Textbook. Lovely nose, medium-bodied, delicious brambly cherry, with some tartness on the finish to pull it together. Still tastes young - no sign of aging.
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-- popped and poured -- -- tasted over 1.5 hrs. -- -- from 375 mL --
NOSE: expressive; savory red fruits (cherry and red currants) and super-ripe gooseberry; not funky; extremely pleasant, although it did tighten-up over the 1.5 hrs. it lasted.
BODY: medium body; dark ruby color of medium depth, with a faint hint of bricking at the edges.
TASTE: ripe; some roasty oaky; very ripe -- plush -- dark red berries and red currants; not tannic; 13.0% alc. not noticeable; Drink Now and over the near term.
50, 5, 13, 16, 7 = 91
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This is a tasty Pinot Noir, but still underperforming -- a little murky, a little underpowered, lacking the clarity and electricity of the best Rhys bottles. I don't think more time in the cellar will turn it into something better, so I would recommend ignoring the reviews and forgetting what you paid for it and enjoying it soon for the rounded, mellow, spicy wine that it is.
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Pop and pour. Tasted in a Grassl Cru glass. Deep ruby y color. Wonderful floral nose with bramble fruit (red and black berries) and touch of spice. Some forest floor as well. Wet earth with more exposure to air. Good bright fruit with a tangy acidity mid palate. The spice notes addi g a nice accent to the fruit. Good depth. Very nice.
I saved half in a 375m bottle and refrigerated; I will revisit.
13%abv.
I have been disappointed in recent Bearwallow pinots. This did not disappoint. Quite a nice wine. Shows Good fruit, lots of character, and depth.
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Vibrant and spicy, with clear whole cluster influce. This seems blanced however, with sage and apice notes with black cherry notes. Nice wine. Could use some more time but we’ll made.
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My prior review was right - an extra 2 years have done WONDERS for this wine. God, you gotta love that about wine right? Vodka now is vodka 2 years from now, but not wine. This is much more refined - great notes of cherry and cola and a little floral. This will definitely go to 2025 but drinking wonderfully now.
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Well this wine is way past it’s prime Found it in the cellar and was hoping it was still drinkable. Cork was suspect when opened, wine color was heavily bricked, wine flappy and undrinkable. Down the drain it went.
My complaints with California producers and suspect cork continues.
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Red cherry, pomegranate, french oak nose. Maybe a little inflection of cinnamon or clove. Juicy palate that gets tannic and creamy with new oak on the finish. Maybe improves with time? Not a complete wine right now.
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A surprise wine. Pulled form the cellar in the area that should be a 2013 Rhys Horseshoe Chardonnay. Didn't pay any attention, opened and taken outside. Poured, its red. Its a 2013 Bearwallow Pinot Noir. Cherry, blackberry , floral and spice aromas. similar flavors built around a medium body with great balance. Some earthiness shows up in the finish. Still improving. Would benefit from a decant.
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-- cork pulled about 20 minutes prior to initial taste -- -- tasted non-blind over 1.5 to 2 hours -- -- from 375 mL --
NOSE: deep, red berry aromas; light tertiary tones in the background.
BODY: violet-garnet color of medium to medium-deep depth; light bricking throughout; medium-light bodied.
TASTE: feels like the fruit is falling-out --- seems fairly light on the palate, particularly for a Bearwallow; round; not tannic; medium, maybe medium+, acidity; not funky or stemmy. Drink Now.
50, 5, 12, 15, 7 = 89
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Delicious slightly tart dark cherry with spice and forest floor notes on the nose and palate with refreshing acidity on the long finish. Love this pinot!
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Surprisingly dark color, no bricking on the rim, full flowers on the nose. Pop and pour, and the initial taste was tart as some have mentioned, but over time the cherry/raspberry fruit came out and the predominant tartness faded actually working well with the fruit. Never a hint of sweetness, really nice mouthfeel and finish. Next time I would decant fir an hour or so.
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From 375, double decanted for 8 hours. Gunpowder and roasted meat on the nose. Sweet black fruit. Medium acid, dusty tannin, fuller bodied. Iron and juicy fruit on the finish. At this moment its my least favorite of '13 Alpine, Bearwallow, Horseshoe.
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Good clarity. Nose mushroom dominant with a touch of alcohol and hardly any berry. Expansive mouthfeel that is the best part of the wine but some might find insufficiently steely. Medium plus glycerine. Flavors mostly spice and earth without a heck of a lot of fruit - not particularly pleasing for my taste. Ends medium- length with mostly acid and spice. None too happy about this wine at this price. Not a fan of big spice in pinots.
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Delicious slightly tart dark cherry with spice and forest floor notes on the nose and palate with balancing acidity on the moderate/long finish. No tension just a beautiful stroll through the vineyard!
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From 375. Fleshier and more fruit-forward than I was expecting from Rhys. Not a fruit bomb by any means, but hews closer to the Copain style than a Burgundian one. Richly textured, front-loaded with more black than red fruits, spicy green mid-palate aromatics (stems?), citrus peel, and a whiff of cedar. Adequate acid, mostly resolved tannins, and food complexity but still is missing a bit of tension and dimension I was looking for.
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Black cherries, plum and significant sous bois. Fleshy and round, almost plush, with a long, lingering finish. Tannins buried in the fruit. Not quite rubenesque, but an easy ride.
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Decanted 1 hour. Cherry, blackberry , floral and spice aromas. similar flavors built around a medium body with great balance. Some earthiness shows up in the finish. Still improving. No rush to open.
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375 ml bottle. Rick black cherry and plum with spice and floral hints. Rich and fleshy with good balance, but less depth or elegance than the best I've had from Rhys.
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My bottle was not like some of the recent reviews. It was not bad but seemed to be in a dumb phase. On opening the cork was ~1/3 saturated. A very one dimensional wall of dark fruit was all that it offered with maybe a hint of the signature AV violet and forest floor/tertiary elements. This was given plenty of air, and it never evolved over ~90 minutes. A 2012 consumed over a ~6 month period earlier this year (Coravin'ed) proved to be much more representative of my experience with BW.
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Color is slightly dirty garnet, not really sure if this how it’s always been or there has been some change since release. Quite a nice nose, lovely earthy, spice and stem notes; this is bright, higher toned, more on the raspberry side of the spectrum than darker cherry, complex spice notes, excellent acidity, fine, slightly stony tannins, good overall balance. Seems to have come into a good drinking window, with plenty of life ahead.
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Good, not great. The Horseshoe same vintage puts this to utter shame. That said, this is showing well though I think it will benefit from a couple of years.
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Medium garnet, fairly translucent in the glass. Pnp. Nose smells of rose petals, cherries, and a bit of dirt, with brown sugar emerging over time. Super smooth on the palate. Initial hit of suave red fruit, with layers of cedar, a tickle of sous bois, and then... Curiously, instead of opening up in the glass with air it seems to thin out. Still delicious, but becoming more diffuse as if it were hyper oxidizing. A delicious wine, although not worth the price I paid in the UK, it should be drunk in small doses from the bottle to capture the flavour!
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Enjoyed this more than the other vineyard. Bit more sophisticated and balanced. Still very Cali Pinot. Sweet cherrry on the palate. Ok but prefer burgs
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Good wine, though not one of my favorite Rhys bottlings. More black cherries, violets, and cola than red fruit in the aroma profile. More blood orange on the palate. Quite weighty; less acidic brightness than I'd like. A little inelegant. I'm curious why Rhys gives this wine a "drink" recommendation instead of "drink/hold" on its website. https://rhysvineyards.com/wine/rhys-vintage-charts/. I feel this is a rather plump and dull pinot showing only primary fruit characteristics. It seems age could serve it well.
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From 500mL. This is in a really good place right now. Has a typical Deep End nose of black-blue fruits and forest floor. Smooth and velvety texture, medium finish. Cherry, wild strawberry, herbes de provence, cinnamon. Not a ton of complexity here but very quaffable.
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Wondering if there is bottle variation. Even after several hours of air the wine seemed closed and muted. Good bones and hopefully the remaining bottle will be much more open.
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Super enjoyable, with a balance of exuberant fruit and serious earth that is hard to find. I wouldn't quite call it Burgundian as some do - on the nose maybe - but the fruit levels and general oomph shout new world to me. Would LOVE this at $25, but $60?
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Opened this bottle and poured a small taste out of the gate - the nose was stinky and the profile was disjointed. After 45 minutes of air this bottle hit its stride - in a word, balanced. I see no reason to wait on opening this bottling unless you are looking for secondary characteristics.
