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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 93 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 91 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Tim Heaton on 2/19/2024: My second/final bottle; consistent with the showing of one year ago. PnP followed over 90 minutes. After reading Grafs' note, I decide to open now, and I'm glad I did. I agree it's on the backside of its curve, and I don't see any point, for my palate, in holding any longer. This was excellent, and vibrant in its youth; had a lot to offer, but if this is representative, its best days are behind. Good+ right up to the final drop. Drink in the next couple of years. recommended (897 views) | | | Tasted by tcarter on 2/1/2024 & rated 95 points: This was spectacular upon PnP. In a real sweet spot. I would have guessed a white burgundy for sure had I not known what it was. Liked it best within 30 minutes of opening. (552 views) | | | Tasted by mclanew on 12/30/2023 & rated 95 points: From magnum. Popped and poured. A little off initially but blows off after 15 min and develops nicely into a very compelling chard. Attractive nose of white flowers, sea breeze. The palate is medium bodied with good lift, pure orchard fruit and minerals and good length. Very compelling.
Second night after time in fridge even better. (639 views) | | | Tasted by Andrew Vaughan on 11/26/2023 & rated 91 points: This bottle was lacking in energy, tension and acidic liveliness, unlike the one I had enjoyed so much a few weeks ago. May have been cellaring condition differences, but seemed like it was over the hill. Nevertheless enjoyable. (794 views) | | | Tasted by Andrew Vaughan on 11/7/2023 & rated 95 points: Really fantastic. Did not seem like it was on the other side of the hill - perhaps at its peak now however - though this was my first bottle. Tremendous on the nose, for the palate, and in the mouth. Agree with Vinhoverde and Gharter’s notes. (955 views) | | | Tasted by MikeATL on 8/19/2023 & rated 92 points: Gold color, round, ripe with a little oak melding well with some aged nuttiness, with supporting acidity on the finish, it is drinking well. (1069 views) | | | Tasted by Tim Heaton on 8/14/2023: PnP followed over 90 minutes. After reading Grafs' note, I decide to pop my final bottle, and glad I did; I agree it's on the backside of its curve, and I don't see any point, for my palate, in holding any longer. This was excellent, and vibrant in its youth; had a lot to offer, but its best days are behind. Good+ right up to the final drop. Drink in the next couple of years. recommended (1769 views) | | | Tasted by VinhoVerde on 8/7/2023 & rated 96 points: Light gold color. Marzipan and smoke bouquet. Good rich texture on the palate. Hint of caramel with concentrated fruit, without being flabby. Adequate acidity keeping the long aftertaste clean.
Remarkable aging capacity at 9 years. At its peak now. One of the best California Chardonnays I’ve ever had. (977 views) | | | Tasted by grafstrb on 7/8/2023: -- popped and poured --
-- tasted a couple pours non-blind over approx. 1.5 hrs. --
Rich golden yellow color. This is certainly advancing, and is not bright and crisp, as Rhys Chardonnays from this vineyard sometimes are. I don't see this improving from here, for my preferences. Drink Now and over the near term. (1121 views) | | | Tasted by gharter on 5/25/2023 & rated 94 points: My last bottle and maybe the best yet. PnP. Very aromatic with peaches, citrus, minerals and a touch of oak. Peaches, citrus, lemon, minerality, currants and touch of vanilla on the palate. Nice crisp acidity to balance the flavor. Long smooth finish. Wish I had more. No hurry to open, should have years ahead of it. (1052 views) | | | Tasted by mclanew on 4/17/2023 & rated 92 points: Popped and poured. Fully mature. Lemon, almonds and butterscotch. Medium bodied, rounded, decent acidity. Not that complex. Nice to drink but don’t wait. Won’t get better. (1111 views) | | | Tasted by jreis on 11/25/2022: Popped and poured at cellar temp. Cork soaked almost all the way through, but no ill effects noted on the wine. Lovely nose of lemon peel, honey and herbs (sage & oregano maybe?)
Nice sweet smooth attack with lots of honey, butterscotch and lemon oil. Finish has plenty of a acidity to match the sweet attack.
