Opened about two hours prior to dinner. Initially this bottle reminded me of the last bottle I opened back in 2018 with notes of lemon oil, pears and honey. It remained consistent for about an hour but started to decline ever so slightly after that. By the time the bottle was fully consumed two or so hours later, it didn't have the balance and mouthfeel/creaminess it started with. Two bottles left that I will probably consume in the near term.
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Ski trip - Four wino familes; 2/16/2024-2/19/2024 (Wisp Resort): Bright light-yellow color. Medium expressive nose displaying ripe yellow citrus fruit, perhaps peach and lemon curd but very none-descriptive, a hint of butterscotch, sweet spices and limestone. Good concentration, slightly coiled yellow citrus, dense and ripe but also steely, bright acidity, medium mineral, and a medium long ripe yellow citrus driven finish. The fruit is a bit coiled, not sure if cellaring helped.
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-- decanted immediately before initial taste on Day 1 -- -- tasted non-blind over an hour or two on Day 1; revisited on Day 2 --
NOSE: rich; "California"
BODY: medium gold color; full bodied; this bottle was a leaker despite having been stored perfectly since release.
TASTE: rich, buttery, ripe, but with nice, medium+, acidity helping keep things in check. 13.5% alc. is masked by big flavor, and some oak. Ash gut impression score: 91; my gut impression score: 91. Drink Now.
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As other have noted, there are cork issues here: capsule was protruding but no mold, cork was solid. (Bottle bought from winery, cellared ever since.) I was a bit worried, but the wine was drinking well, with strong citrus flavors. Bright lemony color. Like other Horseshoe, more Burgundian than California. Maybe a bit overly acidic in the beginning but overall was an excellent companion to a raw tuna salad with Japanese flavors.
I have one more bottle, I plan to drink it soon, but definitely after decanting, which I didn't do with this one.
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A surprised. Pulled from the cellar and should have been a Bearwallow 2013 Pinot. Didn't look at the bottle until after the cork was pulled and it wasn't red! A really nice surprise. PnP. Great aroma with citrus, lemon, pear, honey and oak notes. Well balanced with good acidity. On the palate, more citrus, lemon, a touch of oak. Medium body and finish. Really enjoyable. Showing really well, no hurry to drink up.
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Like many others have posted on this wine, and like my own experience with many other Rhys wines, there were cork issues. Capsule protruding, cork soaked through but somehow still came out in one piece. A bit darker than it should be, but not amber/undrinkable like several other bottles I've had.
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PNP. Leaky cork, some mold and residue under the capsule, but the wine was great. Full yellow color. Flinty, lemon and citrus infused nose. Lovely palate, tart and lively with a rich, glycerol laden saline texture that is a counterpoint to the lively acidity. Seems at its peak.
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Decanted. Now 2.5h after decant. Shy but lovely aromas of fresh and bakes gala apples, mild nuts, herbs, minerals. Palate w fresh and baked tart apples, lovely minerals, some nice nuts, herbs, and lemon and more minerals on midpalate. Nice finish of apples, minerals leading to nuts, baked apples, lemon, grapefruit pith and the hints of caramel. Excellent acids on a medium+ body. As the wine gets more air, the aged tertiary flavors of nuts and baked apples become more noticeable but as an accent rather than dominant note. Flavors come together and become more seamless at the 3h mark after decant. This is lovely. Complex and delicious w gravitas. I suspect that some more complexity can come w several more yrs on its side but it's really nice now. 93+
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Totally typical Horseshoe chard. Bright lemon yello color, lightly floral and citrus nose. Bright acidity but certainly not bracing like the Ziereisen Jaspis Chard yesterday. Mix of stone fruit, pear, citrus and minerals on the palate. Nice length but missing a little on the depth scale. Texture was nice but o in the lighter bodied end of the scale. Very good but just missing a little density and complexity needed to go up a notch or two.
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Deep golden yellow. Rich aromas of yellow fig, peach, preserved lemon, beeswax, creamy minerality, sweet fenugreek, and crusty sourdough bread. Round and rich texture on the palate with high acidity, lemons and peaches, low to medium alcohol (13.5%), very long finish. Complex, wise and mature with youthful cut and drive.
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Beautiful bouquet, rich and sumptuous yet detailed and regal, redolent of Meyer lemons, vanilla, and Anjou pears. To taste, not nearly as alluring as the nose, with pineapple and some rugged acids and a tart finish. Hard to square the contrast, but this bottle had old signs of seepage, so mayhap not a pristine example. Nevertheless, tasty and paired well with Dover sole.
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Cork soaked through with seepage on top. This showed similar to my previous bottle from July. It has an oiler texture than other vintages but remains fresh, if on the fuller side. No evidence of premature advancement due to the cork, although this was perhaps the worst cork problem I've encountered on a '13 Rhys.
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This is much less sumptuous, and less advanced, than the 2014 Rhys Alpine chardonnay I had recently, but it is still a very tasty drink. Spicy rather than fruity, with high but well-integrated acidity, and flavors of candy apple, clove, and orange zest. Definitely drinkable now, but I would expect it to improve and I am inclined to try to leave my other bottles alone for the next two or three years.
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Purchased at release in 500 mL format, this unfortunately showed signs of premox. Dark gold color and sherry notes on the nose. Still drinkable, but not that pleasant. Bummer. Hopefully my other "jennies" aren't compromised as well. I love the size of this format, but I've had mixed luck with aging the whites in particular.
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500 ml bottle - significant seepage on cork. Nearly impossible to get cork out Wine was undrinkable. Opened another bottle right away and far less seepage. Wine was okay but not stellar. Close to going off.
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Signs of seepage. Nose of white peach, flowers, and flint smoke. Medium bodied with a slightly oily texture and a bright zingy acidic streak. Good length on the palate and impressive depth I'm the retroolefaction. Really drinking well, no signs of premature ageing from the cork issues.
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PnP, improved with time. Beautiful aroma with citrus, lemon, pear, honey and oak notes. Well balanced with good acidity. On the palate, more citrus, lemon, a touch of oak. Medium body and finish. Really enjoyable. Sadly, my last bottle, but clearly has years ahead of it.
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PnP. Corked soaked and some protrusion - probably flawed. Medium dark gold. Not obviously oxidized but lacking fruit. Will see if it improves with air as these sometimes do. Seems very similar to description from another taster for this wine. This was much better on day 2 with some more fruit appearing though still a high acid wine which will do well with food. Not sure this would get better at age 9.
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Purchased along with 3 other bottles direct at release. This cork was soaked. Wine was muted and clearly flawed compared to the other 2 previous bottles. Weird as all the bottles were shipped together and stored in temp and humidity controlled cellar.
Drinking at peak in my opinion, very well made but I would not confuse this with Burgundy. Amazing density while keeping things fresh, lots of lemon and citrus with touches of oak and a smidge of reduction.
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Going strong. A bigger wine with all the good things I want. The horseshoe 12’s and 13’s chardonnays continue to age slowly. Just like the pinots from same vineyard.
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Light gold color. Drank 2 glasses over 2.5 hrs. Reductive aromas of gunsmoke and flint, Meyer lemon, and wood spice. The palate has nice tart fruits, lemon, pear, smoke, toasted oak barrel, brine with hints of buttered toast and white citrus, medium bodied, tangy dry extract, wet stone. This retains it's freshness best when appropriately chilled.
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Medium yellow. Forward aromas of acacia blossoms, lemon, apricot, beeswax, turmeric, a whisp of oak. On the palate the leanness of the fruit gives an initial watery impression, but there is gathering power there that is met by the bright acids, a touch of bitter grapefruit rind on the back, recovering on the long finish. It takes time to adjust to its awkward gracefulness. 13.5% alcohol.
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Wonderfully poised between a big Cali Chard and a Burgundy. Very fine, poised and precise. Ripe white stone fruits with a touch of tangy grapefruit. There is well judged positive fine oak. Persistent and nuanced. Drink now and over the next 7+ years.
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Noticed a dank cork and sure enough, the wine was somewhat advanced, and yet retained enough citrus, wet stones, & vervy stone fruit to balance out the bruised pear. Slightly disappointing but still excellent, I would suggest drinking sooner rather than later.
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Every bit the 94 points Jeb Dunnuck gave this wine. Crazy how young and fruitful an 8 year old domestic Chardonnay can taste like. See everyone? Not every Chardonnay needs to taste like Rombauer. No offense to Rombauer. I am sure they are nice people.
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Dinners at home, Mill Valley, CA. From 750ml purchased on release from winery.
An opulent and dense wine, with heavy tropical notes and buttery mouthfeel kept from being overly syrupy by moderate acidity and some peppery minerality. Lacks real tension or grip. A bit boring for my palate to be honest. Not entirely consistent with other SCM chardonnays I've had from this producer, so perhaps this vintage or bottle is an outlier.
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Creamy beguiling nose of lychees, vanilla, and beeswax. Honeyed spread of fruit on the palate with a lovely backing of richly flavored acid and a lingering finish.
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Light yellow color, after 1 hr in open bottle, light tropical and orchard fruit nose with good level of minerals, lemon and apple/pear fruit on palate, just the right amount of acidity and flinty minerals, long finish. One of the top chardonnays we have had over the last year or so.