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Just a lovely wine. Open silky and approachable with lots of fruit and a medium colour / body. Touch of zip / spice on finish but a gentle wine with power and very Burgundian in style. Certainly a 92+ maybe 93 on my reference scale
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Wonderfully smooth. Fruit / berry nose, delightful tasting, gentle tannins, moderate finish. Enjoyed with great eggplant parm The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like strawberry, blackberry and red currant. The body is medium. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has medium acidity.
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Rhys @ My Place--Part 4 (My House): Bottle was opened yesterday for our Rhys event. Retasting 24 hrs later for this note, the bottle sat open overnight with just the cork as closure. Tasting at room temp of 70f. Today this drinks as smooth, polished, spicy and generous. It does remind me too of the bottle I opened and posted on back in July, which showed a mix of spices, like pepper and cinnamon. This bottle is consistent with that, too. The spicy note is present in the aromatic, as well as within the fruit showing in the palate. Red apple, dark strawberry, herb, rosemary, cinnamon and spicy finish with some citrusy acids. What I enjoy here is the mix of polished fruit and spicy influences. FWIW, the listed ABV is 13.0% so I'm coming at this from the perspective that the cool spicy notes is the Bear plot, not anything related to alcohol. If the spicy and citrusy notes weren't here, I'd say this is a drink now wine but I do think this wine can age, or be enjoyed now, too.
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So it would seem I need to take a hard look at and reconsider my Rhys skepticism for all these years. This was a dead ringer for Dujac. Beautiful stem/whole cluster aromas—sweet cinnamon mingling with a rich yet fresh red fruit. Cooling acidity balances the fruit. It’s opulent and balanced all at once. Really very convincing stuff, even for the tarrif. In the past I’ve tended to feel the Rhys wines had too much cola to them. Not so here.
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15 months after the prior, and our last. Oldwine’s note made me curious to open this. Happily, we found it distinctively savory, this time with a hint of Earl Gray tea, and quite enjoyable over three nights.
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Decanted at 5pm and tasted through the evening. Light to medium ruby. Nose is fruity with red berries dominating a slightly reticent bouquet that shows a little florals as well. Palate is more raspberry and cranberry. Low tannin and medium acidity. Moderately long finish. This was much more fruit forward than the Santa Cruz Mtn bottling from the same vintage. While I like it and it is very pleasant it’s not what I would call impressive. On the margin, I was a bit disappointed and had hoped for more. I would suggest drinking before its 12th birthday...i.e. over the next 4-6 years.
Decanted and tasted over several hours. Translucent ruby crimson. Nose has light baking spices, crushed raspberries, a hint of menthol and a little alcohol. Medium acidity keeps it a bit lively but I’d prefer a bit more. Texture is light but layered. Flavors include the raspberry along with spices and vanilla as well as some minerals/slate. Solid and enjoyable but not as impressive as I had hoped.
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We opened this yesterday for an afternoon meal. I kept about a 1/3rd of the bottle as leftover, under cork that I stuffed back in. Retasting now, the wine is coming up from refridge temp to a perfect temp. This is generous in texture, with a good amount of spice in both the aromatics (cinnamon and pepper) and the finish--it's a dominating presence in the wine. The fruit reminds me of a dark strawberry, along with some red apple, both being framed by the spicy, tangy core with pine needle that wraps it all together. Reminds me a bit of Rivers-Marie Summa Old Vine, too. Delicious now, with a few more years of development ahead, too.
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Darker fruited than I anticipated but darn good. Tasty on night one but I took a while, with air, for it to open up. There was a glass left for day two which we agreed was more open and even more enjoyable. Definitely has many years of life ahead. Probably should wait at least 3-4 years before opening the next bottle. Well done!
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Delicious slightly tart dark cherry with spice and forest floor notes on the nose and palate with refreshing acidity on the long finish. Drinking well!
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Nicely aromatic. On the palate, rich fruit but nimble in the context of California pinot. Great balance of fruit and acidity, the latter of which is not yet fully resolved. Probably better in a couple years, but lovely now!
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Justerini portfolio tasting. Red sweet fruit aromas. Clean and focused. Nice attack , filling out nicely and finishing very good and balanced. Some earth and a touch of bitterness. Best Pinot on display.
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Not a tasting note but my feeling is that this is a great effort and overall a very nice wine. I am all in on this I loved it and would recommend it. Delicious smooth and inviting drinking very well now with room to hold
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Decanted and poured Eye: crimson Nose:deeply pitched red and purple fruits with spice and forest floor. Palate: dark red fruits and spices with medium plus acidity and medium plus finish.
Overall this bottle and note lines up with my last. Punches above its price point. Very nice wine here that is open for business but by no means is short of material that it can lay down for mid term cellaring. Enjoy!
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Much better than a bottle last month. Maybe it was the stemware, maybe it was the food. It seemed more complete, with good fruit, spice, acidity, and tannins well integrated. Was fantastic with my venison at Stone Creek Inn.
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Dark red with slight browning going to a thin pink rim. Expressive nose of sweet and spice: Cherries, honey, cloves. Texture is a little on the thin side but super smooth. Red berry flavors, nice spice gaining as it warmed up. Medium length finish. I very much enjoyed it but not sure I’ll spend for another.
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Very approachable shortly after poured. Rhys wines used to need several years in the bottle to get to this point. Cherry, blackberry and spice aromas and flavors built around a medium body with great balance. Very good now. Based on previous years, should have a long life ahead.
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Drinking very well, approachable after only a few minutes in the glass. Modest nose, medium bodied, nice crisp finish. Nicely balanced, great acidity. Many years left, but this bottling doesn’t seem to need as much time in the cellar that others from Rhys.
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Rhys' vintage chart suggests this will always drink well. But the last cellartracker note mentioned a closed bottle and I actually had the same impression. Maybe say it's in the process of closing. I'd probably hold off a year or two before trying my remaining bottles.
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this was open from the start, cola, root, berry and spice aromas, richness with structure, the palate shows baking spices, cherry, blackberry, clove and bright mineral, delicious, nicely balanced acidity, great with roast beef
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-- popped and poured -- -- tasted non-blind over approx. 1 hour -- -- from 375mL bottle --
NOSE: deep ripe cherry; slight savory aspect, but it's really the cherry that dominates; hint of camphor/menthol; straightforward.
BODY: violet-garnet color of medium to medium-deep depth; medium bodied.
TASTE: the first thing I noticed was the oak, and it could probably be regarded as medium in strength; not tannic; medium-low to medium acidity; pretty smooth – almost glossy; red-fruited; light savory spice (stems?); 13.0% alc. not noticeable; I like this, but think it's best to Hold, with the hope that the oak will integrate with additional cellaring.
50, 5, 12, 16, 8 = 91+
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Great Wine that needs some more time in bottle. Restrained fruit but trying to peel through the wine but I think another 2-3 years this will start to really shine
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13% abv. Medium ruby, very expressive aromas. Red cherry, cinnamon, a bit of mint and Christmas spice. Excellent depth, balance and length. Excellent now, but will improve over the next several years.
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Beautiful dark fruit and baking spice, showing a surprising bit of heat on the nose given the 13% alcohol, but then terrifically nuanced and complex on the palate, and the heat fades with air.
No formal note. Bottle was opened for about an hour. It was very tight, with black fruits and some wood spice. Some solid potential here but this needs a decant to drink today or another 2-3yrs of rest in a dark cool cellar.
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Dark ruby flecked with purple. Atypically ripe for the producer with dried and jammy black fruit, violet, spice and turned earth flavors. Medium bodied on the palate, round but not rich with medium+ acidity.
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drinking just awesome. a touch darker and rounder than the scm vineyards - will continue to get into this one "first" of all the Rhys SVD's. last of my 375's, sadly.
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My first Rhys and it did not disappoint. Elegant and smooth and very approachable. Would like to wait a little bit before revisiting this but that may prove to be difficult.
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Atlanta Does Rhys (Aria, Atlanta, GA): The 2010, 2012, and 2013 Bearwallows share a very similar profile of a fruit cobbler where the rich dark fruit and spices meld together seamlessly. The 2013 is very similar to the 2012, but with even more class and nuance, in part because of even brighter acidity. So easy to drink but with so much left to offer.
