Cola on the nose. Tart palate, red fruits, not a whole lot of depth or complexity. This is fine but strikes me as equivalent to a village level burgundy at best.
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PnP that added complexity, length and even some complexity with each successive glass. For my tastes, this is in its preferred window, a place that it's likely to occupy for the next several years. In a great spot now, with a med+ body, and a rich, ripe mid palate. Happily recommended
I was wrong 2.5 years ago. This wine is getting better and better. It was very firm and dense but now it is really opening up and has more time ahead. I will keep my last few bottles for a couple more years. Ripe red cherry with sweet spice and still holding back. This has achieved better balance and elegance. As mentioned earlier, I have been skeptical about the long range trajectory of some 2015 California Pinot Noirs because of the structure but clearly I was mistaken. Great wine and a pleasure to drink.
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Half bottle. Full ruby throughout. Char and ripe black cherry fruit aromas. Medium bodied, quite sappy. Deep, serious dark fruit with excellent concentration, vanilla tones, a hint of green, excellent acidity, and round tannins. Just the barest hint of cola that I often find in domestic Pinots, little soil signature. Terrific wine and not yet at peak even from this small format bottle.
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Opens in a quite nice place, but seems to become entangled in its structure. Still nice, but I would have liked it more had its initial presentation remained.
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Pale ruby with garnet edges. Aromas of red berries, roses, lilacs, dusty red earth, water through moist ferns, mocha, the vanilla note of ponderosa pine sap. Crisp and vibrant red fruit on the palate, medium to high acids, light tannins with a crisp bite, low to medium alcohol (13.6%), very long winding aromatic finish. Lovely with pan fried coho salmon and asparagus.
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Superbowl wine! Very nice, still quite young, a bit monolithic at this point, but great balance, pure fruit, dark red, light black berries aspect, seamless and med + finish. Silky mouthfeel. At B's
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Still pretty tightly wound but nice complexity, medium body and a really delightful drink. Think this will continue to get better for my palate for next couple years - guessing it peaks around year 10 from vintage.
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Ruby red in color but not opaque. Nose is very vibrant with cranberry and spice. This comes alive in the mouth with strong but not overpowering acidity and a bit of grip on the finish.
Makes me think even another five years would be just fine.
Really nice right now but could evolve further with even more time and low risk of going downhill fast.
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Pop and pour. Notes from 24 hrs open. On the nose: cranberry, cola, soft va. Glossy red fruit. On the palate: solid acidity and density, some whole cluster notes, soft strawberry, stone, and soft, grainy tannin on the finish.
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PnP. Medium dark red. Dark fruit on the nose but rather closed. Medium weight on the palate - touch of tannins on the finish. Good acid fruit balance. Not special but good.
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11 months after the prior: well, maybe this time we do pick up cola, of the cherry variety. And frankly, we found this bottling to be surprisingly sweet — by far the most dramatically sweet Rhys we’ve ever had. Hmm. Pleasant enough over three nights, but disappointingly out of character.
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Interesting nose of wild strawberries, spices, red cherries, cloves, smoke, and a hint of darker fruit. Nice acidity with good structure and flavors of more wild berries, dark cherries, and more spices on the palate. Good finish. A very good CA Pinot, the nose in particular is very intriguing. Maybe falls a bit short on the palate in comparison, at least at the moment. Will likely continue to improve, I’d give this another 3-5 years.
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As recommended, decanted for 2+ hours. Wine seems to be in a "dumb" phase currently. I don't have experience to say it will improve. Right now it is shut down and delivers little palate pleasure. Simple with a short finish and little to justify its price tag.
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PnP. Medium red. Nice nose of red fruits and lavender. Quite round on the palate with red fruits with no hard edges and a clean finish without residual tannins. Nice wine and ready to drink; not as complex as the Rhys Santa Cruz Mtn Pinots but earlier drinking!