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Delicious. This wine has an exceptionally high level of overt oak, but I like the style. The oaky notes of cocoa, graham cracker, and baking spices are a good match for the custardy citrus and orchard fruit.
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Served at slightly below cellar temp. Cork completely saturated, but no signs of oxidation or other problems. Shimmering pale gold color. Lovely nose of matchstick, white pears and butterscotch. Nice balance of sweet tropical fruit, butterscotch with lots of tight acidic white fruit. Still a baby, going to try to keep my hands off my remaining bottles for several more years as I think this has much improvement ahead of it.
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Light-medium gold color. PNP, drank 2 glasses over 90 minutes. This was drinking well and showed some evolution over the first 30 minutes. On the nose this starts with gunflint, toasted oak, that gradually gives way to the complex fruit notes of lemon, ripe red apple, and hints of orange zest with notes of lemon blossoms, marzipan and stone. The palate is intense with riveting acidity and tart lemon on top of lemon curd and more subtle apple, burnt wood, brine and stones. Really comes off like a PCYM tonight. 92+ to 93pts.
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Like many others have reported I was dismayed to note the cork had leaked and the bottle turned. Strong scent of oak and malolactic fermentation. Tart and unpleasant taste.
Not a detailed note because I wasn't paying attention, but this was austere and rich at the same time, bright powerful fruit, electric acids, beautifully balanced.
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Wednesday Afternoon (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Medium gold color. Drank 2 glasses over 2 hours plus. The oak stands out a bit currently, reductive, sulfur, golden fruit, honeyed, creme brulee, toasted oak barrels and orange peel on the nose. The palate is more full bodied, golden fruits, apple, honey, lanolin, creamy texture with toasted caramel, oak, grilled lemon. 91+ to 92pts. Give this another year or two to resolve fully. 91(+?)pts.
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Tasted over 2 hrs and day 3 -translucent med gold -honey stone wax -med acidity leaves a fine bead of zing on the finish, med weight med+ concentration but no heaviness ripe yellow fruit faint nuttiness and lanolin opens up with air, persistent long finish; caramel butterscotch oak more prominent on day 3 -very good now nearing full maturity, has evolved some in the past year
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There were some slight signs of leakage on this bottle, and the cork was soaked all the way up. I suspect the cork issues with this wine are responsible for some of the unusually wide range of experiences reflected in the CT notes. This particular bottle showed very well. The color was straw to pale yellow, lighter than I expected. The nose was initially a bit reticent at fridge temp, but it opened quickly after warming and getting some air. The aromatics are white flower and mineral, with some toasted hazelnut in the mix. It's a very savory expression, not sweet floral aromas at all, and not rich either. A cool, focused nose. The palate is middle weight with a sense of deep fruit extract, leaning towards white fruit character but without any expression of sweetness to the fruit. The wine is of course completely dry; it's more that the fruits it evokes are more savory than big and ripe. The finish is long and reprises the floral and nuttiness of the nose. Really drinking well right now, and I will try to drink mine sooner rather than later to catch them at this stage and not risk issues related to the cork.
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Popped and poured. Citrus and apple on the nose. Medium acid palate, fairly deep and a bit too rich, lacks cut and definition. Preferred yesterday’s 13 Alpine but this is much better than the 14 Horseshoe.
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From a 375ml bottle into a Gabriel Glas Gold. Showing more like a first class white Burgundy than a typical California Chardonnay with a touch of matchstick, apple, and a dash of lemon and minerals, piercing acidity on the attack with nice weight filling in behind it through a long finish. Drinking very well now but with a lot of life left in it.
On day 2 it has become more expansive and a lovely honeycomb component has emerged, This is a truly world-class Chardonnay.
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On the nose a creamy minerality with lychees, lemon, and a warm undertone of vanilla oak. On the palate a lacing of lemony acid around a slightly flat center, like dilute sugar water, and some sweet bitterness at the back moving into the long singing finish. A complex of many elements but hard to make sense of at the moment, and therefore hard to rate. The nose is unambiguously beguiling, the palate is confusing to me. Could be anywhere from an 89 to a 93. [Looking over past notes it is clear that I am confused by this wine.]
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Rhys @ My Place--Part 4 (My House): From magnum. Bottle was opened yesterday, with my notes saying aromatics of toast, some marshmallow and elevated, brisk acidity. Retasting 24 hrs later, I can still taste what I perceive as oak notes, with the toasty, vanilla bean that infuses the wine. Putting that aside, there remains the brisk lemon, pear, yellow apple and an intense lime-peel note. There is a spicy quality to the finish, perhaps in part because of the wood and also the ABV, which is not all that high at 13.5%, but when all of the components coalesce in the wine, it does give it an intense, creamy, more flashy side of Rhys Chard. For me, it's a bit too much but this did get 5 votes yesterday during the tasting and it does grab the senses.
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PnP. Pristine clarity and medium light gold. Complex nose that is one part Chablis (limestone, sea air) and a variety of spices. Lovely fruit and almost unctuous on the mid-palate followed by a high acid finish. Lots going on here! Will see if this integrates with air. This does integrate somewhat but the finish is still very high acid; will wait a few years on my last bottle.
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By some margin our wine of the tasting - and perhaps well it should given the price tag. Hard to describe the aroma: some hazelnut and other almost earthy component; elegant and refined on the palate, minimal invasion of oak.
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Complex rich aromas of fig, beeswax, marmalade, dry heath, with a hint of oxidation. Rich rolling fruit on the palate with a penetrating stone fruit and citrus presence, held in check by golden threads of acid, crisp bitter lift into a long acid finish. An amazing wine of many elements coming into maturity.
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Situated just South of Palo Alto in the Santa Cruz Mountains lies a small but intriguing winery; Rhys Vineyards. Six of their Estate Vineyards being located just off the coast of California. For this tasting, I turned towards their production in Chardonnay, their other wines focusing on Pinot Noir and a small amount of Syrah, specifically, their Horseshoe Vineyard and the Chardonnay produced from the 2013 Vintage.
Santa Cruz finds many a top-notch winery; Ridge, Mount Eden and Thomas Fogarty (just had me a bottle of their Santa Cruz Mountain Chardonnay) to name but a few. With its shale soil, Horseshoe Vineyards produces a slightly more mineral wine. Never fear, however, the wine does not skimp on lovely stone fruit flavors and a rich buttery nuttiness (how’s that for throwing two flavors together?). The wine, litheness in body, but with firmness and generous mouthfeel. Alas, while this wine seeks to continue its journey to even better times given longer aging, I will have to settle for this bottle alone as is as this was my only bottle.
Rhys is one of those wineries whose wines are very hard to come by, generally selling only to their members. They do have a label that is more widely distributed and gives the mother winery a run for its money; Alesia. Splurge if you can, the attention and handcrafted quality is worth the price.
Cheers
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Served with a mild fish dish. Still beautiful purity of flavor, well balanced,a touch of oak,long smooth finish. In a beautifult place as others have noted. Looks to have a long life ahead.
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Too young. Some reduction followed by zingy pineapple with a sharp lemon spine. Finishes long. This wine will jump 2+ points with more time. Suggest holding 3+ more years.
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Tasted over 2 hrs -translucent med gold -moderately expressive mild reduction sweet but not quite honeyed apple and citrus -med/med+ acidity lends a refreshing zing to the finish, med weight crisp ripe apple minerality faint citrus and caramel, great length -this is drinking beautifully now with potential for further improvement, for my taste this is the best of all the prior Rhys Chardonnays I've tasted because of its energy, crispness and judicious oak profile
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-- cork pulled about 1 hour before initial taste -- -- tasted non-blind over approx. 40 minutes –
Nose was sulfury and tight, with a hint of smokable herb presenting itself. Medium bodied, with high acidity, on the palate. Light lemon citrus flavor. Needs time – Hold. 8 tasters tasted this alongside a 2012 Arcadian Clos Pepe Chardonnay and a 2013 Rochioli Sweetwater Chardonnay: 1st place votes were as follows: Rochioli – 5; Rhys – 3; Arcadian – 0. My order of preference, from favorite to least favorite: Rhys; Arcadian; Rochioli. For me, the Rhys was the no-brainer winner here, but all were very nice.
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Lots of matchstick and lemon curd with just a hint of tropical fruit on the nose. Still quite tight and unyielding on the paate, but great potential. We will see what some air brings.
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Very aromatic with citrus, lemon, pear, honey and oak notes on the nose. well balanced with good acidity. More citrus, lemon, not too much oak. Medium body and finish. Really good now, but no hurry to finsih the remaining bottles.
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Interesting wine, citrus and wet wood on the nose, same on the taste, but good level of acidity. Finish was clean and goods well with food, strong enough to hold up.
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Excellent fresh and complex chardonnay and what I expect from Rhys (intensity of citrus fruit but not at all over ripe, with good acidity and mineral tones). Paired perfectly with Coquilles Saint-Jacques.
Exact same seepage/capsule conditions as mentioned by others which initially caused concern. Hopefully this was just a result of overfill or some other benign situation during the bottling process. These seem to be doing just fine so far.