Rhys is really dialing in their winemaking in general, but particularly with the Bearwallow Pinot Noir. For those who were put off by the earlier vintages and have been passing on the Bearwallow, you should give it another try. It offers a very different character than the other vineyards, which is what you should expect from such a geographically and geologically different location, but the most recent vintages are sensational.
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Horizontal tasting of Rhys 2013 Pinots from 375ml - Alpine, Family Farm, Horseshoe, and Bearwallow. All tasted over two days. All of them were of high quality and young, drinkable and showed well except the Bearwallow that was shut down. None of them was very expressive on the nose, but all pleasant. To me - Alpine was the distinguished uncle, Family Farm the serious aunt, Horseshoe the brash cousin, and Bearwallow the shy adolescent niece. #1 - Alpine: red fruited, earthy, spicy, great concentration, light, very good depth and a fantastic long savory finish. Excellent. #2 - Family Farm: red berries, earth, deep and serious. Excellent finish. Excellent. #3 - Horseshoe: felt much riper, raspberries, cranberries, cola. Medium finish. Good+. #4 - Bearwallow: closed tight. Flavor profile on the Cali side, cranberries, cola. Judgement reserved.
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Approachable enough. Great black cherry, earth, and spice notes. Whole cluster is dialed back but not integrated yet. Has a polished, soft, entry but not to say there's isn't freshness and structure underneath. Really nice, understated style but solid all around.
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Checking out a 1/2 bottle. Purplish/ruby. Restrained dark fruit, saline, medium acidity. Finishes with slight dusting of bitter tannin. Leaving the remainder alone for at least 2 years.
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Medium ruby. Balanced, with a touch of sweetness, but with quite decent acidity. Spicy. Hints of earth, pretty good finish. Very enjoyable over three nights.
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PnP. Medium red. Nice but not outstanding. Day 2 - more complex nose, less red fruit, more depth, darker. Good depth on the palate but not a lot of complexity. Some sneaky tannins on the finish.
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Another terrific Bearwallow! It was slightly sleepy at first, but later and into the second day, the wine sings. There was a pretty soil and earth perception that dances with the perfect (to me) Anderson red fruit profile, and Vosne-ish baking spices. Full and melodious, but never heavy. This is great wine and one of my favorite Rhys every year.
Oh my! A lot of baby fat to shed yet but still very delicious. Intoxicating and elegant aromas of cherry candy, pomegranate, spice, autumn leaves and bit of oak/vanilla. Palate is similar with a refreshing acidity and velvety tannins. One of those wines you don't want to take the last sip of so that you can keep smelling it. Can't wait to revisit with some age.
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From 500mL. Medium red color, nearly opaque. Red fruit and some floral elements on the nose. Palate has strawberry, raspberry, and some pomegranate notes that carry into a medium finish. Tannins are well integrated and very fine. This is the best showing of a Bearwallow Pinot from Rhys that I've had to date. Excellent and compelling to drink now. Drink or hold.
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13% abv. Pretty, medium, transparent burgundy purple. Expressive aromatics. Raspberry, candy apple, cherry lifesaver and spice on the palate. Good depth and length, clean and taught. A very nice example of deep-end Anderson Pinot from the Rhy's team.
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This is still a baby. Drinking it now feels like infanticide. That said, with an hour or so in the glass, it really opens up and mellows out into an extraordinary, well-balanced pinot. This will be incredible in a couple years. I'm gonna try not to touch my other bottles until 2018+. (Drank from a 375ml split.)
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I am not sure if I opened the bottle at the right time but the taste is kind of very restrained unlike pinots from Anderson valley. Body was tight but firm, felt good potential. Probably needs a couple of more years.
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Dark red, clear. Nose is a bit restrained, blueberry, strawberry, black olive. Medium tannin and acidity. Lots of fruit on the palate, very juicy, sweet cherry, savory. Long finish. Not a big wine. Well balanced. Very good, but did not knock me off my feet.
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Getting on towards 9 months since my last bottle (500 ml) of this, and it's certainly complex and interesting. Red fruit and a touch of tartness as well as minty and other cool, green elements are all in play. This is not some sweet, cola-esque wine, that's for sure. I like the weight and structure here, but I am not sure about the fruit/non-fruit balance. This is a different sort of Bearwallow from the 2008-2010 period.
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I put a year in between bottles, and also of note, drank this over the same weekend as another neighboring wine that I love, the Kiser En Haut (also 2013). The note for the Bear here is within the frame of the wine being open since yesterday. The 2013 Kiser En Haut FWIW was open about the same amount of time, too. The Rhys Bear is more open, not near as sturdy as the Kiser EH, with the Bear showing a more fleshy, smooth cherry core. There is a little menthol woven in here too, with some inflection in the bouquet and then in the within the cherry but I'd call these stems more subtle. Still sensing too some of the rose petal impact too, both in the aromatic and palate, just moreso now in the core of the wine's taste. At this stage, the fruit is about red fruit, game/truffle, finishing with zesty red apple skin, a descriptor that I often find in the cooler end of Anderson Valley, very often in the Copain wines that reside near Bear (Kiser and Wendling). All in, there is a softness here, accented by a # of cool flavors. I'd predict from tasting both the Bear and Kiser EH 2013s this weekend that the Kiser will need more time, to let the sturdier side of it flesh out, whereas the Bear will drink more accessibly sooner, yet enough structure in it to lay it down for some more time if you like.
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This is surely the best iteration of Bearwallow. I am so pleased and happy to drink this wine. It is classically Anderson red fruited, and easily the most complex and intriguing version of this wine I have had to date. It it PURE and precise, with tart red fruit perceptions and a certain and distinct spice box nose. This is one of those bottles that will not not be finished once it is opened.
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I feel like each successive vintage of Bearwallow has gotten better and better. The fragrance is wonderful and full of flowers and cinnamon spice. Suave and easy-going texture, and the typical stem signature from young Rhys was no where to be found. Just a delicious and compelling experience.
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This is good to go - pop and pour and sexy. Dark hued purple with darker fruit, hints and dry blackberry and a weighty, silky texture. Layered mid pallet and very focused without being tight. This hits all the right places at the right times. Great right now.
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Without a doubt, the best Bearwallow made so far. Immediately enticing right from the pop of the cork, with sweet baking spice scents and a friendly texture with a plushness and pliancy that's almost doughy. No decanting needed for this to come together. If anything, it gets a bit more acute and juicy with air. But it remains intensely drinkable, first sip to last.
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Pop and pour from .375. Initially, I enjoyed this much more than my note from six months ago. However, with some air I did find this to show very light and less interesting than when first opened. Clearly outclassed by the 2007 Skyline that I am drinking next to it. Agree with me previous assessment not to purchase any more of this particular wine.
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Much more accessible than when lasted tasted. Round, delicious black cherry/plum fruit with earthy flavors, excellent structure, long finish, surprisingly good for Anderson Valley
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Knockout (I typically hate to use that words, but it applkies here) nose of crushed cherries, rose petals and baking spice.
Smooth and quite soft on the palate. Quite dark fruits of black cherries and plum. Also cranberry and noticeable salinity. Spice on the back end and finishes just a touch disjointed.
Needs some time to knit but the best young Bearwallow i've seen - much more dense and layered than earlier versions.
92-94 points
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liked this .375 much better than another of the same from 6 months ago. evolving for the full 3 hours it took to consume. nice medium body, developed a bit of dark spice, perfume took an hour or two to develop and was quite nice when it caught up to the wine.
highly enjoyable experience. i have a preference for the santa cruz mtn single vineyard bottlings from rhys, but this was a very positive notch in the belt for bearwallow!
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I was curious to test it. Opened the bottle and... flawed. Not even a doubt. Something went wrong with the bottle. It was not even close to wine. Can't tell what when wrong(was in temp/humidity storage control), but I needed lots of water to overcome it .
Drank alongside other Rhys SVDs in 375ml sampler. With this being the only Anderson Valley Pinot, it stood out. Everyone enjoyed it though right now it has some bitter edges which we all figure will fade with some time in bottle. Very nice Pinot that should not be touched for at least 3 yrs.
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Tasted from .375 along with the 2013 Alpine, FF and Horseshoe. This seemed to be the lightest of the group. Had some hard edges. Not that enjoyable and everyone's least favorite. Note to self - do not buy when offer comes.
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Rhys dinner: Raspberry red fruits, more delicate, dried herbs, light licorice; lightest body of the 4 Rhys tasted, light tannins, seems to have fallen apart over 40 minutes, a bit innocuous. Unanimously the weakest of the bunch.
