2018 Rhys Alesia Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains

Community Tasting Notes (26) Avg Score: 91.0 points

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  2/7/2024 - Wine Canuck wrote: 92 Points

  This pours medium straw in the glass with faint flecks of green. The nose is highly expressive showing cold cream, lemon custard, marzipan, candied mint, fresh pear, chalk, pine needles, and a faint oyster liquor note. Complex and just gorgeous. Hugely appealing aromatically. The palate enters on bright lemon, with focused medium acid. The finish closes with lovely custard elements and the lovely candied mint alongside a touch of medicinal bitterness. All in all this is seriously impressive stuff that I really love. Amazing nose, though the palate doesn't quite deliver at the same level. Really love this and see it as a huge improvement from the Rhys Chardonnay style of a decade ago. If tasted blind I'd be guessing a top level Pernand Vergelesses or a lower level Meursault. Fair value at $65 CAD

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  10/31/2023 - Bubblesearcher23 wrote: 90 Points

  Day 1: Light straw color. On the initial pour, I got tropical notes of mango and pineapple. This quickly dissipated and led to a more traditional, Burgundian white profile. Minerality and citrus take over the nose and come through on the palate. The wine is nicely balanced. Lacking a bit of structure, and not particularly complex. Short to medium finish. Overall, enjoyable but for $40-$50 I think there are better options out there.
  
  Day 2: Much improved on day two. Beautiful balance of stone fruit, oak, and a hint of vanilla on the nose. Palate is more composed today, very nice balance of minerality, vanilla, and maybe almond. Longer finish. I’ve upgraded my score from 87 to 90. Based on how it’s showing day 2, I think this wine could benefit from substantial decanting.

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  10/30/2023 - SimonDong wrote: 91 Points

  Thought it was a burgundy. Medium acid, apples, orchard fruit, nice toastyness. Easy drinking.

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  8/15/2023 - Golf_Wine Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Feel strange about giving a Alesia wine a 94 but this is a very good bottle of wine. Bought a halfcase at some point and this is the first out of that so no reference to how this was before but can not imagine it drinking better before. Stone fruits, white flowers, exotic fruits, pineapple , melon, nice lemon lime acidity with a slight bitter grapefruit bite. Assume the wine sat in oak only because there’s some good weight and something holding it all together, balanced ? To me hard to say because it’s a very intense rich wine. Alcohol not noticeable which surprises me because how intense the wine is, and with that… maybe it is perfectly balanced … As it warmed a bit sweeter of course, I liked it best still cool and with some air time. Had it with risotto and crab and the wine overpowered the dish a bit.

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  3/27/2023 - oldwines Likes this wine: 90 Points

  Lightly floral with great acidity and mostly citrus fruit. A little lime pith on the finish. Solid. .

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