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Like so many folks have said, there was major cork seepage and the foil was stuck to the bottle all around like glue. After that, the wine was glorious. We first coravined a small pour and home and we’re comfortable that the wine was sound. Then opened it at Bouchon and we very delighted. The sommelier was interested it trying it as he was very fond of Rhys Pinot but never had their Chardonnay. He too was very impressed. A terrific Chardonnay with tons of stuffing but awesome balance and finishing acidity. Awesome!
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seepage around the cork... that said, the wine didn't suffer for it at all. drinking in a GREAT place with med-large fruit, strong mineral component, wonderful mouthfeel. loved this wine.
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Light golden yellow. Wafting aromas of lemon, cumin, dark crust of sourdough, with a creamy top note. Intense lemon fruit on the palate, electric acid frame with an oily richness at the back, long finish. A very powerful wine, would stand up to something like a Moroccan tagine. 50 + 17 + 18 + 9 = 94.
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Gyllen gul farge. Intens og litt reduktiv aroma preg av stram sitrus, hasselnøtter, honning, "kontaktlim", sopp, mm. I munn er den intens og fyldig uten at den er fett. Tydelig syre som gir vinen skikkelig ryggrad, føles neste som den har litt tannin. Meget god lengde. Er på sitt beste 3 timer etter åpning. Passet fint til gratinert kongekrabbe og hummer/hummerbisque. Finnes mye god Chardonnay i dette prisleie(NKR 750,-+), så jeg er usikker på om jeg vil kjøpe denne igjen, med tanke på alt det gode som finnes i Bourgogne.
Testet Riedel Bordeaux mot Zalto burgundy. Vinen fremsto letter og mer åpen i Zalto glasset, men opplevdes ikke like nyansert og kompleks. Så jeg vil foretrekke Riedel BDX til denne vinen(som jeg ofte gjør til hvit burgund også).
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At LBTG. No one guessed Rhys! Excellent balance. I am a Rhys fan, but not a Rhys FAN. This was very good and enjoyable with nice balance, white fruit and acidity, but not over the top sharpness.
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Fortunately no cork issue at all as mentioned by the two previous notes. Really great showing. Secondary characteristics coming though. Floral, pinnapple, yellow pit fruit, citrus rind, balanced mid weight texture, great phenolic intensity, wide but fresh acidity, compelling showing. Great stuff.
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Like other 13’s corked stained almost to the top. Ridiculously good. Ton of saline mineral goodness. 13 vintage for Rhys is great across the board but out of the ballpark in Chardonnay.
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As observed in my comment to the note immediately below, we, like a few recent others, noticed some troubling cork related issues. But ultimately, this wine was superb — not appreciably different from the fantastic bottle that we experienced earlier this year. If performed beautifully over three nights, and we are sorry to have none left, although we would be a bit worried and probably open sooner rather than later if we did have more.
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Very nervous after pulling cork and having seepage about 75% of the cork...initial worry with a sniff inside the bottle and then poured a glass. The glass is fantastic. Hoping that I don't have to update in another 30-60 minutes that it changed rapidly. Have a handful of these and hoping it is a one-off. The cork was flush so not protruding like the other review. I look forward to these bottles from Rhys and this one hits it all right now, beautiful light gold in color, intoxicating nose, great acidity, just great stuff.
Poking around the cellar and I came across this bottle which had the dreaded signs of seepage as well as obviously protruding cork. Well, gotta check it out. Cork was soaked, of course. At first, I was optimistic as the wine had a beautiful color. But when I tasted it—nope, oxidized. Bummer. Not sure what happened as my others looked fine.
Light to medium yellow color. It has smoke, citrus and butter on the nose. It has moderate acidity and a slightly rounded mouth feel. On the palate the smoke is again noticeable along with creamy lemon and some pear and apple along with some limestone minerality. The finish is fairly long, but ther seems to be a little something missing for this wine to be at full potential. Given the price this was a little disappointing.
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Much richer on the palate than the nose. Deceptive. Mount coating honeysuckle and apricot but a very gentle nose that belies the strength of this wine. Very nice.
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Damn impressive. Definitely some Burgundian character, but also unapologetically of California. Big and earthy, plenty of acid but lush, (so, yes, amazingly balanced), long finish with an herbal tinge and pineapple citrus. (Add: looking at notes below, yes, there is a hint of oxidation - in a pleasing way to my palate)
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Wow. What a fantastic cornucopia of citrus, tropical fruits — and it seems to us more than a kiss oak? This wine has personality, and drive. It’s not an all subtle, but at the same time it’s beautifully integrated. Exceptionally enjoyable over three nights. Wow.
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Medium plus nose shows mushroom, lemon curd, some funk with turned earth, some green tones, green pear, fresh grass tone, pineapple. Palate shows body, style, unique layers, lemon curd, Bosch pear, the mushroom note is there, limestone, something tropical like papaya. Gorgeous stuff, definitely could be mistaken for high end Burgundy.
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Shifting aromas of cream, burnt sugar, lemon, a hint of oxidation. Full bodied on the palate with weighty dry fruit and intense acids, long sustaining finish. Reminds of the Chassagne-Montrachet I had last night. 50 + 17 + 17 + 8 = 92. [Interesting to compare this more reserved rating than last time with John Gilman's notes from 2016 about it being in a reserved phase for 2 or 3 years.]
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A stunning wine. Popped and poured and knew this was a knockout after the first sip. Light golden straw, oily, with lemon and muted tartness on the finish. Finishes long at 20+ seconds. Fantastic showing drinking well now or for many years to come.
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Pale yellow. Offers a slightly developing but strikingly pretty, high-toned and seductive nose of yellow apple, Greek yogurt, lees, white flowers, and crackling, chalky minerality. Round but decidedly Chassagne-like on the palate with bright acids and tarter flavors of preserved lemon, green apple and toast. Gorgeous.
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This doesn't have the same cut as the 2012 that we had a couple of days ago, but this was still a lovely Chardonnay. Lemon custard and minerals with a bit of oak showing. I will try to keep my hands off my remaining bottles.
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Another good bottle of this. Consumed over two nights. This was better on night two. This is a little big/rich, but has some good acidity too to keep it in check. I think this will continue to drink well over the medium term (I'd guess next 5 years will be prime), though I don't think it has the structure for super long term aging.
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Medium yellow color. The nose is still aggressively reductive, showing some noble reduction (struck match, flint, crushed rock) but also some less pleasant burnt rubber notes. Underneath, it is an excellent cooler-climate new world chardonnay, showing medium plus intensity aromas of Meyer lemon, lemon curd with a hint of verbena, iced yellow and green apple, and hints of modest oak influence - cinnamon, pastry crust.
The oak and fruit are superbly balanced in a Burgundian way (think Puligny in a ripe year), but just a few hairs are out of place - overt reduction, and a faint hint of burnt popcorn (diacetyl from malo). I suspect these will integrate with time. The fruit character is neither overtly underripe and herbal (e.g. Peay, Ceritas) nor ripe in the yellow apple and peach spectrum (Mt. Eden, Hyde de Villaine).
On the palate, it's medium bodied, with ever-so-slightly-elevated alcohol (I guessed 13% - actually 13.5% and holding it well), borderline high acid (high-minus), with medium plus flavor intensity mid-palate and a persistent finish.
Right now it's got a few rough edges - the finish isn't quite integrated, the reduction and diacetyl stick out. But this seems like it has the fruit and structure to age well.
To understand the style relative to similar wines:
In comparison to... - Ridge: - the Rhys has a bit less prominent oak, more reductive. - Mt. Eden: - Rhys is more reductive, slightly lower fruit ripeness, higher acid. - Matthiasson: - Rhys is very similar, but slightly riper (also slightly higher alcohol). - Littorai: - Rhys has less overt noble reduction, more depth of fruit. - Peay: - Rhys has riper fruit, more depth of fruit, a bit more oak and impression of malo. - Ceritas: - Rhys has riper fruit, significantly more fruit depth, not as acidic
Atlanta Does Rhys (Aria, Atlanta, GA): A little matchstick, lemon, slate, nice richness but well-endowed with acidity. Also very young. Just a little more complex and deeper than the 2012.
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I'm probably naive here, but this is more or less indistinguishable - at least in character - from a Mersault Perrieres. It's got that richness plus minerality that I find from the Mersualt Puligny border. Delicious!
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2013 Mostly cabs but some other stuff too (GHT): Blind, i would not have guesses this to be the Rhys. Pop and pour, this came out of the bottle blazing. It was far richer and bigger than I expected but in a good way. The nose has tropical fruit and peaches. On the palate, this is already showing a nice complexity. Good backbone of acidity. Peaches and papaya with a bit of lemon. Just delicious. I never did get back to it, but it was also my wife favorite Chard.
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Deep yellow. Complex aroma of beeswax, lemon oil, blood orange, acacia blossoms, toast, ever shifting. Deeply layered on the palate with a vibrant fruit core, delicate acid frame, smooth progression to a long finish. A wine that enlivens the senses as it calms the soul. 50 + 19 + 17 + 9.
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This is a delicious Chard. A little creamy that is offset by excellent acidity and touches of lime zest and almonds. A half bottle is perfect for a Monday with our pasta with zucchini and green beans fresh from the garden, with Parmigiana Reggiano, and a little butter and a lot of fresh cracked black pepper.