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Contrasting with the other notes, this seemed painfully young and slightly disjointed. Surprising since I recall the 2012 between very smooth and open, but this was not.
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Note: Tasted from a 375 ml bottle. This Wine was open and decanted 2-3 hours prior to drinking.
Color: Medium Dark Cherry and clear.
Nose: Somewhat Restrained except for some floral fruit tones.
Taste: Round red fruit with tension and a silky finish. Stylistically very new world California but this has a certain elegance relative to the 2012 Bearwallow I had last month. Obviously very young and primary but this wine does not strike me as a long distance runner rather a wine for mid term cellaring. Nice finish on the tail end with good complexity and moderate acidity. Using a Burgundy comparison, this wine tastes more of young vines rather that old vines as the intense sap of a "VV" is not present. I like the balance and flavors of this Rhys but it is softer and more approachable than I thought it would be. The red fruit profile is sweet and forward making this pleasurable to drink now but I will likely hold off on trying another bottle until 2016 to give it more time to calm down. Perhaps it will add more weight with bottle age. A very good Pinot Noir that will likely improve with time.
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Of the 4, this actually shows the most fruit / best pop-pour candidate. that said, the depth on this doesn't compare with alpine or horseshoe at this (very early) point. Gives pleasure, but rather simple relative to its peers.
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A real pleasure to try these two side by side out of 500ml I just received this week. The Bearwallow is a decidedly darker shade of red than the Family Farm, verging in to relish-purple.
On the nose, the Family Farm shows rich fruit and perfume, while the Bearwallow shows bramble and a slight reductive note, with swirling I get herbs from the Bearwallow and subtle baking spices from the Family Farm.
On the palate, the Family Farm has a velvet texture, and reticent flavors of berry fruit, tangy acidity, and finishes medium+ with subtle oak, while the Bearwallow shows slightly darker and more ripe fruit, seemingly less acidity, and a slightly shorter finish.
These are very different beasts, and it will be interesting to see where they go, both re-corked into the wine fridge as well as over the longer haul. For my taste, I favor the FF by a good margin right now, as I find it more delicate and profound than the Bear, which is more giving but also more straightforward. I can see the charm of both for fans of different styles.
I really appreciate the chance to try these young wines in alternative formats. I look forward to trying the Alpine and the Horseshoe side by side.
Day 3: this has really calmed down, baby fat is gone. Nose is spicier, more perfume. Palate is much leaner, perhaps some stems coming through. This has some potential to change into something a bit more mellow, thus adding a point for potential.
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Falltacular 2015 (FMIII in the OC): OK, true confessions. I never really enjoyed the early vintages of this wine. Rhys is obviously doing something special with this vineyard. The nose on this wine is RIDICULOUS. Soft mouthfeel. I'm not even going to speculate on the drinking window. It's great now with air.
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Open for 15 mins, poured to a decanter, then to glass. First impression was like liquified rose petal, and deep, pure cherry. Alongside all of that is the same soil, truffle accent that the 2012 had on it last week. Such a beautiful palate impression, with a long finish. A lift of crushed rock in the aromatic and in the finish, that wraps around a big wollop of cherry skin. Sickly good.
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11/30/2023 - jbaron wrote: 92 Points
Big, ripe, thrushy. Lots of fruit, not elegant, maybe a touch too much of wood. Nice drink for sure, but not like the Santa Cruz cuvées.
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11/7/2023 - Rrhodez Likes this wine: 95 Points
In order from best on a vertical:
2013, 2018, 2015, 2020
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10/18/2023 - kabert Likes this wine: 93 Points
Textbook. Lovely nose, medium-bodied, delicious brambly cherry, with some tartness on the finish to pull it together. Still tastes young - no sign of aging.
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7/9/2023 - Good Stuff Likes this wine: 93 Points
beautiful wine, medium body, balanced throughout,
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1/13/2023 - grafstrb wrote: 91 Points
-- popped and poured --
-- tasted over 1.5 hrs. --
-- from 375 mL --
NOSE: expressive; savory red fruits (cherry and red currants) and super-ripe gooseberry; not funky; extremely pleasant, although it did tighten-up over the 1.5 hrs. it lasted.
BODY: medium body; dark ruby color of medium depth, with a faint hint of bricking at the edges.
TASTE: ripe; some roasty oaky; very ripe -- plush -- dark red berries and red currants; not tannic; 13.0% alc. not noticeable; Drink Now and over the near term.
50, 5, 13, 16, 7 = 91
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12/20/2022 - wiscgrad wrote: flawed
wet cardboard and muted palette. cork was soft and showed seepage all the way to the end of the cork. every producer should switch to Diam corks
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12/9/2022 - John O' Likes this wine:
poured out a glass and let air in the bottle for 1.5 hours. Best Rhys pinot noir I've ever had. That AH-HA moment as to why Rhys is so loved.
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10/7/2022 - RichEB1 wrote: 89 Points
Solid but not exceptional. Probably no need to wait as i dont see it getting much better.
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9/22/2022 - Beezc Likes this wine: 92 Points
Just starting to lose some fruit. Enjoyable but I wish I had consumed a year or two earlier. Drink up.
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8/8/2022 - talbot61 Likes this wine:
This is a tasty Pinot Noir, but still underperforming -- a little murky, a little underpowered, lacking the clarity and electricity of the best Rhys bottles. I don't think more time in the cellar will turn it into something better, so I would recommend ignoring the reviews and forgetting what you paid for it and enjoying it soon for the rounded, mellow, spicy wine that it is.
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7/21/2022 - t_moderne wrote: 93 Points
Pop and pour. Tasted in a Grassl Cru glass.
Deep ruby y color.
Wonderful floral nose with bramble fruit (red and black berries) and touch of spice. Some forest floor as well.
Wet earth with more exposure to air.
Good bright fruit with a tangy acidity mid palate. The spice notes addi g a nice accent to the fruit.
Good depth.
Very nice.
I saved half in a 375m bottle and refrigerated; I will revisit.
13%abv.
I have been disappointed in recent Bearwallow pinots.
This did not disappoint. Quite a nice wine. Shows Good fruit, lots of character, and depth.
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7/10/2022 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Vibrant and spicy, with clear whole cluster influce. This seems blanced however, with sage and apice notes with black cherry notes. Nice wine. Could use some more time but we’ll made.
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5/31/2022 - citizen1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
My prior review was right - an extra 2 years have done WONDERS for this wine. God, you gotta love that about wine right? Vodka now is vodka 2 years from now, but not wine. This is much more refined - great notes of cherry and cola and a little floral. This will definitely go to 2025 but drinking wonderfully now.
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3/15/2022 - Bakerbd wrote: 89 Points
Cherry cola, blackberry bramble, med acidity, grainy tannin, somewhat disjointed
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2/3/2022 - pjhr Likes this wine: 93 Points
As delicious as the last bottle!
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2/2/2022 - SkeBum Does not like this wine: 82 Points
Well this wine is way past it’s prime Found it in the cellar and was hoping it was still drinkable. Cork was suspect when opened, wine color was heavily bricked, wine flappy and undrinkable. Down the drain it went.
My complaints with California producers and suspect cork continues.
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11/12/2021 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 90 Points
Not my favorite Rhys bottling. Good concentrated fruit, but not much character.
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10/16/2021 - andtheodor wrote: 90 Points
Red cherry, pomegranate, french oak nose. Maybe a little inflection of cinnamon or clove. Juicy palate that gets tannic and creamy with new oak on the finish. Maybe improves with time? Not a complete wine right now.
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8/21/2021 - grafstrb wrote:
Pleasant, slightly aged Nose. Red-fruited, a bit thin, and not complex on the Palate. Drink Now and over the near term.
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7/31/2021 - gharter Likes this wine: 90 Points
A surprise wine. Pulled form the cellar in the area that should be a 2013 Rhys Horseshoe Chardonnay. Didn't pay any attention, opened and taken outside. Poured, its red. Its a 2013 Bearwallow Pinot Noir. Cherry, blackberry , floral and spice aromas. similar flavors built around a medium body with great balance. Some earthiness shows up in the finish. Still improving. Would benefit from a decant.
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7/7/2021 - grafstrb wrote: 89 Points
-- cork pulled about 20 minutes prior to initial taste --
-- tasted non-blind over 1.5 to 2 hours --
-- from 375 mL --
NOSE: deep, red berry aromas; light tertiary tones in the background.
