Community Tasting Notes 19

• sfwinelover1 Likes this wine: 96 points

  March 31, 2024 - First of two ($66@) from a recent auction purchase. On the nose and palate, medium notes of red and black cherry, red currants, red plums, pomegranates, rhubarb, cranberry, dried strawberry, mixed spice bouquet, light char, mixed spice bouquet, saline and light touch of baking spice. Medium ruby-garnet, medium bodied, surprisingly thick legs. Profound, racy acidity, medium tannins, no heat. Excellent complexity, persistence and intensity, although the latter 2 toned down after night 1. Rhys, across bottlings and vintages, is the producer most for me like the little girl with the curl, Forest Gump’s box of chocolates or whatever other metaphor you want to come up with for highly unpredictable with big ups and (relatively) downs (perhaps this is why there always seem to be many bottles on each Rhys thread marked as flawed, although I wouldn’t label them as such, just disappointing). But holy smokes, this was fantastic, my best CA Pinot, and right up there with the best pinots I’ve had (which I’ll readily cop to not including DRCs, although plenty of Chambertins, Musignys, etc.). Almost bursting with effusiveness off the pour, this lean, lithe, lilting and lovely wine just danced across the palate with an electric, almost living feeling. One of the things that makes me ambivalent about Rhys is the use of whole clusters, a wonderful antidote for the high alcohol, baking spice-laden RRV specimens, but their savoriness can sometimes verge on cheerlessness. But not here: there’s a wonderful bright energy that makes this equally outstanding on its own and with food, one night broiled salmon, another scampi. This held consistently off the pour for about 2.5 hours on night one (96-97), although as the acidity integrated on nights 2 and 3, while the wine remained outstanding, it lost just a touch of energy (95-96+). Still, this is stunning, and at my price point, killer qpr, not always the case with Rhys. In a prime drinking window with no need of air for my palate (I’ve found that the Rhys wines I like, unusually for me, are as good off the pour as they will be with air, and the ones I’m not that fond of don’t really improve) with possibility of incremental improvement and likely to hold well for 5 years, but I’d guess I’ll drink my other bottle in the next year or so (but I’ll look for more around this price point from this and other good vintages). Complete banger here. 96++

  1 person found this helpful Comment

• gharter Likes this wine: 92 points

  January 12, 2024 - Started out very tight, needed a several hour decant. Aromas of violets, black cherry, strawberry, earth and spice. Good acidity. Flavors of tart red cherry, black cherry, cranberry, spice and earth. Long finish.

  1 person found this helpful Comment

• pjhr Likes this wine: 92 points

  December 7, 2023 - Similar to previous bottle, but perhaps not as open.

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• grafstrb wrote:

  December 5, 2023 - -- decanted 45 min. before initial taste --
  -- tasted non-blind over 2.5 hrs. --
  
  NOSE: dark purple berries --- currant; plum; blackberry; veers a bit in the high-toned direction.
  
  BODY: striking violet-ruby color of medium depth; medium-light bodied.
  
  TASTE: medium+ to high acidity; some fine, drying tannin; black cherry; not funky; some gentle oak; 13.4% alc. not noticeable. Gut impression score: low 90s. Drink or Hold.

  2 people found this helpful Comment

• pjhr Likes this wine: 93 points

  October 17, 2023 - Delicious red cherry and cranberry with spice and floral notes on the nose and palate with balancing acidity on the long finish.

  Comment

Pro Reviews 3

Wine Definition

• Vintage 2014
• Type Red
• Producer Rhys
• Varietal Pinot Noir
• Designation n/a
• Vineyard Porcupine Hill
• Country USA
• Region California
• SubRegion North Coast
• Appellation Anderson Valley

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 8 (1%)
• In Cellars 606 (66%)
• Consumed 301 (33%)

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