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A big boy, that despite 8-9 hours of slow ox and pouring, never fully came around. Big nose is more modern and stylish with ripe, toasted yellow fruit and spice. The palate is richly textured and layered hinting at complexity to come. The acids are enjoyable --- totally behind the scenes but certainly alive/well. Has loads of upside potential, but un-evolved and holding back today.
Saved a glass for night two, and there is much more flavor delineation in the aromatics (yellow fruit, white flowers, honey, minerality, spice) and on the palate. Further, the palate is still rich but more integrated and seamless. Good sign for things tom come.
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First of all, the oak is there but subtle. It is crisp and refreshing, just a touch creamy as it approaches the finish, but ends with grapefruit skin. It worked nicely with a salad of arugula, chick peas, and tuna imported from Spain, and a slice of mozzarella and Proscuitto all drizzled with olive oil also imported from Spain.
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Seemed plump and a touch oaky on opening, but on the second night, this seemed to grow more taut, focused, and mineral-driven. Nice flavors of lemon cream and chalky, floral aromatics. Needs more time on its side to really come together, but this is a damn good chardonnay.
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Dense on the nose and the palate. Burgundian for sure. Smells of ocean spray and yes, a little bit of oak (which does not make its way past the nose). Finishes as long as any new world chard I've had. First time with Rhys chard and impressed. Only thing is you can get some damn good white burg at this price point.
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Oh yeah, right up my alley. Sun bright yellow, there is great lemon/citrus upfront fruit, hints of pineapple but not that juicy weighty feel that can turn me off to CA chard. For sure domestic, but not the over the top style. Good structure that shows it's shoulders and not clunky. The balance is impressive that has good acidity to pull it to the finish. Spot on now, probably would benefit with a year or two in bottle. Glad I'm on their list.
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Had it side by side with the Alpine '13 (both from 500ml). Both were PnP consumed within about 2 hours. I would say there is something for everyone in both. The Horseshoe is certainly light and clear in color (lemon gold, pale, as previous tasters noticed). A bit more on the 'sweet' side (though not sweet, it is dry wine) compared with the alpine. I would agree with the other taster that it is more of a classic appetizer chard compared with the alpine. Nose, as others noted- a bit mute at PnP. Opens up after about an hour. Lime and lemon, only small touch of apple on the palate.
Overall summary: Does work very well with our appetizers and mains (all seafood and fish based), but horseshoe was a better starter chard. The alpine was the winner for us. That said, waitstaff preferred the horseshoe over alpine in blind.
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Note: Tasted from a 500 ml bottle. This Wine was open and decanted about 3 hours prior to drinking.
Color: light and clear pale lemon color in appearance.
Taste: More opulent and richer compared to the Alpine 2013 Chardonnay I tasted several weeks ago. Nice mineral finish on the tail end but definitely bigger and more meursault in the flavor profile compared to the more racy Alpine. This needs time to come into balance but right now I prefer the Alpine Chardonnay for the greater stony minerals and acidity most noticeable on the finish. Both of these whites are very good but different. I would like to see more age on the vines of this Horseshoe as I fell this has excellent potential but falls short of some old vines of top producers in the Cote de Beaune in terms of minerality and complexity . A very nice wine and quite enjoyable enticing me to come back for sip after sip, even at this young age. I would give this Horseshoe at least several years of bottle age and it will likely improve for the mid term.
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Drank alongside other '13 Rhys in 375ml sampler bottles. There was no clear "winner" between the chardonnays. Horseshoe was more open, showed more fruit and was riper overall. This faded a bit with time and let the finish of minerals really shine. You can't go wrong with either 2013 Rhys chardonnay and it's well worth the price.
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Out of 375. Really good, and this might (time will tell) be the first vintage I end up preferring the Horseshoe Chard to the Alpine. The same may also be said for the PNs.
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A Visit to Rhys Vineyards: While I do like Rhys Chardonnays I'm not sure they are my favourite style. They always seem to pour a bit of a darker colour and have a deeper richer aromatics. One unique trait of their wine making is that they leave open vats for 24 hours after fermentation and it seems this gives them the ever so slightest oxidative leaning style. The nose is a tad mute today. Light notes of kiwi, lime, butter, lemon oil, florals and a touch of bruised apple tingle the nose. The palate is rich and mouthfilling with a sweet viscus entry, though excellent (medium plus) acid balances that out. There is very mild apparent use of oak. The finish is long built on florals and bruised apple. A very solid wine that could pick up a point or two in time.
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4/13/2024 - Beezc Likes this wine: 92 Points
At peak. If you have them drink up.
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2/19/2024 - thelostverse wrote: 92 Points
Opened about two hours prior to dinner. Initially this bottle reminded me of the last bottle I opened back in 2018 with notes of lemon oil, pears and honey. It remained consistent for about an hour but started to decline ever so slightly after that. By the time the bottle was fully consumed two or so hours later, it didn't have the balance and mouthfeel/creaminess it started with. Two bottles left that I will probably consume in the near term.
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2/17/2024 - dcwino wrote: 92 Points
Ski trip - Four wino familes; 2/16/2024-2/19/2024 (Wisp Resort): Bright light-yellow color. Medium expressive nose displaying ripe yellow citrus fruit, perhaps peach and lemon curd but very none-descriptive, a hint of butterscotch, sweet spices and limestone. Good concentration, slightly coiled yellow citrus, dense and ripe but also steely, bright acidity, medium mineral, and a medium long ripe yellow citrus driven finish. The fruit is a bit coiled, not sure if cellaring helped.
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1/21/2024 - grafstrb wrote:
-- decanted immediately before initial taste on Day 1 --
-- tasted non-blind over an hour or two on Day 1; revisited on Day 2 --
NOSE: rich; "California"
BODY: medium gold color; full bodied; this bottle was a leaker despite having been stored perfectly since release.
TASTE: rich, buttery, ripe, but with nice, medium+, acidity helping keep things in check. 13.5% alc. is masked by big flavor, and some oak. Ash gut impression score: 91; my gut impression score: 91. Drink Now.
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1/21/2024 - azb Likes this wine: 92 Points
As other have noted, there are cork issues here: capsule was protruding but no mold, cork was solid. (Bottle bought from winery, cellared ever since.) I was a bit worried, but the wine was drinking well, with strong citrus flavors. Bright lemony color. Like other Horseshoe, more Burgundian than California. Maybe a bit overly acidic in the beginning but overall was an excellent companion to a raw tuna salad with Japanese flavors.
I have one more bottle, I plan to drink it soon, but definitely after decanting, which I didn't do with this one.
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12/27/2023 - fisk15 wrote: 92 Points
Mature and leaking a little bit but sound and drank very well. I would not hold these any longer.
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12/7/2023 - gharter Likes this wine: 93 Points
A surprised. Pulled from the cellar and should have been a Bearwallow 2013 Pinot. Didn't look at the bottle until after the cork was pulled and it wasn't red! A really nice surprise. PnP. Great aroma with citrus, lemon, pear, honey and oak notes. Well balanced with good acidity. On the palate, more citrus, lemon, a touch of oak. Medium body and finish. Really enjoyable. Showing really well, no hurry to drink up.
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11/24/2023 - BigTex22 wrote:
Drank for Thanksgiving out of a magnum. A little over the hill but nice. I wouldn’t wait on these.
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9/2/2023 - UMRich wrote: 88 Points
Like many others have posted on this wine, and like my own experience with many other Rhys wines, there were cork issues. Capsule protruding, cork soaked through but somehow still came out in one piece. A bit darker than it should be, but not amber/undrinkable like several other bottles I've had.
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8/16/2023 - llink wrote: 93 Points
PNP. Leaky cork, some mold and residue under the capsule, but the wine was great. Full yellow color. Flinty, lemon and citrus infused nose. Lovely palate, tart and lively with a rich, glycerol laden saline texture that is a counterpoint to the lively acidity. Seems at its peak.
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8/13/2023 - James Kim Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted. Now 2.5h after decant. Shy but lovely aromas of fresh and bakes gala apples, mild nuts, herbs, minerals. Palate w fresh and baked tart apples, lovely minerals, some nice nuts, herbs, and lemon and more minerals on midpalate. Nice finish of apples, minerals leading to nuts, baked apples, lemon, grapefruit pith and the hints of caramel. Excellent acids on a medium+ body. As the wine gets more air, the aged tertiary flavors of nuts and baked apples become more noticeable but as an accent rather than dominant note. Flavors come together and become more seamless at the 3h mark after decant. This is lovely. Complex and delicious w gravitas. I suspect that some more complexity can come w several more yrs on its side but it's really nice now. 93+
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7/3/2023 - oldwines Likes this wine: 92 Points
Totally typical Horseshoe chard. Bright lemon yello color, lightly floral and citrus nose. Bright acidity but certainly not bracing like the Ziereisen Jaspis Chard yesterday. Mix of stone fruit, pear, citrus and minerals on the palate. Nice length but missing a little on the depth scale. Texture was nice but o in the lighter bodied end of the scale. Very good but just missing a little density and complexity needed to go up a notch or two.