BODY: violet-garnet color of medium to medium-deep depth; light bricking throughout; medium-light bodied.
TASTE: feels like the fruit is falling-out --- seems fairly light on the palate, particularly for a Bearwallow; round; not tannic; medium, maybe medium+, acidity; not funky or stemmy. Drink Now.
50, 5, 12, 15, 7 = 89
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5/3/2021 - mreinhard74@gmail.com Likes this wine: 92 Points
Bright and lively on the palate. Can taste the whole cluster. White pepper and ripe berries.
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4/12/2021 - pjhr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious slightly tart dark cherry with spice and forest floor notes on the nose and palate with refreshing acidity on the long finish. Love this pinot!
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3/25/2021 - G8tor80 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Surprisingly dark color, no bricking on the rim, full flowers on the nose. Pop and pour, and the initial taste was tart as some have mentioned, but over time the cherry/raspberry fruit came out and the predominant tartness faded actually working well with the fruit. Never a hint of sweetness, really nice mouthfeel and finish. Next time I would decant fir an hour or so.
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3/8/2021 - pjhr Likes this wine: 93 Points
As delicious as the last bottle!
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2/15/2021 - rama wrote:
From 375, double decanted for 8 hours. Gunpowder and roasted meat on the nose. Sweet black fruit. Medium acid, dusty tannin, fuller bodied. Iron and juicy fruit on the finish. At this moment its my least favorite of '13 Alpine, Bearwallow, Horseshoe.
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1/31/2021 - Shrages wrote: 90 Points
Good clarity. Nose mushroom dominant with a touch of alcohol and hardly any berry. Expansive mouthfeel that is the best part of the wine but some might find insufficiently steely. Medium plus glycerine. Flavors mostly spice and earth without a heck of a lot of fruit - not particularly pleasing for my taste. Ends medium- length with mostly acid and spice. None too happy about this wine at this price. Not a fan of big spice in pinots.
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1/31/2021 - pjhr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious slightly tart dark cherry with spice and forest floor notes on the nose and palate with balancing acidity on the moderate/long finish. No tension just a beautiful stroll through the vineyard!
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1/30/2021 - ohne_musik wrote: 89 Points
From 375. Fleshier and more fruit-forward than I was expecting from Rhys. Not a fruit bomb by any means, but hews closer to the Copain style than a Burgundian one. Richly textured, front-loaded with more black than red fruits, spicy green mid-palate aromatics (stems?), citrus peel, and a whiff of cedar. Adequate acid, mostly resolved tannins, and food complexity but still is missing a bit of tension and dimension I was looking for.
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1/29/2021 - gmbdds wrote: 90 Points
Red fruit filled with fairly bold spice. Roasted and metallic notes on the finish. Maintains acidic freshness throughout.
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1/29/2021 - ChrisR Likes this wine:
Black cherries, plum and significant sous bois. Fleshy and round, almost plush, with a long, lingering finish. Tannins buried in the fruit. Not quite rubenesque, but an easy ride.
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1/23/2021 - MindMuse wrote: 89 Points
Pleasing nose of cherry, violet, light spice. Tasty, but not much definition or depth for a Rhys.
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1/22/2021 - gharter Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted 1 hour. Cherry, blackberry , floral and spice aromas. similar flavors built around a medium body with great balance. Some earthiness shows up in the finish. Still improving. No rush to open.
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1/8/2021 - Burgundy Al wrote: 90 Points
375 ml bottle. Rick black cherry and plum with spice and floral hints. Rich and fleshy with good balance, but less depth or elegance than the best I've had from Rhys.
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12/27/2020 - Amerique wrote: 93 Points
Surprising good. Rich, delicious dark strawberry fruit with ample acid and earthy flavors, excellent structure, ample finish
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12/26/2020 - Beezc Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drinking well. Not sure if it will improve but should but see it going a while longer.
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12/23/2020 - WG Johns@n wrote:
My bottle was not like some of the recent reviews. It was not bad but seemed to be in a dumb phase. On opening the cork was ~1/3 saturated. A very one dimensional wall of dark fruit was all that it offered with maybe a hint of the signature AV violet and forest floor/tertiary elements. This was given plenty of air, and it never evolved over ~90 minutes. A 2012 consumed over a ~6 month period earlier this year (Coravin'ed) proved to be much more representative of my experience with BW.
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12/3/2020 - pjhr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Continues to drink well! Integrating nicely and should continue to develop.
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11/26/2020 - alanr wrote: 91 Points
Color is slightly dirty garnet, not really sure if this how it’s always been or there has been some change since release. Quite a nice nose, lovely earthy, spice and stem notes; this is bright, higher toned, more on the raspberry side of the spectrum than darker cherry, complex spice notes, excellent acidity, fine, slightly stony tannins, good overall balance. Seems to have come into a good drinking window, with plenty of life ahead.
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11/13/2020 - norsktorsk wrote: 93 Points
better after a little air
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10/30/2020 - citizen1 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Good, not great. The Horseshoe same vintage puts this to utter shame. That said, this is showing well though I think it will benefit from a couple of years.
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9/8/2020 - Rhwinetracker wrote: 88 Points
Dark fruit, herbs, and forest floor. Well made, but not my style.
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8/10/2020 - Pey2001 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Medium garnet, fairly translucent in the glass. Pnp. Nose smells of rose petals, cherries, and a bit of dirt, with brown sugar emerging over time. Super smooth on the palate. Initial hit of suave red fruit, with layers of cedar, a tickle of sous bois, and then... Curiously, instead of opening up in the glass with air it seems to thin out. Still delicious, but becoming more diffuse as if it were hyper oxidizing. A delicious wine, although not worth the price I paid in the UK, it should be drunk in small doses from the bottle to capture the flavour!
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8/5/2020 - LWI wrote: 91 Points
Sweet cherry and red currants, some spice. Fresh and lingering, a bit wanting in complexity.
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6/4/2020 - rama wrote:
Mole sauce on the nose, medium bodied, bright and saline.
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5/24/2020 - PC73 wrote: 88 Points
Enjoyed this more than the other vineyard. Bit more sophisticated and balanced. Still very Cali Pinot. Sweet cherrry on the palate.
Ok but prefer burgs
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5/7/2020 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 90 Points
Good wine, though not one of my favorite Rhys bottlings. More black cherries, violets, and cola than red fruit in the aroma profile. More blood orange on the palate. Quite weighty; less acidic brightness than I'd like. A little inelegant. I'm curious why Rhys gives this wine a "drink" recommendation instead of "drink/hold" on its website. https://rhysvineyards.com/wine/rhys-vintage-charts/. I feel this is a rather plump and dull pinot showing only primary fruit characteristics. It seems age could serve it well.
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5/1/2020 - Acohen Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark cherry, earth, minerality and some cinnamon/cola on the finish
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4/9/2020 - Biskuit Likes this wine: 92 Points
A bit musty at first, improved significantly with some air and even better night two.
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4/4/2020 - GrapeScott wrote: 92 Points
From 500mL. This is in a really good place right now. Has a typical Deep End nose of black-blue fruits and forest floor. Smooth and velvety texture, medium finish. Cherry, wild strawberry, herbes de provence, cinnamon. Not a ton of complexity here but very quaffable.
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2/11/2020 - GoBlue2002 Likes this wine: 92 Points
From 375 ml, consumed by wife.
Lovely and fruit forward.
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2/5/2020 - TC16 wrote:
Wondering if there is bottle variation. Even after several hours of air the wine seemed closed and muted. Good bones and hopefully the remaining bottle will be much more open.
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1/14/2020 - Biskuit Likes this wine: 92 Points
Super enjoyable, with a balance of exuberant fruit and serious earth that is hard to find. I wouldn't quite call it Burgundian as some do - on the nose maybe - but the fruit levels and general oomph shout new world to me. Would LOVE this at $25, but $60?
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1/13/2020 - Dnacabernet Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened this bottle and poured a small taste out of the gate - the nose was stinky and the profile was disjointed. After 45 minutes of air this bottle hit its stride - in a word, balanced. I see no reason to wait on opening this bottling unless you are looking for secondary characteristics.
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1/12/2020 - Mbad77 wrote: 93 Points
Just a lovely wine. Open silky and approachable with lots of fruit and a medium colour / body. Touch of zip / spice on finish but a gentle wine with power and very Burgundian in style. Certainly a 92+ maybe 93 on my reference scale
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12/20/2019 - diggydan wrote: 91 Points
Ripe cherry and a little cola and spice. Nothing bad but not worth half the tariff.
