Rhys

Seasonal
Tasted Friday, April 24, 2009 by Keith Levenberg with 654 views

Flight 1 (2 Notes)

  • 2007 Rhys Chardonnay Alpine Vineyard 91 Points

    USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

    Bigger and thicker than the 2006, not sure if that's simply because it's a year younger or because it's a more concentrated wine. Either way, this is just as bright with a chalky minerality contributing to its freshness. It keeps its size and scale as it sits in the glass but gains in detail. I originally preferred the 2006 but by the end this had pulled ahead.

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  • 2006 Rhys Chardonnay Alpine Vineyard 93 Points

    USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

    My gut impression on the first sip was that this might be the best-yet chardonnay from Rhys. Just a fantastic texture here. Grippy and with a density that almost feels gelatinous, but not in a flabby way, and it turns fresher and drier as you savor it. Like the '07 it gains in detail as it sits in the glass and eventually develops such a grinding traction to the texture that it's almost more like an Austrian riesling or gruner than any chardonnay you might compare it to. No sign at all of the butteriness it showed two months ago.

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Flight 2 (2 Notes)

  • 2007 Rhys Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard 94 Points

    USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

    A few years ago Matt Kramer wrote of Kathryn Kennedy's 1990 Santa Cruz Mountains cabernet that it "has the questionable distinction of having reported the lowest yield I've ever heard of in California: one-quarter ton per acre." The back label of the 2007 Rhys Horseshoe Ranch discloses an even lower yield of 0.20 tons per acre. This might have been my favorite of the pinots today. The aromatics are closed, but it's a serious step up from the Family Farm on the palate; in fact it tastes the way the Family Farm smells, like it's packed with crushed stones. Super-silky in texture, too, a grand cru performance.

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  • 2007 Rhys Pinot Noir Family Farm Vineyard 89 Points

    USA, California, San Francisco Bay, San Mateo County

    Enticing scent of crushed stones. Somewhat reminds me of the style of a lot of '06 Burgundies I've experienced lately in that there is a slightly candied edge to the fruit but the material is nevertheless airy and not as glossy as the flavor tends to connote. The tannins are nice and silky although the alcohol (which is pretty low by the numbers) feels a bit firm on the back end. Overall though, way more interesting and sophisticated than the declassified Family Farm juice in the '06 San Mateo.

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Flight 3 (2 Notes)

  • 2006 Rhys Pinot Noir Home Vineyard 93 Points

    USA, California, San Francisco Bay, San Mateo County

    Closer in style to the two '07s than to any of the three '06s from the Alpine Vineyard. In fact very similar in profile to the '07 Horseshoe Ranch although there's an extra something going on that tastes almost smoky. Extremely feminine and pure silk in texture, lean in the best way. An Audrey Hepburn wine.

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  • 2006 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard 90 Points

    USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

    A sea change in style after the Home Vineyard. The density and inkiness are almost a shock to the system. Like my last experience with this wine a few months ago, the scent is practically a textbook in whole-cluster aromatics.

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Flight 4 (2 Notes)

  • 2006 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Hillside 90 Points

    USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

    Not a huge difference vis-a-vis the standard Alpine. Seems a bit more tannic on the palate and a bit sweeter in scent, not a candied sweetness but the effect is to smooth out some of the standard Alpine's stalkiness. An obvious sibling to that wine, though, in terms of density and mouthfeel. In fact there doesn't seem to be a hell of a lot of difference right now among the three of them.

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  • 2006 Rhys Pinot Noir Swan Terrace 91 Points

    USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

    Hard to tell if this is less tannic than the standard Alpine and the Hillside version or if it simply a bit more concentrated and the inkiness of the fruit is simply covering it up. Eventually, and it takes a while, the stoniness becomes more apparent, but there is still a lot of primary fruit on the surface. I know the C.W. has this as the star of the 2006 lineup, but sadly I still preferred the Home for its gentler touch.

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Flight 5 (4 Notes)

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