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6/13/2023 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep golden yellow. Rich aromas of yellow fig, peach, preserved lemon, beeswax, creamy minerality, sweet fenugreek, and crusty sourdough bread. Round and rich texture on the palate with high acidity, lemons and peaches, low to medium alcohol (13.5%), very long finish. Complex, wise and mature with youthful cut and drive.
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5/21/2023 - blanquito wrote:
Beautiful bouquet, rich and sumptuous yet detailed and regal, redolent of Meyer lemons, vanilla, and Anjou pears. To taste, not nearly as alluring as the nose, with pineapple and some rugged acids and a tart finish. Hard to square the contrast, but this bottle had old signs of seepage, so mayhap not a pristine example. Nevertheless, tasty and paired well with Dover sole.
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11/22/2022 - jlm wrote:
Cork soaked through with seepage on top. This showed similar to my previous bottle from July. It has an oiler texture than other vintages but remains fresh, if on the fuller side. No evidence of premature advancement due to the cork, although this was perhaps the worst cork problem I've encountered on a '13 Rhys.
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10/7/2022 - talbot61 Likes this wine: 91 Points
This is much less sumptuous, and less advanced, than the 2014 Rhys Alpine chardonnay I had recently, but it is still a very tasty drink. Spicy rather than fruity, with high but well-integrated acidity, and flavors of candy apple, clove, and orange zest. Definitely drinkable now, but I would expect it to improve and I am inclined to try to leave my other bottles alone for the next two or three years.
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10/5/2022 - sjwshiraz wrote:
50cl bottle. Seepage. Contents ok but way below par
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8/29/2022 - bensony wrote: flawed
Early seepage, similar to other notes. Owned and stored in climate controlled cellar since release.
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8/19/2022 - GrapeScott wrote: flawed
Purchased at release in 500 mL format, this unfortunately showed signs of premox. Dark gold color and sherry notes on the nose. Still drinkable, but not that pleasant. Bummer. Hopefully my other "jennies" aren't compromised as well. I love the size of this format, but I've had mixed luck with aging the whites in particular.
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7/7/2022 - jk_chil wrote: flawed
500 ml bottle - significant seepage on cork. Nearly impossible to get cork out Wine was undrinkable. Opened another bottle right away and far less seepage. Wine was okay but not stellar. Close to going off.
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7/5/2022 - jlm wrote:
Signs of seepage. Nose of white peach, flowers, and flint smoke. Medium bodied with a slightly oily texture and a bright zingy acidic streak. Good length on the palate and impressive depth I'm the retroolefaction. Really drinking well, no signs of premature ageing from the cork issues.
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7/5/2022 - Ghoulardi wrote:
Wax and gun smoke, with some vanilla and oxidized citrus. A bit more advanced than expected.
This was pretty rich and while it flirted with the profile of some grand Burgundian chardonnays, it lacked the excitement.
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6/27/2022 - gharter Likes this wine: 92 Points
PnP, improved with time. Beautiful aroma with citrus, lemon, pear, honey and oak notes. Well balanced with good acidity. On the palate, more citrus, lemon, a touch of oak. Medium body and finish. Really enjoyable. Sadly, my last bottle, but clearly has years ahead of it.
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6/1/2022 - rosenst1 wrote: 91 Points
PnP. Corked soaked and some protrusion - probably flawed. Medium dark gold. Not obviously oxidized but lacking fruit. Will see if it improves with air as these sometimes do. Seems very similar to description from another taster for this wine. This was much better on day 2 with some more fruit appearing though still a high acid wine which will do well with food. Not sure this would get better at age 9.
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5/20/2022 - gharter wrote: flawed
Purchased along with 3 other bottles direct at release. This cork was soaked. Wine was muted and clearly flawed compared to the other 2 previous bottles. Weird as all the bottles were shipped together and stored in temp and humidity controlled cellar.
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5/17/2022 - angryphoton Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking at peak in my opinion, very well made but I would not confuse this with Burgundy. Amazing density while keeping things fresh, lots of lemon and citrus with touches of oak and a smidge of reduction.
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2/5/2022 - kenthecpa Likes this wine: 92 Points
Bought a bunch blind and put away.
This turned out to be a smart purchase.
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8/20/2021 - dougie Likes this wine: 93 Points
Going strong. A bigger wine with all the good things I want. The horseshoe 12’s and 13’s chardonnays continue to age slowly. Just like the pinots from same vineyard.
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8/8/2021 - Stumpy wrote:
No rating-bad cork
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7/21/2021 - pjhr Likes this wine: 93 Points
As delicious as the last bottle! Drinking beautifully!
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7/10/2021 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
Light gold color. Drank 2 glasses over 2.5 hrs. Reductive aromas of gunsmoke and flint, Meyer lemon, and wood spice. The palate has nice tart fruits, lemon, pear, smoke, toasted oak barrel, brine with hints of buttered toast and white citrus, medium bodied, tangy dry extract, wet stone. This retains it's freshness best when appropriately chilled.
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7/6/2021 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 93 Points
Medium yellow. Forward aromas of acacia blossoms, lemon, apricot, beeswax, turmeric, a whisp of oak. On the palate the leanness of the fruit gives an initial watery impression, but there is gathering power there that is met by the bright acids, a touch of bitter grapefruit rind on the back, recovering on the long finish. It takes time to adjust to its awkward gracefulness. 13.5% alcohol.
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7/4/2021 - Philip67 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wonderfully poised between a big Cali Chard and a Burgundy. Very fine, poised and precise. Ripe white stone fruits with a touch of tangy grapefruit. There is well judged positive fine oak. Persistent and nuanced. Drink now and over the next 7+ years.
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5/28/2021 - Gravity Likes this wine: 97 Points
One of the best chards I’ve had in a while.
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5/23/2021 - silton Likes this wine: 92 Points
Noticed a dank cork and sure enough, the wine was somewhat advanced, and yet retained enough citrus, wet stones, & vervy stone fruit to balance out the bruised pear. Slightly disappointing but still excellent, I would suggest drinking sooner rather than later.
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3/10/2021 - pjhr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious lemon peel, oak, and citrus custard notes on the nose and smooth palate with refreshing acidity, luscious fruit and a long finish.
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3/9/2021 - Nanda wrote: 92 Points
This is in a peak zone now with a great combination of richness, freshness and complexity.
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3/8/2021 - Stumpy wrote:
No rating=leaking soft cork
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3/7/2021 - King of all vines wrote: 94 Points
Every bit the 94 points Jeb Dunnuck gave this wine. Crazy how young and fruitful an 8 year old domestic Chardonnay can taste like. See everyone? Not every Chardonnay needs to taste like Rombauer. No offense to Rombauer. I am sure they are nice people.
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3/2/2021 - Ben F Does not like this wine: 87 Points
Dinners at home, Mill Valley, CA. From 750ml purchased on release from winery.
An opulent and dense wine, with heavy tropical notes and buttery mouthfeel kept from being overly syrupy by moderate acidity and some peppery minerality. Lacks real tension or grip. A bit boring for my palate to be honest. Not entirely consistent with other SCM chardonnays I've had from this producer, so perhaps this vintage or bottle is an outlier.
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2/2/2021 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 93 Points
Creamy beguiling nose of lychees, vanilla, and beeswax. Honeyed spread of fruit on the palate with a lovely backing of richly flavored acid and a lingering finish.
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1/21/2021 - Schwarzer Hund Likes this wine:
Light yellow color, after 1 hr in open bottle, light tropical and orchard fruit nose with good level of minerals, lemon and apple/pear fruit on palate, just the right amount of acidity and flinty minerals, long finish. One of the top chardonnays we have had over the last year or so.
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1/17/2021 - Jahull03 wrote:
Without question the best glass I’ve had of this. Minerality like mad, but all in balance.
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1/9/2021 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious. This wine has an exceptionally high level of overt oak, but I like the style. The oaky notes of cocoa, graham cracker, and baking spices are a good match for the custardy citrus and orchard fruit.
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12/8/2020 - jreis Likes this wine:
Served at slightly below cellar temp. Cork completely saturated, but no signs of oxidation or other problems. Shimmering pale gold color. Lovely nose of matchstick, white pears and butterscotch. Nice balance of sweet tropical fruit, butterscotch with lots of tight acidic white fruit. Still a baby, going to try to keep my hands off my remaining bottles for several more years as I think this has much improvement ahead of it.
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11/28/2020 - Tree512 wrote: 88 Points
Nice fruit and decent acid but way too much oak for me.
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11/20/2020 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
Light-medium gold color. PNP, drank 2 glasses over 90 minutes. This was drinking well and showed some evolution over the first 30 minutes. On the nose this starts with gunflint, toasted oak, that gradually gives way to the complex fruit notes of lemon, ripe red apple, and hints of orange zest with notes of lemon blossoms, marzipan and stone. The palate is intense with riveting acidity and tart lemon on top of lemon curd and more subtle apple, burnt wood, brine and stones. Really comes off like a PCYM tonight. 92+ to 93pts.
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8/2/2020 - Fabrini wrote: flawed
Like many others have reported I was dismayed to note the cork had leaked and the bottle turned. Strong scent of oak and malolactic fermentation. Tart and unpleasant taste.