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Solid Rhys Pinot Noir. Decanted over 2 hours. Soft and smooth on the palate, nice red fruit with bright acidity. Not overly complex. I tried to search for other dimensions in the wine but continually came back to just enjoying it. I have another bottle and plan to wait a year. I think it would be safe to wait another 2 to 5 years but doubt it will noticeably improve.
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Decanted for 2 hours. Still a bit muted, need some good swirling then came to life. Drank the best an hour after that. Atypical good Rhys. Was very good with sautéed creamed mushrooms on toast.
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A very good typical Rhys. The more I drink Rhys I’m realizing that many of their wines I like end up tasting very similar no matter year or plot/location ....except Pajero....although I have a fair amount of the black label Rhys, I’ve not drank any of my black label Rhys yet and can’t include those. A good thing or bad thing ? I don’t know how Rhys operates but to me it’s really through a singular voice and I somehow can’t believe there’s not more differences in the soil/land that would give the wines more variance. I have burgundy wines that are one plot over from the next and they’re very different wines. It’s almost like Rhys have perfected what I like but in that, kind of lost something. That said, I agree with WGMCCALLUM and MARTIN REDMOND. I would add that the wine like all other Rhys are a little bit too sweet and wish slightly more focused wines. For better or worse I have another 125 bottles of Rhys to go through.....lot of work....
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I haven’t been a fan of the Rhys wines from the Bearwallow Vineyard, but this one was delicious. Bright fruit and good acidity-doesn’t need any more age.
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Pale ruby. Delicious concentration of dark berry fruit, sweet tannic base in a vibrant acid frame. Soft floral notes on the nose with candied fruit aromas, aromatic red berries, a hint of vanilla oak. A lovely intertwining of sweet floral aromatics and soft acid fruit. Long winding aromatic finish.
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Translucent dark ruby color with billowing aromas of red and blue fruit, damp forest floor, exotic spice, mint, and dried rose. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, concentrated and impeccably balanced with supple fine-grained tannins, vibrant acidity and ample fruit flavors of black cherry, a mix of candied red cherry and blueberry, with very appealing spice notes and a compelling minerally savoriness with a long finish. It's a delicious and structured beauty! The Bearwallow vineyard is located in the 'Deep End" of the Anderson Valley at 300' to 600', and planted on 10-25 inches of top soil over fractured shale, quartz and sandstone. 13.6% abv
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Crimson ruby Light pinot aromas and flavors, Rather restrained, 13.6% though I guessed lower. I initially thought burg and was pleasantly surprised. Really lovely and balanced
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Better than anticipated as I have generally been underwhelmed by 2015 Northern California Pinot Noir. It seems a very dense vintage and I prefer my PN brighter and more acidic. This one is more full bodied and riper but it holds up well against red meat. Spice - nutmeg, with a ripe cherry compote flavor. I prefer more acid but it isn’t out of balance right now. I agree with others - time to drink now and next year and it will be enjoyable.
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I don't drink a lot of Rhys pinot. This was either not a sound bottle, or it's just not my thing. Rather dormant nose. Ripe. Oak. Uber rich and round. Too ripe. Lacking acidity for me. Too heavy handed, or just Not my style.
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The three most recent textual notes describe it well. On reflection, we did not initially pick up cola — something that, in excess, we don’t appreciate — but maybe there was a pleasant background hint. In any event, this was quite nicely developed, showing depth and complexity. Decent acidity — sufficient to keep it lively. Highly enjoyable over three nights, gaining if not further developing to the end. We will likely hold our remaining bottle a year or two.
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Color: light ruby, semi translucent Nose: cola nut, almond extract, sassafrass, pomegranate. Very aromatic Palate: cola, black raspberry, red fruit, a hint of blue bubblegum, and a savory/spicy flavor that makes me think of conifers and nutmeg (I found it softer than what others called menthol). Medium body with a little less acid than I expected and light chalky tannins.
This wine was a real experience, highly recommend.