I think this wine is in its sweet spot and not sure how much it will improve from here, but certainly not on its downslope. (1323 views) | | | Tasted by ChrisR on 9/3/2022: Pear and citrus (lemon and tangerine, maybe), honeysuckle, spicy with a touch of smoke and very subtle notes of vanilla. Dense and concentrated, material, with a fine line of acid. Not as rich or tropical as the early pro notes indicated, it seems to have settled into something proper. Usually I can immediately identify Rhys as Californian (not a bad thing in my book), but you could slip this one into a Burgundy line-up (maybe the riper, richer vineyards) without issues. (1623 views) | | | Tasted by preid on 6/9/2022 & rated 93 points: Pale yellow color. Oak, butter, minerals, stone fruit and lemon. Love it! (701 views) | | | Tasted by Rbtrage on 5/7/2022 & rated 91 points: A little sweet but a nice wine. (2002 views) | | | Tasted by BHull on 3/19/2022 & rated 96 points: Awesome minerality and mouthfeel! (1922 views) | | | Tasted by LT98 on 3/6/2022 & rated 93 points: I'm a huge white burg fan and this is as close as I've gotten from CA. Brilliant gold color, aromatic nose, restrained tropical fruit, mild phenolic, apples and nuts. Just wonderful. (1885 views) | | | Tasted by Brian of Mull on 2/28/2022 & rated 93 points: PnP. Color is medium gold. On the nose: Lemon drops, orange zest, white flowers and a hint of honeysuckle. On the palate: Orange zest predominant , followed by lemon, sharp apple and pear. Very nice bottle of wine. I only have 2 bottles. I would like more. (1716 views) | | | Tasted by gharter on 2/9/2022 & rated 94 points: Each bottle just seems to be better than the last. PnP, showed well immediately. Aromas of peaches, citrus, minerals and a touch of oak. Peaches, citrus, lemon, minerality, currants and touch of vanilla on the palate. Nice crisp acidity to balance the flavor. Long smooth finish. (1838 views) | | | Tasted by jdhannah on 1/19/2022 flawed bottle: Flawed. 375. Gasoline smell. (1725 views) | | | Tasted by timothynbond on 1/8/2022 & rated 91 points: Transparent gold color. Initial butterscotch and butter aromas before picking up some yeasty and matchstick aromas with time. Medium body with medium to medium plus mouthwatering acid. Rich golden baked apples and luscious pears on the front of the palate. A little toasty mid-palate that could be a tad harsh but not enough to get in the way of the lovely front fruit. Really enjoyable and at a good price point. (1743 views) | | | Tasted by pjhr on 9/7/2021 & rated 93 points: Delicious lemon peel, oak, and citrus custard notes on the nose and smooth palate with refreshing acidity, luscious fruit and a long finish. (2065 views) | | | Tasted by glou.sf on 8/19/2021 & rated 93 points: Rich white fruit, lemon peel, a good amount of minerals, and apples on the nose. The palate is equally rich without being heavy, balanced by the acidity and tart apple flavors along with a hint of lemons. Nice finish. I bit riper than I expected, but really delicious and drinking beautifully now. (2393 views) | | | Tasted by Omar Khayyam on 5/23/2021 & rated 93 points: Yup. same as last bottle. Quite rich and developed but oh so yummy. Good freshness and balanced and long finish but also quite rich; toasty, hazelnut paste, orange preserves. (2386 views) | | | Tasted by Omar Khayyam on 5/14/2021 & rated 93 points: This was a really good bottle as well. I've had a few of these and there some bottle variation. Dark golden hue, telling a tale of oak and age. The nose is to die for with hazelnuts roasted in butter, grilled apples, and a maple leaf syrup note as well as some lemon meringue pie. On the palate it is unctuous and still with a fresh finish with a sting of fennel and grapefruit. Lovely. Drink now (2359 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Rhys Producer websiteChardonnay The Chardonnay GrapeHorseshoe Vineyard
Acreage: 3.51 acres
Clones: Wente, Hyde & Mt. Eden (spaced 6'x4' & 6'x5')
Elevation: 1450' to 1500'
Aspect: Primarily South
Slope: 5% to 20%
Geology/Spoil: 18"-24" of rocky topsoil over Monterey shale
(Source Rhys Vineyards)USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Santa Cruz Mountains Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association | Wikipedia
Once referred to by wine writers as the Chaine d'Or -- or "golden chain" -- the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA sits above Silicon Valley, running along the craggy range next to the Pacific on some of the prettiest parts of Northern California. The area supports more than 75 wineries, despite being limited by geography and high land prices.
In 1981 the Santa Cruz Mountains Viticultural Appellation became federally recognized, one of the first American viticultural areas to be defined by geophysical and climatic factors. The appellation encompasses the Santa Cruz Mountain range, from Half Moon Bay in the north, to Mount Madonna in the south. The east and west boundaries are defined by elevation, extending down to 800 feet in the east and 400 feet in the west. |
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