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7/9/2020 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 93 Points
Not a detailed note because I wasn't paying attention, but this was austere and rich at the same time, bright powerful fruit, electric acids, beautifully balanced.
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6/10/2020 - TomTom wrote:
Just opened one last week and the cork was saturated and showed signs of slight leakage. Wine was a bit advanced, but still drinkable, just not ideal.
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6/9/2020 - DanZ wrote: flawed
Yet another bad, leaky cork. Cork soaked through. Wine advanced beyond it’s age. 2013 was not a good vintage for Rhys.
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5/27/2020 - Burgundy Al wrote: 90 Points
Rhys Alpine Virtual Tasting (Planet Earth): Fleshy and hedonistic with good weight and. Power, but less complexity than any of the vintages of Alpine.
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5/20/2020 - rocknroller wrote: 91 Points
Wednesday Afternoon (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Medium gold color. Drank 2 glasses over 2 hours plus. The oak stands out a bit currently, reductive, sulfur, golden fruit, honeyed, creme brulee, toasted oak barrels and orange peel on the nose. The palate is more full bodied, golden fruits, apple, honey, lanolin, creamy texture with toasted caramel, oak, grilled lemon. 91+ to 92pts. Give this another year or two to resolve fully. 91(+?)pts.
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5/7/2020 - Cote d'Or wrote:
Tasted over 2 hrs and day 3
-translucent med gold
-honey stone wax
-med acidity leaves a fine bead of zing on the finish, med weight med+ concentration but no heaviness ripe yellow fruit faint nuttiness and lanolin opens up with air, persistent long finish; caramel butterscotch oak more prominent on day 3
-very good now nearing full maturity, has evolved some in the past year
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4/27/2020 - jlm wrote:
There were some slight signs of leakage on this bottle, and the cork was soaked all the way up. I suspect the cork issues with this wine are responsible for some of the unusually wide range of experiences reflected in the CT notes. This particular bottle showed very well. The color was straw to pale yellow, lighter than I expected. The nose was initially a bit reticent at fridge temp, but it opened quickly after warming and getting some air. The aromatics are white flower and mineral, with some toasted hazelnut in the mix. It's a very savory expression, not sweet floral aromas at all, and not rich either. A cool, focused nose. The palate is middle weight with a sense of deep fruit extract, leaning towards white fruit character but without any expression of sweetness to the fruit. The wine is of course completely dry; it's more that the fruits it evokes are more savory than big and ripe. The finish is long and reprises the floral and nuttiness of the nose. Really drinking well right now, and I will try to drink mine sooner rather than later to catch them at this stage and not risk issues related to the cork.
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4/18/2020 - llink wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured. Citrus and apple on the nose. Medium acid palate, fairly deep and a bit too rich, lacks cut and definition. Preferred yesterday’s 13 Alpine but this is much better than the 14 Horseshoe.
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4/16/2020 - MikeATL Likes this wine: 94 Points
From a 375ml bottle into a Gabriel Glas Gold. Showing more like a first class white Burgundy than a typical California Chardonnay with a touch of matchstick, apple, and a dash of lemon and minerals, piercing acidity on the attack with nice weight filling in behind it through a long finish. Drinking very well now but with a lot of life left in it.
On day 2 it has become more expansive and a lovely honeycomb component has emerged, This is a truly world-class Chardonnay.
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4/12/2020 - jdhannah wrote:
Flawed, I think. Was looking forward to this! When I cut the foil, it was gunky under there. Cork showed moisture all the way to top.
Tasted pretty one dimensional, not much of interest though not undrinkable. Alas, at least I have some more of this.
From 375.
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3/29/2020 - norsktorsk wrote: 92 Points
the oak is prominent
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2/3/2020 - wgmccallum wrote:
On the nose a creamy minerality with lychees, lemon, and a warm undertone of vanilla oak. On the palate a lacing of lemony acid around a slightly flat center, like dilute sugar water, and some sweet bitterness at the back moving into the long singing finish. A complex of many elements but hard to make sense of at the moment, and therefore hard to rate. The nose is unambiguously beguiling, the palate is confusing to me. Could be anywhere from an 89 to a 93. [Looking over past notes it is clear that I am confused by this wine.]
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11/10/2019 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Rhys @ My Place--Part 4 (My House): From magnum. Bottle was opened yesterday, with my notes saying aromatics of toast, some marshmallow and elevated, brisk acidity. Retasting 24 hrs later, I can still taste what I perceive as oak notes, with the toasty, vanilla bean that infuses the wine. Putting that aside, there remains the brisk lemon, pear, yellow apple and an intense lime-peel note. There is a spicy quality to the finish, perhaps in part because of the wood and also the ABV, which is not all that high at 13.5%, but when all of the components coalesce in the wine, it does give it an intense, creamy, more flashy side of Rhys Chard. For me, it's a bit too much but this did get 5 votes yesterday during the tasting and it does grab the senses.
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10/3/2019 - rosenst1 wrote: 91 Points
PnP. Pristine clarity and medium light gold. Complex nose that is one part Chablis (limestone, sea air) and a variety of spices. Lovely fruit and almost unctuous on the mid-palate followed by a high acid finish. Lots going on here! Will see if this integrates with air. This does integrate somewhat but the finish is still very high acid; will wait a few years on my last bottle.
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8/2/2019 - Raizes Likes this wine: 90 Points
白梨、菠萝、芒果的成熟果味，香草、蜂蜜、黄油和微微的矿物咸味，组成了非常甜美讨喜的香气主调。入口圆润，结构也很清晰，比闻起来更加均衡平稳，层次的绽放也十分高级。
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7/27/2019 - Dulcie and Aylwin wrote:
By some margin our wine of the tasting - and perhaps well it should given the price tag. Hard to describe the aroma: some hazelnut and other almost earthy component; elegant and refined on the palate, minimal invasion of oak.
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6/27/2019 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 94 Points
Complex rich aromas of fig, beeswax, marmalade, dry heath, with a hint of oxidation. Rich rolling fruit on the palate with a penetrating stone fruit and citrus presence, held in check by golden threads of acid, crisp bitter lift into a long acid finish. An amazing wine of many elements coming into maturity.
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6/15/2019 - jjct Likes this wine:
Compared to the 2013 Alpine, this bottle is relatively shy. High-toned and restrained. Beautiful flavors and balance, with attractive minerality.
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6/5/2019 - Hi.its.Don.4.Wine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Situated just South of Palo Alto in the Santa Cruz Mountains lies a small but intriguing winery; Rhys Vineyards. Six of their Estate Vineyards being located just off the coast of California. For this tasting, I turned towards their production in Chardonnay, their other wines focusing on Pinot Noir and a small amount of Syrah, specifically, their Horseshoe Vineyard and the Chardonnay produced from the 2013 Vintage.
Santa Cruz finds many a top-notch winery; Ridge, Mount Eden and Thomas Fogarty (just had me a bottle of their Santa Cruz Mountain Chardonnay) to name but a few. With its shale soil, Horseshoe Vineyards produces a slightly more mineral wine. Never fear, however, the wine does not skimp on lovely stone fruit flavors and a rich buttery nuttiness (how’s that for throwing two flavors together?). The wine, litheness in body, but with firmness and generous mouthfeel. Alas, while this wine seeks to continue its journey to even better times given longer aging, I will have to settle for this bottle alone as is as this was my only bottle.
Rhys is one of those wineries whose wines are very hard to come by, generally selling only to their members. They do have a label that is more widely distributed and gives the mother winery a run for its money; Alesia. Splurge if you can, the attention and handcrafted quality is worth the price.
Cheers
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5/4/2019 - gharter Likes this wine: 92 Points
Served with a mild fish dish.
Still beautiful purity of flavor, well balanced,a touch of oak,long smooth finish. In a beautifult place as others have noted. Looks to have a long life ahead.
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4/20/2019 - BigTex22 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Too young. Some reduction followed by zingy pineapple with a sharp lemon spine. Finishes long. This wine will jump 2+ points with more time. Suggest holding 3+ more years.
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4/17/2019 - Cote d'Or Likes this wine:
Tasted over 2 hrs
-translucent med gold
-moderately expressive mild reduction sweet but not quite honeyed apple and citrus
-med/med+ acidity lends a refreshing zing to the finish, med weight crisp ripe apple minerality faint citrus and caramel, great length
-this is drinking beautifully now with potential for further improvement, for my taste this is the best of all the prior Rhys Chardonnays I've tasted because of its energy, crispness and judicious oak profile
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4/2/2019 - SCosgrove wrote: 89 Points
My cork was wet through, not sure what happened. Tasted bitter on open but smoothed out. Waiting til tomorrow to do final judgement.
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3/23/2019 - grafstrb wrote:
-- cork pulled about 1 hour before initial taste --
-- tasted non-blind over approx. 40 minutes –
Nose was sulfury and tight, with a hint of smokable herb presenting itself. Medium bodied, with high acidity, on the palate. Light lemon citrus flavor. Needs time – Hold. 8 tasters tasted this alongside a 2012 Arcadian Clos Pepe Chardonnay and a 2013 Rochioli Sweetwater Chardonnay: 1st place votes were as follows: Rochioli – 5; Rhys – 3; Arcadian – 0. My order of preference, from favorite to least favorite: Rhys; Arcadian; Rochioli. For me, the Rhys was the no-brainer winner here, but all were very nice.
