Went through many changes over 4 hours, decanted for an hour. Enjoyed the 08 skyline a bit more a few months back, more polished and lush- preferences. This was more burly and spicy.
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3/10/2023 - Tree512 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Great wine fully ready to go. Deep purple fruit, complex and long.
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1/15/2023 - silton Likes this wine: 94 Points
Muted cherry, plum and dried berry fruit is nicely complemented by tertiary notes that linger. Harmonious with modest depth and complexity. Has the balance and still a bit of tannin to last a while but I'm happy with my decision to pop this now. 93-94. @Naschmarkt Palo Alto.
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4/23/2022 - DougLee wrote: 92 Points
Translucent ruby. Nose of hawthorn, red berry, bits of pine, dense earth. Layers of sinewy but sweetly rich and slightly tart red berry, brier, and graphite on the palate. Freshening acidity and firm tannin. Moderately long finish of berry, fine soil, and hints of iron. Nicely done.
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4/10/2021 - jlm wrote:
My experience mirrors JBaron's below. This is a nice wine, with that telling cool light stem-inclusion texture, but it's doesn't grab me as particularly exciting. Maybe it still needs time to unfurl, or maybe these are more interesting at an earlier stage of the aging trajectory. I guess it will be some years until we find out.
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1/9/2021 - SeaSea Likes this wine:
PNP day one. Nice savory dark fruit. Wel integrated. Drinking well. Enjoyed over two nights. No side of fading. Lovely.
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12/24/2020 - jbaron wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for 90 minutes. Good nose and great length, but the mouth seems unintelligible, hidden under structure. The wine appears with coaxing, and is good, but to what ultimate end?
With only one other bottle remaining, I’d say wait until ... 2025?
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12/19/2020 - Mike Dildine Likes this wine: 96 Points
13% abv. Medium burgundy red, very aromatic. On the palate, raspberry, pomegranate, dried flowers and Christmas spices. Excellent depth and length. Beautifully evolved and integrated, still vibrant, showing power and finesse. This is superior Pinot, delicious and thought provoking, wish I had more.
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3/1/2020 - pakabear Likes this wine: 93 Points
Really really tight initially, however the nose has some resolved elements to it. It starts to open with air, medium cherry, mixed spice blend, dried earth, tar, licorice, rhubarb, good density, medium fine grain tannins. Very good, could get better.
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1/12/2020 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Rhys @ My Place--Part 5 (My House In The South OC): Oddly, I have never tasted this wine. We included it yesterday in our Rhys tasting at the house, to be poured alongside the Horseshoe and Alpine 2008s, a three bottle flight poured single blind. Let me sketch this wine in two parts: my notes from yesterday and my notes from a pour I just made tonight from yesterday's bottle leftovers. Yesterday I found a caramel/brewed coffee note in the aromatic. Black cherry intensity, berry jam. Tangy. Seems tight and coiled with a mineral, tangy finish. Funny, a few people at the table yesterday though this was Alpine or Horseshoe. So, fast forward to today, I am revisiting the wine again. Similar brewed coffee note, but with added florally that I did not sense yesterday. There is a density to this wine, and like the 2008 Alpine, a distinct concentration that is pretty amazing for a wine that is now over a decade old. I'd call this classy, pure, with a broad swath of red fruit that coats my palate. There is a light tang here to the fruit too, joined with a complementing acidity. Overall, this is the real deal and if this is what Swan Terrace can do with age, I can see why this plot is esteemed as it is. Beautiful. If I can find this vintage of Swan on the auction market at a good price, I am buying.
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1/11/2020 - grafstrb wrote:
-- decanted approx. 6 hours before tasting --
-- tasted single blind over approx. 30 minutes --
Incredible Nose on this one: concentrated strawberry; deep cherry; concentrated brown sauce. Light bodied on the palate, with dark red fruits, good acidity, and a touch of brett. 13.0% alc.. My favorite of this flight, alongside the '08 Horseshoe and the '08 Alpine. A very pleasant drink now, but I see more upside with the 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. Decanted about 6 hours prior to tasting. 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. Floral, subtle sexy nose. Fleshy still. juicy yet showing minerals. Grippy. This one probably showed the best of the three. Seems like there is something a touch more special in here. Giving the showing even after plenty of air you've got plenty of time to find out. Could be playing on another level.
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9/17/2019 - alanr wrote: 94 Points
Lovely light spice/earth nose, beautiful dark raspberry and black cherry palate, more of those wonderful light spice notes, great complexity and balance.
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9/17/2019 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 94 Points
Rhys Dinner (Golden Triangle, Los Gatos): Complex nose of spices, red berries, and smoke. Great acidity with tart berries, cherries, and more spices on the palate. Long finish. Out of the 2006-2010 Swan Terrace flight, this was a close second to the 2010. 94+
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12/28/2018 - texaswinelover wrote:
Popped and poured. Certainly get the burgundy comparisons as the fruit was restrained. A lot of forestry, underbrush notes. Acid high to my palate. Lingering finish. Enjoyed. Not a quaffable thirst quencher by any means.