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12/15/2019 - SammyD1974 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wonderfully smooth. Fruit / berry nose, delightful tasting, gentle tannins, moderate finish. Enjoyed with great eggplant parm
The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like strawberry, blackberry and red currant. The body is medium. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has medium acidity.
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11/25/2019 - rgidwani Likes this wine: 92 Points
Getting better with time!
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11/10/2019 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Rhys @ My Place--Part 4 (My House): Bottle was opened yesterday for our Rhys event. Retasting 24 hrs later for this note, the bottle sat open overnight with just the cork as closure. Tasting at room temp of 70f. Today this drinks as smooth, polished, spicy and generous. It does remind me too of the bottle I opened and posted on back in July, which showed a mix of spices, like pepper and cinnamon. This bottle is consistent with that, too. The spicy note is present in the aromatic, as well as within the fruit showing in the palate. Red apple, dark strawberry, herb, rosemary, cinnamon and spicy finish with some citrusy acids. What I enjoy here is the mix of polished fruit and spicy influences. FWIW, the listed ABV is 13.0% so I'm coming at this from the perspective that the cool spicy notes is the Bear plot, not anything related to alcohol. If the spicy and citrusy notes weren't here, I'd say this is a drink now wine but I do think this wine can age, or be enjoyed now, too.
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10/23/2019 - MartyL wrote: 92 Points
So it would seem I need to take a hard look at and reconsider my Rhys skepticism for all these years. This was a dead ringer for Dujac. Beautiful stem/whole cluster aromas—sweet cinnamon mingling with a rich yet fresh red fruit. Cooling acidity balances the fruit. It’s opulent and balanced all at once. Really very convincing stuff, even for the tarrif. In the past I’ve tended to feel the Rhys wines had too much cola to them. Not so here.
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10/22/2019 - GoBlue2002 Likes this wine: 94 Points
375 ml, consumed by wife.
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10/19/2019 - Deux Chevaux wrote:
15 months after the prior, and our last. Oldwine’s note made me curious to open this. Happily, we found it distinctively savory, this time with a hint of Earl Gray tea, and quite enjoyable over three nights.
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10/13/2019 - oldwines Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted at 5pm and tasted through the evening. Light to medium ruby. Nose is fruity with red berries dominating a slightly reticent bouquet that shows a little florals as well. Palate is more raspberry and cranberry. Low tannin and medium acidity. Moderately long finish. This was much more fruit forward than the Santa Cruz Mtn bottling from the same vintage. While I like it and it is very pleasant it’s not what I would call impressive. On the margin, I was a bit disappointed and had hoped for more. I would suggest drinking before its 12th birthday...i.e. over the next 4-6 years.
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9/7/2019 - oldwines Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted and tasted over several hours. Translucent ruby crimson. Nose has light baking spices, crushed raspberries, a hint of menthol and a little alcohol. Medium acidity keeps it a bit lively but I’d prefer a bit more. Texture is light but layered. Flavors include the raspberry along with spices and vanilla as well as some minerals/slate. Solid and enjoyable but not as impressive as I had hoped.
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7/29/2019 - Frank Murray III wrote:
We opened this yesterday for an afternoon meal. I kept about a 1/3rd of the bottle as leftover, under cork that I stuffed back in. Retasting now, the wine is coming up from refridge temp to a perfect temp. This is generous in texture, with a good amount of spice in both the aromatics (cinnamon and pepper) and the finish--it's a dominating presence in the wine. The fruit reminds me of a dark strawberry, along with some red apple, both being framed by the spicy, tangy core with pine needle that wraps it all together. Reminds me a bit of Rivers-Marie Summa Old Vine, too. Delicious now, with a few more years of development ahead, too.
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6/30/2019 - Djfermentation Likes this wine: 92 Points
Darker fruited than I anticipated but darn good. Tasty on night one but I took a while, with air, for it to open up. There was a glass left for day two which we agreed was more open and even more enjoyable. Definitely has many years of life ahead. Probably should wait at least 3-4 years before opening the next bottle. Well done!
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4/30/2019 - pjhr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious slightly tart dark cherry with spice and forest floor notes on the nose and palate with refreshing acidity on the long finish. Drinking well!
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3/15/2019 - vanpe003 wrote:
Nicely aromatic. On the palate, rich fruit but nimble in the context of California pinot. Great balance of fruit and acidity, the latter of which is not yet fully resolved. Probably better in a couple years, but lovely now!
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2/22/2019 - Beezc Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark fruit, creamy well balanced wine. Drank well out of the gate.
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2/6/2019 - Mascarello59 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Justerini portfolio tasting. Red sweet fruit aromas. Clean and focused. Nice attack , filling out nicely and finishing very good and balanced. Some earth and a touch of bitterness. Best Pinot on display.
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12/3/2018 - TLR Likes this wine: 95 Points
Not a tasting note but my feeling is that this is a great effort and overall a very nice wine. I am all in on this I loved it and would recommend it. Delicious smooth and inviting drinking very well now with room to hold
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11/25/2018 - Rgentile wrote: 92 Points
Decanted and poured
Eye: crimson
Nose:deeply pitched red and purple fruits with spice and forest floor.
Palate: dark red fruits and spices with medium plus acidity and medium plus finish.
Overall this bottle and note lines up with my last. Punches above its price point. Very nice wine here that is open for business but by no means is short of material that it can lay down for mid term cellaring. Enjoy!
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11/17/2018 - Diane (LI) wrote:
Much better than a bottle last month. Maybe it was the stemware, maybe it was the food. It seemed more complete, with good fruit, spice, acidity, and tannins well integrated. Was fantastic with my venison at Stone Creek Inn.
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9/29/2018 - mp6283 wrote:
Dark red with slight browning going to a thin pink rim. Expressive nose of sweet and spice: Cherries, honey, cloves. Texture is a little on the thin side but super smooth. Red berry flavors, nice spice gaining as it warmed up. Medium length finish. I very much enjoyed it but not sure I’ll spend for another.
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8/21/2018 - gharter Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very approachable shortly after poured. Rhys wines used to need several years in the bottle to get to this point. Cherry, blackberry and spice aromas and flavors built around a medium body with great balance. Very good now. Based on previous years, should have a long life ahead.
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7/11/2018 - Deux Chevaux wrote:
Similar to our note in November 2016. Beautifully balanced, and very enjoyable over three nights.
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7/9/2018 - blaine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking very well, approachable after only a few minutes in the glass. Modest nose, medium bodied, nice crisp finish. Nicely balanced, great acidity. Many years left, but this bottling doesn’t seem to need as much time in the cellar that others from Rhys.
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6/24/2018 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 92 Points
Cherries, dark and red berries, and baking spices on the nose. Raspberries, bitter orange, dark berries, and cloves on the palate. Long finish.
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4/2/2018 - Rgentile wrote: 92 Points
Gave this a 30min decant. It was showing very well. I thought this was fantastic, enjoy!
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1/20/2018 - ducster72 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Rhys' vintage chart suggests this will always drink well. But the last cellartracker note mentioned a closed bottle and I actually had the same impression. Maybe say it's in the process of closing. I'd probably hold off a year or two before trying my remaining bottles.
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12/26/2017 - Lazerlar wrote: 89 Points
Closed tight, this bottle needed more time to show well. Our previous bottle 5 months ago was open and drank much better.
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12/22/2017 - whits Likes this wine: 92 Points
this was open from the start, cola, root, berry and spice aromas, richness with structure, the palate shows baking spices, cherry, blackberry, clove and bright mineral, delicious, nicely balanced acidity, great with roast beef
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11/7/2017 - norsktorsk wrote: 92 Points
Just right from a split. PAP.
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10/30/2017 - grafstrb wrote: 91 Points
-- popped and poured --
-- tasted non-blind over approx. 1 hour --
-- from 375mL bottle --
NOSE: deep ripe cherry; slight savory aspect, but it's really the cherry that dominates; hint of camphor/menthol; straightforward.
BODY: violet-garnet color of medium to medium-deep depth; medium bodied.
TASTE: the first thing I noticed was the oak, and it could probably be regarded as medium in strength; not tannic; medium-low to medium acidity; pretty smooth – almost glossy; red-fruited; light savory spice (stems?); 13.0% alc. not noticeable; I like this, but think it's best to Hold, with the hope that the oak will integrate with additional cellaring.
