Tasting of 2011 and more at Rhys

Tasted with fellow Berserkers Frank M. and Alan. R. and other friends and a couple of first timers. The 2011 vintage was erm... LOW YIELD all around, with the exception of maybe the Bearwallow. Kevin Harvey and Jeff decided to revive the purchased-grapes bottlings of Alesia for this vintage for various reasons. Alder Springs was sourced for Pinot and Syrah. Alder Springs provided some good source material and the syrah was a great surprise. Other two syrahs were the 2010 estate syrahs which were tasted last year. We also were able to taste some of the 2012 pinots in barrel. 2012s were in short, amazing.

• 2011 Rhys Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard

  USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

  Tasted at the winery. Essentially pop-n-poured. Aromas of rock, sweet dried fruit, some hay. Some Chablis like qualities. In the mouth there is abundance of acid, and a bit fleshy. Finish ends with some citrus peel and saline. Probably prefer this over the Alpine at this point.

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• 2011 Rhys Chardonnay Alpine Vineyard

  USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

  Tasted at winery. Essentially pop-n-poured. On the nose there is some sharp citrus, and some smokey hay. In the mouth there is some more citrus like grapefruit, but has some lushness. Acids and citrus peel on the finish. In some ways similar to the Horseshoe.

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• 2011 Rhys Alesia Pinot Noir Alder Springs Vineyard

  USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County

  Tasted at the winery. First bottling by Rhys from these sourced grapes. On the nose there are some powdery, red fruit. Some vanilla. In the mouth there grippy tannins that are a bit rough. Medium-amount of acids, some lift on the mid palate, but a bit empty. Missing some complexity at the end. Picked at 20-21 brix (!!), ~40% whole cluster, ~12.7-12.8% alcohol.

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• 2011 Rhys Pinot Noir Bearwallow Vineyard

  USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

  Tasted at the winery. Slow-oxed from the day before. Some florals and red fruit on the nose. Fruit carries forward in the mouth, with the expected level of acids, and a light, round tannin profile. Vintage by vintage, the tannin profile seems to get a bit smoother and better integrated. This wine seems to be ready for business early. ~20% whole cluster. ~600 cases.

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• 2011 Rhys Pinot Noir Family Farm Vineyard

  USA, California, San Francisco Bay, San Mateo County

  Tasted at the winery. Slow-oxed from the day before. Stems show up on the nose. Has some smoky qualities, but not like the wet soot of 2008 anderson valley wines. Some other tasters mentioned peat, like an Islay Scotch.Red fruit. With more air, fruit focuses closer to strawberry (kinda like strawberry strarburst candy which popped in my mind at the time) and the smokiness is a bit less prominent. Bright red fruit in the mouth, very light tannins. Acids on the finish are lengthy. Not sure what I think of this one yet. ~60% whole cluster.

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• 2011 Rhys Pinot Noir Skyline Vineyard

  USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

  Tasted at the winery. Slow ox'ed from the day before. Strong aromatics, red fruit verging on a little dark. Rose florals. Spices. Feels light in the mouth but packs some complexity leading to, and on the finish. Just like the 2010 vintage, this is a BUY for me. ~60% whole clsuter. 12.6% alcohol. Production ~65 cases (!!)

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• 2011 Rhys Pinot Noir Home Vineyard

  USA, California, San Francisco Bay, San Mateo County

  Tasted at the winery. Slow ox'ed from the day before. Some strong red fruit that betrays little to no stems. Turns out it was ~95% (!). In the mouth tannin profile is light and dusty. Ample acids and some flesh, however has some lift in the middle. I was charmed by this one I must admit. Marked this down as a capitalized, underlined BUY. Wrote down production as ~160 cases. (will edit if wrong)

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• 2011 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard

  USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

  Tasted at the winery. Slow ox'ed from the day before. Aromas lean towards the darker fruit side. Starts off a bit gamy? But appears to lessen or disappear with more air. Felt a bit flat on the palate. Felt a bit empty of stuff. A bit one note. After the Home and Skyline this was a bit of a step down. 0% whole cluster. Only ~90 cases of production (!!)

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• 2011 Rhys Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard

  USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

  Tasted at the winery. Slow ox'ed from the day before. Kinda meaty, darker red fruit aromas. Some unoffensive potpourri. Not as massive or "brooding" as the 07 or 08, but there are the dusty and coating tannins which is typical for me of the Horseshoe vineyard. Losing some steam from all the tasting, but was still left with the impression of liking the complexity. A perennial buy for me. Production was ~7 barrels, so roughly 140 cases available to be purchased.

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• 2011 Rhys Alesia Syrah Alder Springs Vineyard

  USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County

  Tasted at the winery. Sourced grapes. Intense, dark blue fruits. Ham. In the mouth, there are very grippy, dusty tannins. Really surprised with this syrah, as my syrah experience has generally been limited to the oaky, overblown CA stuff from past years. Rhys has been making some really great syrahs.

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