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8/15/2018 - TomTom wrote: 89 Points
I'm not convinced this one is going to come around to be a great wine. Second bottle and this was is about the same as two years ago. Somewhat bitter finish. Not a bad wine, per se, but clearly not was I was hoping when I spent $70 for a California Pinot.
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6/22/2018 - dougie wrote:
Wait many years more! Decanted for an hour. Awkward and a touch harshness at first. Evolved a lot over 4 hours. A stunning fruit came out for a while and then went away. The mystery continues.
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9/8/2017 - Burgundy Al wrote: 91 Points
Chicago Wine Flock...Burgundy Al Asks "Is it Grand Cru?" (My home - Chicago IL): Served double blind to the tasting group. Lots of rich black, red and blue fruit aromas with some baking spice. Similar flavors, but less forthcoming and slightly masked by firm tannins. Similar to the Swan Terrace in the next glass, just less harmonious. Needs time.
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5/13/2017 - rc@ughey wrote: 92 Points
In a nice spot with room to improve. Expressive nose and middleweight palate with nice depth and richness. Beautiful texture, crunchy fruit, and some earth. On the riper end of the spectrum but the balance is good.
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2/18/2017 - mzimberg Likes this wine: 94 Points
Complex, enchanted forrest aromas of cedar, leaves, rain, and wild tiny blue fruits. Incredible chewy, creamy texture. The palate has a multi-dimensional, serious yet pretty nature, with savory wild game, blueberry, blackberry, black truffle, and earth. Very powerful finish. At age 9, this is still on the primary side.
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3/1/2016 - Mr T wrote:
Does nothing for me
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6/22/2015 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank with grilled halibut. Just a great showing and lovely dark fruit with soft finish. Really nice!
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8/9/2014 - LongViewCellars Likes this wine: 94 Points
Pinot Dinner at Chablis with fellow Berserkers. Overall solid showing. 94 points.
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6/4/2014 - MikeATL Likes this wine: 94 Points
Rhys in Atlanta (Aria, Atlanta, GA): Add a little more concentration and baby fat to the 2006 and this is what you get.
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5/5/2014 - shaferguy91 wrote: 93 Points
Decanted 3 hours.
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6/22/2013 - t_moderne wrote: 92 Points
Pop and pour and followed over 5 hours. Wonderful nose of spice, flowers (roses), and earth (forest floor).
A bit reddish brown in color.
Initial impressions shows flowers, then good fruit. Very lively in the mouth. Crunchy berries and good acidity. Nicely balanced.
Quite good.
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4/18/2013 - kenhoeve wrote:
Even with several hours of decant this was unyielding and quite firm. Recommend to hold.
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2/14/2013 - vinoballo wrote: 93 Points
Only going to get better but performed beautifully out of the bottle but still held together the following night.
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2/6/2013 - t_moderne wrote: 93 Points
Pop and pour and served with bread and then tasted on its own. Dark color, darker than a typical Rhys Pinot. Nose shows some dried rose petal, blackberries, a touch of menthol and the smell of wet rocks. Deeply concentrated and rich, this shows greater complexity than the 2008 Bearwallow recently tasted. Good acidity that keeps it lively, with good lift, showing some tart cranberries along with black and red berries and a hint of licorice. While rich and concentrated, it carries itself with elegance. Quite nice.
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4/27/2011 - cubswinws wrote: 93 Points
Very deep and rich. Exceptional balance and grace. Just a great wine likely to gain complexity with time.
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4/15/2011 - Keith Levenberg wrote:
Rhys (Peking Duck House): Kicks it up a notch aromatically from the basic Alpine, showing more stuff and somehow seeming more finessed just from the aroma although I'm not sure how that's possible. It's actually the bigger wine of the two but it has a pliancy to it, not quite as tough to drink as the Alpine but not showing nearly as well as the rest of the lineup, best to let both of these sit for awhile.
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5/21/2010 - xwine wrote:
Rhys Tour and Tasting (Various Rhys vineyards): I'm immediately struck by the Chambolle character of this wine. Very pretty red fruit, and it was hard to get my nose out of the glass. The palate is structured, but oh so very feminine. Very long finish. Simply stunning. If pressed, I'd probably pick this as my favorite today -- but on any other day, who knows? Between this and the Horseshoe, Skyline and Alpine, it's a tough call.
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5/21/2010 - jakuda wrote:
Tour and Tasting at Rhys Vineyards (All over): Deep floral elements and a touch of powdery vanilla on the nose. Lots of energetic acid at entry. Very fine tannins. Clean, juicy finish. (Palate fatigue is creeping in)
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