50, 5, 12, 16, 8 = 91+
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10/7/2017 - Griffeyfan04 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Great Wine that needs some more time in bottle. Restrained fruit but trying to peel through the wine but I think another 2-3 years this will start to really shine
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9/24/2017 - Mike Dildine Likes this wine: 93 Points
13% abv. Medium ruby, very expressive aromas. Red cherry, cinnamon, a bit of mint and Christmas spice. Excellent depth, balance and length. Excellent now, but will improve over the next several years.
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9/13/2017 - MikeATL Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful dark fruit and baking spice, showing a surprising bit of heat on the nose given the 13% alcohol, but then terrifically nuanced and complex on the palate, and the heat fades with air.
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8/30/2017 - Rgentile wrote: 90 Points
No formal note. Bottle was opened for about an hour. It was very tight, with black fruits and some wood spice. Some solid potential here but this needs a decant to drink today or another 2-3yrs of rest in a dark cool cellar.
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7/25/2017 - wino_tim wrote:
Dark ruby flecked with purple. Atypically ripe for the producer with dried and jammy black fruit, violet, spice and turned earth flavors. Medium bodied on the palate, round but not rich with medium+ acidity.
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7/13/2017 - Jahull03 wrote:
drinking just awesome. a touch darker and rounder than the scm vineyards - will continue to get into this one "first" of all the Rhys SVD's. last of my 375's, sadly.
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7/12/2017 - Lazerlar Likes this wine: 93 Points
My first Rhys and it did not disappoint. Elegant and smooth and very approachable. Would like to wait a little bit before revisiting this but that may prove to be difficult.
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7/3/2017 - mossreport Likes this wine: 92 Points
Great value for only 85 in a restaurant.
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5/2/2017 - MikeATL Likes this wine: 93 Points
Atlanta Does Rhys (Aria, Atlanta, GA): The 2010, 2012, and 2013 Bearwallows share a very similar profile of a fruit cobbler where the rich dark fruit and spices meld together seamlessly. The 2013 is very similar to the 2012, but with even more class and nuance, in part because of even brighter acidity. So easy to drink but with so much left to offer.
Rhys is really dialing in their winemaking in general, but particularly with the Bearwallow Pinot Noir. For those who were put off by the earlier vintages and have been passing on the Bearwallow, you should give it another try. It offers a very different character than the other vineyards, which is what you should expect from such a geographically and geologically different location, but the most recent vintages are sensational.
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3/20/2017 - ron m wrote:
Horizontal tasting of Rhys 2013 Pinots from 375ml - Alpine, Family Farm, Horseshoe, and Bearwallow. All tasted over two days. All of them were of high quality and young, drinkable and showed well except the Bearwallow that was shut down. None of them was very expressive on the nose, but all pleasant. To me - Alpine was the distinguished uncle, Family Farm the serious aunt, Horseshoe the brash cousin, and Bearwallow the shy adolescent niece.
#1 - Alpine: red fruited, earthy, spicy, great concentration, light, very good depth and a fantastic long savory finish. Excellent.
#2 - Family Farm: red berries, earth, deep and serious. Excellent finish. Excellent.
#3 - Horseshoe: felt much riper, raspberries, cranberries, cola. Medium finish. Good+.
#4 - Bearwallow: closed tight. Flavor profile on the Cali side, cranberries, cola. Judgement reserved.
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2/9/2017 - John O' Likes this wine:
from coravin. Really elegant. The antithesis of the big Cali Pinot's. Suspect this can age for many years
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2/6/2017 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Approachable enough. Great black cherry, earth, and spice notes. Whole cluster is dialed back but not integrated yet. Has a polished, soft, entry but not to say there's isn't freshness and structure underneath. Really nice, understated style but solid all around.
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1/14/2017 - rama wrote:
Checking out a 1/2 bottle. Purplish/ruby. Restrained dark fruit, saline, medium acidity. Finishes with slight dusting of bitter tannin. Leaving the remainder alone for at least 2 years.
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11/18/2016 - Deux Chevaux wrote:
Medium ruby. Balanced, with a touch of sweetness, but with quite decent acidity. Spicy. Hints of earth, pretty good finish. Very enjoyable over three nights.
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11/8/2016 - SkeBum Likes this wine: 91 Points
Lovely wine, this maker is top notch.
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10/29/2016 - rosenst1 wrote: 90 Points
PnP. Medium red. Nice but not outstanding. Day 2 - more complex nose, less red fruit, more depth, darker. Good depth on the palate but not a lot of complexity. Some sneaky tannins on the finish.
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10/18/2016 - Charlie Carnes Likes this wine:
Another terrific Bearwallow! It was slightly sleepy at first, but later and into the second day, the wine sings. There was a pretty soil and earth perception that dances with the perfect (to me) Anderson red fruit profile, and Vosne-ish baking spices. Full and melodious, but never heavy. This is great wine and one of my favorite Rhys every year.
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10/15/2016 - Kfirestone Likes this wine:
Oh my! A lot of baby fat to shed yet but still very delicious. Intoxicating and elegant aromas of cherry candy, pomegranate, spice, autumn leaves and bit of oak/vanilla. Palate is similar with a refreshing acidity and velvety tannins. One of those wines you don't want to take the last sip of so that you can keep smelling it. Can't wait to revisit with some age.
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10/10/2016 - fredb Likes this wine:
From 500mL. Medium red color, nearly opaque. Red fruit and some floral elements on the nose. Palate has strawberry, raspberry, and some pomegranate notes that carry into a medium finish. Tannins are well integrated and very fine. This is the best showing of a Bearwallow Pinot from Rhys that I've had to date. Excellent and compelling to drink now. Drink or hold.
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10/8/2016 - Mike Dildine Likes this wine: 93 Points
13% abv. Pretty, medium, transparent burgundy purple. Expressive aromatics. Raspberry, candy apple, cherry lifesaver and spice on the palate. Good depth and length, clean and taught. A very nice example of deep-end Anderson Pinot from the Rhy's team.
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8/23/2016 - LoireFan wrote: 93 Points
Wow, this is so pleasing.
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8/22/2016 - tcarter Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is still a baby. Drinking it now feels like infanticide. That said, with an hour or so in the glass, it really opens up and mellows out into an extraordinary, well-balanced pinot. This will be incredible in a couple years. I'm gonna try not to touch my other bottles until 2018+. (Drank from a 375ml split.)
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8/11/2016 - Thirsty1 Likes this wine:
Delicious. Consistent with my 4/2 note. Very dark pinot noir.
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7/20/2016 - kihyun01 wrote: 89 Points
I am not sure if I opened the bottle at the right time but the taste is kind of very restrained unlike pinots from Anderson valley. Body was tight but firm, felt good potential. Probably needs a couple of more years.
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7/16/2016 - mhauser Likes this wine:
Dark red, clear. Nose is a bit restrained, blueberry, strawberry, black olive. Medium tannin and acidity. Lots of fruit on the palate, very juicy, sweet cherry, savory. Long finish. Not a big wine. Well balanced. Very good, but did not knock me off my feet.
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5/23/2016 - Rieslingfan wrote:
Getting on towards 9 months since my last bottle (500 ml) of this, and it's certainly complex and interesting. Red fruit and a touch of tartness as well as minty and other cool, green elements are all in play. This is not some sweet, cola-esque wine, that's for sure. I like the weight and structure here, but I am not sure about the fruit/non-fruit balance. This is a different sort of Bearwallow from the 2008-2010 period.
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4/17/2016 - Frank Murray III wrote:
I put a year in between bottles, and also of note, drank this over the same weekend as another neighboring wine that I love, the Kiser En Haut (also 2013). The note for the Bear here is within the frame of the wine being open since yesterday. The 2013 Kiser En Haut FWIW was open about the same amount of time, too. The Rhys Bear is more open, not near as sturdy as the Kiser EH, with the Bear showing a more fleshy, smooth cherry core. There is a little menthol woven in here too, with some inflection in the bouquet and then in the within the cherry but I'd call these stems more subtle. Still sensing too some of the rose petal impact too, both in the aromatic and palate, just moreso now in the core of the wine's taste. At this stage, the fruit is about red fruit, game/truffle, finishing with zesty red apple skin, a descriptor that I often find in the cooler end of Anderson Valley, very often in the Copain wines that reside near Bear (Kiser and Wendling). All in, there is a softness here, accented by a # of cool flavors. I'd predict from tasting both the Bear and Kiser EH 2013s this weekend that the Kiser will need more time, to let the sturdier side of it flesh out, whereas the Bear will drink more accessibly sooner, yet enough structure in it to lay it down for some more time if you like.