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2/21/2019 - SCosgrove wrote: 91 Points
Hmmph. Nice flavor, expected more.
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1/27/2019 - jreis Likes this wine:
Lots of matchstick and lemon curd with just a hint of tropical fruit on the nose. Still quite tight and unyielding on the paate, but great potential. We will see what some air brings.
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1/22/2019 - gharter Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very aromatic with citrus, lemon, pear, honey and oak notes on the nose. well balanced with good acidity. More citrus, lemon, not too much oak. Medium body and finish. Really good now, but no hurry to finsih the remaining bottles.
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1/5/2019 - mwrock Likes this wine: 92 Points
Interesting wine, citrus and wet wood on the nose, same on the taste, but good level of acidity. Finish was clean and goods well with food, strong enough to hold up.
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12/25/2018 - Vinomnivore Likes this wine: 94 Points
Excellent fresh and complex chardonnay and what I expect from Rhys (intensity of citrus fruit but not at all over ripe, with good acidity and mineral tones). Paired perfectly with Coquilles Saint-Jacques.
Exact same seepage/capsule conditions as mentioned by others which initially caused concern. Hopefully this was just a result of overfill or some other benign situation during the bottling process. These seem to be doing just fine so far.
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12/7/2018 - Djfermentation Likes this wine: 95 Points
Like so many folks have said, there was major cork seepage and the foil was stuck to the bottle all around like glue. After that, the wine was glorious. We first coravined a small pour and home and we’re comfortable that the wine was sound. Then opened it at Bouchon and we very delighted. The sommelier was interested it trying it as he was very fond of Rhys Pinot but never had their Chardonnay. He too was very impressed. A terrific Chardonnay with tons of stuffing but awesome balance and finishing acidity. Awesome!
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10/24/2018 - Jahull03 wrote:
seepage around the cork... that said, the wine didn't suffer for it at all. drinking in a GREAT place with med-large fruit, strong mineral component, wonderful mouthfeel. loved this wine.
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10/1/2018 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 94 Points
Light golden yellow. Wafting aromas of lemon, cumin, dark crust of sourdough, with a creamy top note. Intense lemon fruit on the palate, electric acid frame with an oily richness at the back, long finish. A very powerful wine, would stand up to something like a Moroccan tagine. 50 + 17 + 18 + 9 = 94.
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9/29/2018 - Bernt Olav wrote: 93 Points
Gyllen gul farge. Intens og litt reduktiv aroma preg av stram sitrus, hasselnøtter, honning, "kontaktlim", sopp, mm. I munn er den intens og fyldig uten at den er fett. Tydelig syre som gir vinen skikkelig ryggrad, føles neste som den har litt tannin. Meget god lengde. Er på sitt beste 3 timer etter åpning.
Passet fint til gratinert kongekrabbe og hummer/hummerbisque.
Finnes mye god Chardonnay i dette prisleie(NKR 750,-+), så jeg er usikker på om jeg vil kjøpe denne igjen, med tanke på alt det gode som finnes i Bourgogne.
Testet Riedel Bordeaux mot Zalto burgundy. Vinen fremsto letter og mer åpen i Zalto glasset, men opplevdes ikke like nyansert og kompleks. Så jeg vil foretrekke Riedel BDX til denne vinen(som jeg ofte gjør til hvit burgund også).
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9/22/2018 - J @ y H @ c k Likes this wine: 91 Points
At LBTG. No one guessed Rhys! Excellent balance. I am a Rhys fan, but not a Rhys FAN. This was very good and enjoyable with nice balance, white fruit and acidity, but not over the top sharpness.
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8/25/2018 - Andyofoto wrote:
Fortunately no cork issue at all as mentioned by the two previous notes. Really great showing. Secondary characteristics coming though. Floral, pinnapple, yellow pit fruit, citrus rind, balanced mid weight texture, great phenolic intensity, wide but fresh acidity, compelling showing. Great stuff.
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8/21/2018 - scorrea Likes this wine: 95 Points
Like other 13’s corked stained almost to the top. Ridiculously good. Ton of saline mineral goodness. 13 vintage for Rhys is great across the board but out of the ballpark in Chardonnay.
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8/19/2018 - Deux Chevaux wrote:
As observed in my comment to the note immediately below, we, like a few recent others, noticed some troubling cork related issues. But ultimately, this wine was superb — not appreciably different from the fantastic bottle that we experienced earlier this year. If performed beautifully over three nights, and we are sorry to have none left, although we would be a bit worried and probably open sooner rather than later if we did have more.
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8/13/2018 - Jbird73 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very nervous after pulling cork and having seepage about 75% of the cork...initial worry with a sniff inside the bottle and then poured a glass. The glass is fantastic. Hoping that I don't have to update in another 30-60 minutes that it changed rapidly. Have a handful of these and hoping it is a one-off. The cork was flush so not protruding like the other review. I look forward to these bottles from Rhys and this one hits it all right now, beautiful light gold in color, intoxicating nose, great acidity, just great stuff.
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8/13/2018 - desertdoc wrote: flawed
Poking around the cellar and I came across this bottle which had the dreaded signs of seepage as well as obviously protruding cork. Well, gotta check it out. Cork was soaked, of course. At first, I was optimistic as the wine had a beautiful color. But when I tasted it—nope, oxidized. Bummer. Not sure what happened as my others looked fine.
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6/14/2018 - Acohen Likes this wine: 92 Points
Vibrant pear and apple notes with good balance and finish
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5/27/2018 - Bob23 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lovely mix of old world style and new world fruit. Zippy acidity, flowers and yellow fruit, a delight to drink
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3/31/2018 - oldwines Likes this wine: 91 Points
Light to medium yellow color. It has smoke, citrus and butter on the nose. It has moderate acidity and a slightly rounded mouth feel. On the palate the smoke is again noticeable along with creamy lemon and some pear and apple along with some limestone minerality. The finish is fairly long, but ther seems to be a little something missing for this wine to be at full potential. Given the price this was a little disappointing.
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3/17/2018 - mreinhard74@gmail.com Likes this wine: 94 Points
Much richer on the palate than the nose. Deceptive. Mount coating honeysuckle and apricot but a very gentle nose that belies the strength of this wine. Very nice.
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3/4/2018 - thelostverse wrote: 94 Points
Notes of lemon oil and pear/honey. This is already showing beautifully, but may very well improve with some time. I don't see any hurry here.
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3/3/2018 - risaacs wrote:
Bad cork, leaked through. A first for me from Rhys.
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2/22/2018 - Biskuit Likes this wine: 94 Points
Damn impressive. Definitely some Burgundian character, but also unapologetically of California. Big and earthy, plenty of acid but lush, (so, yes, amazingly balanced), long finish with an herbal tinge and pineapple citrus. (Add: looking at notes below, yes, there is a hint of oxidation - in a pleasing way to my palate)
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2/13/2018 - Deux Chevaux wrote:
Wow. What a fantastic cornucopia of citrus, tropical fruits — and it seems to us more than a kiss oak? This wine has personality, and drive. It’s not an all subtle, but at the same time it’s beautifully integrated. Exceptionally enjoyable over three nights. Wow.
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2/13/2018 - GTFreek wrote:
Medium plus nose shows mushroom, lemon curd, some funk with turned earth, some green tones, green pear, fresh grass tone, pineapple. Palate shows body, style, unique layers, lemon curd, Bosch pear, the mushroom note is there, limestone, something tropical like papaya. Gorgeous stuff, definitely could be mistaken for high end Burgundy.
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1/30/2018 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 92 Points
Shifting aromas of cream, burnt sugar, lemon, a hint of oxidation. Full bodied on the palate with weighty dry fruit and intense acids, long sustaining finish. Reminds of the Chassagne-Montrachet I had last night. 50 + 17 + 17 + 8 = 92. [Interesting to compare this more reserved rating than last time with John Gilman's notes from 2016 about it being in a reserved phase for 2 or 3 years.]
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12/29/2017 - BigTex22 Likes this wine: 95 Points
A stunning wine. Popped and poured and knew this was a knockout after the first sip. Light golden straw, oily, with lemon and muted tartness on the finish. Finishes long at 20+ seconds. Fantastic showing drinking well now or for many years to come.
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11/5/2017 - blaine Likes this wine: 91 Points
Great wine, notable chalkiness to my palate, nicely balanced, I think my other bottle will improve with a bit more time
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10/7/2017 - tarheel17 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tasted like grand cru burg! I was fooled.
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9/12/2017 - wino_tim wrote: 96 Points
Pale yellow. Offers a slightly developing but strikingly pretty, high-toned and seductive nose of yellow apple, Greek yogurt, lees, white flowers, and crackling, chalky minerality. Round but decidedly Chassagne-like on the palate with bright acids and tarter flavors of preserved lemon, green apple and toast. Gorgeous.
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8/8/2017 - Diane (LI) wrote:
This doesn't have the same cut as the 2012 that we had a couple of days ago, but this was still a lovely Chardonnay. Lemon custard and minerals with a bit of oak showing. I will try to keep my hands off my remaining bottles.