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4/8/2016 - Charlie Carnes Likes this wine: 96 Points
This is surely the best iteration of Bearwallow. I am so pleased and happy to drink this wine. It is classically Anderson red fruited, and easily the most complex and intriguing version of this wine I have had to date. It it PURE and precise, with tart red fruit perceptions and a certain and distinct spice box nose. This is one of those bottles that will not not be finished once it is opened.
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4/2/2016 - Billigan Likes this wine: 93 Points
I feel like each successive vintage of Bearwallow has gotten better and better. The fragrance is wonderful and full of flowers and cinnamon spice. Suave and easy-going texture, and the typical stem signature from young Rhys was no where to be found. Just a delicious and compelling experience.
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4/2/2016 - Thirsty1 Likes this wine:
This is good to go - pop and pour and sexy. Dark hued purple with darker fruit, hints and dry blackberry and a weighty, silky texture. Layered mid pallet and very focused without being tight. This hits all the right places at the right times. Great right now.
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3/23/2016 - cos65 Likes this wine:
Lighter seeming than other Rhys, but otherwise nice elegant balance. Hold.
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3/18/2016 - Keith Levenberg Likes this wine: 94 Points
Without a doubt, the best Bearwallow made so far. Immediately enticing right from the pop of the cork, with sweet baking spice scents and a friendly texture with a plushness and pliancy that's almost doughy. No decanting needed for this to come together. If anything, it gets a bit more acute and juicy with air. But it remains intensely drinkable, first sip to last.
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3/11/2016 - Amerique wrote: 92 Points
Very forward in the palate drinking, finish short, otherwise past tasting notes apply
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1/30/2016 - cookie7 wrote:
Pop and pour from .375. Initially, I enjoyed this much more than my note from six months ago. However, with some air I did find this to show very light and less interesting than when first opened. Clearly outclassed by the 2007 Skyline that I am drinking next to it. Agree with me previous assessment not to purchase any more of this particular wine.
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1/26/2016 - Mtnmd1 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Splash decanted and then waited another hour before the first glass. Really allowed it to come together. Moderate/delicate, medium finish.
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11/22/2015 - Amerique wrote: 93 Points
Much more accessible than when lasted tasted. Round, delicious black cherry/plum fruit with earthy flavors, excellent structure, long finish, surprisingly good for Anderson Valley
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10/25/2015 - bobdobilina wrote: 93 Points
Tasted from 375ml.
Dark Crystaline ruby color fades to clear rim.
Knockout (I typically hate to use that words, but it applkies here) nose of crushed cherries, rose petals and baking spice.
Smooth and quite soft on the palate. Quite dark fruits of black cherries and plum. Also cranberry and noticeable salinity. Spice on the back end and finishes just a touch disjointed.
Needs some time to knit but the best young Bearwallow i've seen - much more dense and layered than earlier versions.
92-94 points
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10/11/2015 - Jahull03 wrote:
liked this .375 much better than another of the same from 6 months ago. evolving for the full 3 hours it took to consume. nice medium body, developed a bit of dark spice, perfume took an hour or two to develop and was quite nice when it caught up to the wine.
highly enjoyable experience. i have a preference for the santa cruz mtn single vineyard bottlings from rhys, but this was a very positive notch in the belt for bearwallow!
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9/1/2015 - odds wrote: flawed
I was curious to test it. Opened the bottle and... flawed. Not even a doubt. Something went wrong with the bottle. It was not even close to wine. Can't tell what when wrong(was in temp/humidity storage control), but I needed lots of water to overcome it .
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8/17/2015 - jrkennedy37 wrote:
Drank alongside other Rhys SVDs in 375ml sampler. With this being the only Anderson Valley Pinot, it stood out. Everyone enjoyed it though right now it has some bitter edges which we all figure will fade with some time in bottle. Very nice Pinot that should not be touched for at least 3 yrs.
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7/29/2015 - cookie7 wrote:
Tasted from .375 along with the 2013 Alpine, FF and Horseshoe. This seemed to be the lightest of the group. Had some hard edges. Not that enjoyable and everyone's least favorite. Note to self - do not buy when offer comes.
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7/28/2015 - peternelson wrote: 89 Points
Rhys dinner: Raspberry red fruits, more delicate, dried herbs, light licorice; lightest body of the 4 Rhys tasted, light tannins, seems to have fallen apart over 40 minutes, a bit innocuous. Unanimously the weakest of the bunch.
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7/19/2015 - Tubulus wrote:
Contrasting with the other notes, this seemed painfully young and slightly disjointed. Surprising since I recall the 2012 between very smooth and open, but this was not.
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5/17/2015 - Tree512 wrote: 91 Points
Remarkably open, loads of red fruits, decent structure, should turn into something very good indeed.
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5/15/2015 - Johnnybegood Likes this wine: 91 Points
Note: Tasted from a 375 ml bottle. This Wine was open and decanted 2-3 hours prior to drinking.
Color: Medium Dark Cherry and clear.
Nose: Somewhat Restrained except for some floral fruit tones.
Taste: Round red fruit with tension and a silky finish. Stylistically very new world California but this has a certain elegance relative to the 2012 Bearwallow I had last month. Obviously very young and primary but this wine does not strike me as a long distance runner rather a wine for mid term cellaring. Nice finish on the tail end with good complexity and moderate acidity. Using a Burgundy comparison, this wine tastes more of young vines rather that old vines as the intense sap of a "VV" is not present. I like the balance and flavors of this Rhys but it is softer and more approachable than I thought it would be. The red fruit profile is sweet and forward making this pleasurable to drink now but I will likely hold off on trying another bottle until 2016 to give it more time to calm down. Perhaps it will add more weight with bottle age. A very good Pinot Noir that will likely improve with time.
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5/5/2015 - Amerique wrote: 91 Points
Tight, restrained dark cherry/plum fruit, excellent structure, ample tannins, needs a least a couple years to soften and integrate
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4/22/2015 - B Paul wrote:
Really nice and probably will be good for early drinking. Not quite as complex as the Horseshoe and Alpine.
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4/22/2015 - Jahull03 wrote:
Of the 4, this actually shows the most fruit / best pop-pour candidate. that said, the depth on this doesn't compare with alpine or horseshoe at this (very early) point. Gives pleasure, but rather simple relative to its peers.
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4/4/2015 - alr6767 wrote: 90 Points
A real pleasure to try these two side by side out of 500ml I just received this week. The Bearwallow is a decidedly darker shade of red than the Family Farm, verging in to relish-purple.
On the nose, the Family Farm shows rich fruit and perfume, while the Bearwallow shows bramble and a slight reductive note, with swirling I get herbs from the Bearwallow and subtle baking spices from the Family Farm.
On the palate, the Family Farm has a velvet texture, and reticent flavors of berry fruit, tangy acidity, and finishes medium+ with subtle oak, while the Bearwallow shows slightly darker and more ripe fruit, seemingly less acidity, and a slightly shorter finish.
These are very different beasts, and it will be interesting to see where they go, both re-corked into the wine fridge as well as over the longer haul. For my taste, I favor the FF by a good margin right now, as I find it more delicate and profound than the Bear, which is more giving but also more straightforward. I can see the charm of both for fans of different styles.
I really appreciate the chance to try these young wines in alternative formats. I look forward to trying the Alpine and the Horseshoe side by side.
Day 3: this has really calmed down, baby fat is gone. Nose is spicier, more perfume. Palate is much leaner, perhaps some stems coming through. This has some potential to change into something a bit more mellow, thus adding a point for potential.
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2/24/2015 - brigcampbell wrote:
Falltacular 2015 (FMIII in the OC): OK, true confessions. I never really enjoyed the early vintages of this wine. Rhys is obviously doing something special with this vineyard. The nose on this wine is RIDICULOUS. Soft mouthfeel. I'm not even going to speculate on the drinking window. It's great now with air.
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2/21/2015 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Open for 15 mins, poured to a decanter, then to glass. First impression was like liquified rose petal, and deep, pure cherry. Alongside all of that is the same soil, truffle accent that the 2012 had on it last week. Such a beautiful palate impression, with a long finish. A lift of crushed rock in the aromatic and in the finish, that wraps around a big wollop of cherry skin. Sickly good.
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