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7/27/2017 - B Paul wrote:
Another good bottle of this. Consumed over two nights. This was better on night two. This is a little big/rich, but has some good acidity too to keep it in check. I think this will continue to drink well over the medium term (I'd guess next 5 years will be prime), though I don't think it has the structure for super long term aging.
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7/1/2017 - RajivAyyangar wrote: 91 Points
Passionfish (Passionfish, Carmel): First Rhys Chardonnay!
Medium yellow color. The nose is still aggressively reductive, showing some noble reduction (struck match, flint, crushed rock) but also some less pleasant burnt rubber notes. Underneath, it is an excellent cooler-climate new world chardonnay, showing medium plus intensity aromas of Meyer lemon, lemon curd with a hint of verbena, iced yellow and green apple, and hints of modest oak influence - cinnamon, pastry crust.
The oak and fruit are superbly balanced in a Burgundian way (think Puligny in a ripe year), but just a few hairs are out of place - overt reduction, and a faint hint of burnt popcorn (diacetyl from malo). I suspect these will integrate with time. The fruit character is neither overtly underripe and herbal (e.g. Peay, Ceritas) nor ripe in the yellow apple and peach spectrum (Mt. Eden, Hyde de Villaine).
On the palate, it's medium bodied, with ever-so-slightly-elevated alcohol (I guessed 13% - actually 13.5% and holding it well), borderline high acid (high-minus), with medium plus flavor intensity mid-palate and a persistent finish.
Right now it's got a few rough edges - the finish isn't quite integrated, the reduction and diacetyl stick out. But this seems like it has the fruit and structure to age well.
To understand the style relative to similar wines:
In comparison to...
- Ridge: - the Rhys has a bit less prominent oak, more reductive.
- Mt. Eden: - Rhys is more reductive, slightly lower fruit ripeness, higher acid.
- Matthiasson: - Rhys is very similar, but slightly riper (also slightly higher alcohol).
- Littorai: - Rhys has less overt noble reduction, more depth of fruit.
- Peay: - Rhys has riper fruit, more depth of fruit, a bit more oak and impression of malo.
- Ceritas: - Rhys has riper fruit, significantly more fruit depth, not as acidic
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5/2/2017 - MikeATL Likes this wine: 93 Points
Atlanta Does Rhys (Aria, Atlanta, GA): A little matchstick, lemon, slate, nice richness but well-endowed with acidity. Also very young. Just a little more complex and deeper than the 2012.
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2/4/2017 - citizen1 wrote: 93 Points
Fantastic.
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12/18/2016 - collin wrote:
I'm probably naive here, but this is more or less indistinguishable - at least in character - from a Mersault Perrieres. It's got that richness plus minerality that I find from the Mersualt Puligny border. Delicious!
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12/8/2016 - jonesjuice88 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Rock solid
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9/11/2016 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 97 Points
2013 Mostly cabs but some other stuff too (GHT): Blind, i would not have guesses this to be the Rhys. Pop and pour, this came out of the bottle blazing. It was far richer and bigger than I expected but in a good way. The nose has tropical fruit and peaches. On the palate, this is already showing a nice complexity. Good backbone of acidity. Peaches and papaya with a bit of lemon. Just delicious. I never did get back to it, but it was also my wife favorite Chard.
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9/5/2016 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 95 Points
Deep yellow. Complex aroma of beeswax, lemon oil, blood orange, acacia blossoms, toast, ever shifting. Deeply layered on the palate with a vibrant fruit core, delicate acid frame, smooth progression to a long finish. A wine that enlivens the senses as it calms the soul. 50 + 19 + 17 + 9.
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8/9/2016 - B Paul wrote: 93 Points
Really great. Drinking well now.
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7/18/2016 - Diane (LI) wrote:
This is a delicious Chard. A little creamy that is offset by excellent acidity and touches of lime zest and almonds. A half bottle is perfect for a Monday with our pasta with zucchini and green beans fresh from the garden, with Parmigiana Reggiano, and a little butter and a lot of fresh cracked black pepper.
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6/4/2016 - Nanda wrote: 93 Points
A big boy, that despite 8-9 hours of slow ox and pouring, never fully came around. Big nose is more modern and stylish with ripe, toasted yellow fruit and spice. The palate is richly textured and layered hinting at complexity to come. The acids are enjoyable --- totally behind the scenes but certainly alive/well. Has loads of upside potential, but un-evolved and holding back today.
Saved a glass for night two, and there is much more flavor delineation in the aromatics (yellow fruit, white flowers, honey, minerality, spice) and on the palate. Further, the palate is still rich but more integrated and seamless. Good sign for things tom come.
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5/18/2016 - Diane (LI) wrote:
First of all, the oak is there but subtle. It is crisp and refreshing, just a touch creamy as it approaches the finish, but ends with grapefruit skin. It worked nicely with a salad of arugula, chick peas, and tuna imported from Spain, and a slice of mozzarella and Proscuitto all drizzled with olive oil also imported from Spain.
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4/27/2016 - Billigan Likes this wine: 91 Points
Seemed plump and a touch oaky on opening, but on the second night, this seemed to grow more taut, focused, and mineral-driven. Nice flavors of lemon cream and chalky, floral aromatics. Needs more time on its side to really come together, but this is a damn good chardonnay.
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4/18/2016 - bconly Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dense on the nose and the palate. Burgundian for sure. Smells of ocean spray and yes, a little bit of oak (which does not make its way past the nose). Finishes as long as any new world chard I've had. First time with Rhys chard and impressed. Only thing is you can get some damn good white burg at this price point.
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4/6/2016 - jjh49 wrote: 87 Points
Very very light, hard to pick up any smell or flavor. Light white roses and citrus, but very faint. Don't understand this price point.
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3/6/2016 - Thirsty1 Likes this wine:
Oh yeah, right up my alley. Sun bright yellow, there is great lemon/citrus upfront fruit, hints of pineapple but not that juicy weighty feel that can turn me off to CA chard. For sure domestic, but not the over the top style. Good structure that shows it's shoulders and not clunky. The balance is impressive that has good acidity to pull it to the finish. Spot on now, probably would benefit with a year or two in bottle. Glad I'm on their list.
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12/18/2015 - odds Likes this wine: 91 Points
Had it side by side with the Alpine '13 (both from 500ml). Both were PnP consumed within about 2 hours. I would say there is something for everyone in both. The Horseshoe is certainly light and clear in color (lemon gold, pale, as previous tasters noticed). A bit more on the 'sweet' side (though not sweet, it is dry wine) compared with the alpine. I would agree with the other taster that it is more of a classic appetizer chard compared with the alpine. Nose, as others noted- a bit mute at PnP. Opens up after about an hour. Lime and lemon, only small touch of apple on the palate.
Overall summary: Does work very well with our appetizers and mains (all seafood and fish based), but horseshoe was a better starter chard. The alpine was the winner for us. That said, waitstaff preferred the horseshoe over alpine in blind.
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8/23/2015 - Johnnybegood Likes this wine: 92 Points
Note: Tasted from a 500 ml bottle. This Wine was open and decanted about 3 hours prior to drinking.
Color: light and clear pale lemon color in appearance.
Taste: More opulent and richer compared to the Alpine 2013 Chardonnay I tasted several weeks ago. Nice mineral finish on the tail end but definitely bigger and more meursault in the flavor profile compared to the more racy Alpine. This needs time to come into balance but right now I prefer the Alpine Chardonnay for the greater stony minerals and acidity most noticeable on the finish. Both of these whites are very good but different. I would like to see more age on the vines of this Horseshoe as I fell this has excellent potential but falls short of some old vines of top producers in the Cote de Beaune in terms of minerality and complexity . A very nice wine and quite enjoyable enticing me to come back for sip after sip, even at this young age. I would give this Horseshoe at least several years of bottle age and it will likely improve for the mid term.
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8/17/2015 - jrkennedy37 wrote:
Drank alongside other '13 Rhys in 375ml sampler bottles. There was no clear "winner" between the chardonnays. Horseshoe was more open, showed more fruit and was riper overall. This faded a bit with time and let the finish of minerals really shine. You can't go wrong with either 2013 Rhys chardonnay and it's well worth the price.
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7/26/2015 - Dale B. wrote:
Yum ! I know not much of a tasting note, but trust me, you will like this.
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4/24/2015 - B Paul wrote:
Out of 375. Really good, and this might (time will tell) be the first vintage I end up preferring the Horseshoe Chard to the Alpine. The same may also be said for the PNs.
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4/16/2015 - Wine Canuck wrote: 91 Points
A Visit to Rhys Vineyards: While I do like Rhys Chardonnays I'm not sure they are my favourite style. They always seem to pour a bit of a darker colour and have a deeper richer aromatics. One unique trait of their wine making is that they leave open vats for 24 hours after fermentation and it seems this gives them the ever so slightest oxidative leaning style. The nose is a tad mute today. Light notes of kiwi, lime, butter, lemon oil, florals and a touch of bruised apple tingle the nose. The palate is rich and mouthfilling with a sweet viscus entry, though excellent (medium plus) acid balances that out. There is very mild apparent use of oak. The finish is long built on florals and bruised apple. A very solid wine that could pick up a point or two in time.
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