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Black cherry, blackberry, smoke, menthol, earth, red cherry, pomegranate, and herbs on the nose. Tart cherry, red cherry, plum, earth, herbs, and spice on the palate. Good acidity (needs a bit more), fine but quite present, almost chewy tannins, medium-long finish. Really dense and meaty. To be honest, it's not terribly delicious at the moment. It's very solid, there's a lot there, but it lacks some joy. I would say that another few years might help.
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Opened yesterday, and looks like I can get three days of wine out of this bottle. But, we'll go with Day 2 for the TN here. As I wrote about the wine back in 2017, it was indeed broad shouldered then, and it remains so three years later. There is a great deal of density here, and whether it is oak/barrel influence that is still at play, or the wine is exhibiting some other kind of forward quality that I cannot adequately express, there is a flamboyance here. There is also a cola nut note in this wine, which I believe another CT author called "Dr Pepper", which for those not familiar with the drink here in the US, it's a cola-like beverage. The fruit here waxes back and forth between black and red, showing blackberry and black raspberry. Acidity is moderate, there is more than enough to counter off the darker fruit. And, there is balance here, but this is a denser version of what I think of as Rhys, and after drinking this the past few nights, my view is that I would rather enjoy this now, as a more forward wine with lots of bounce, than a wine in several year that still tastes big and maybe doesn't age out any better.
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Drank over two nights from a 375. These were little fruit bombs on release. Dark, blue black color. Spicy blue fruit and stemmy scent. The fruit has mellowed and a savory aspect has emerged on the palette. Finishes with a savory woodish flavor with medium length and a good balance of fruit and acids on the silky finish with just a touch of heat that was not noticed on the first night. Best on the first night so I would drink these in this format sooner rather than later.
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We drove back from the Mendocino Coast on Xmas morning and passed this vineyard on the way. Decided this would be a nice bottle for Xmas and also to celebrate the area we had just visited. This bottle is singing right now. Beautiful nose, medium-bodied nicely balanced on the palate, tart acidity. 13.6% seems about right. Gorgeous finish. Light on its feet. So many years ahead of it, but these are so good this is my oldest one from this vineyard. For me this is just a consistent wine year after year. FWIW, seeing the vineyard after many miles of deep redwood forest is amazing. I don't know that there are any vineyards closer to the coast, this is certainly the "Deep End".
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Expressive nose of red fruit, roses, herbs, spicy oak, autumn leaves, and a hint of ripe plum. On the palate the fruit is dry and salty with a firm acid tang, moving into a gently aromatic tannin finish. So many beautiful elements, but I am having trouble putting them together into an integrated whole.
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Deep color, no fading. The nose shows aromas of raspberry preserves, spices, underbrush, rhubarb, and a hint of flowers. This is medium bodied on the palate with very good concentration and decent class. The medium length finish features earthy tannins.
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From 375ml bottle... medium to dark but still translucent ruby. Nose is a bit muted but some menthol, spices and red fruit comes through. Palate has good acidity with a distinct savory overtone along with menthol, pomegranate, black cherry, strawberry and a minerally finish. Pretty dense and medium to full bodied but quite balanced. In larger formats, I think this needs to be 10 years old before you start drinking it.
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From 375ml bottle, 13.6% ABV, Elegantly styled Cali Pinot. Fruit is mostly cherry, raspberry and pomegranate on both the nose and the palate. Nice texture and viscosity, very glycerin-like. Brighter acidity than I remembered from previous tastings. Baking spices and earthy tones dominate the nose otherwise. Some game meat on the finish. Nice with both a steak and Thai spring rolls.
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Absolutely singing now! This 2015 Rhys Bearwallow has a soft bouquet of floral notes with subtle hints of blackberries and strawberries on the nose. Plenty of gas left in the tank but she’s drinking wonderfully now
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On the nose, cherry cola with a dusty raspberry undertone, a hint of dried herbs, nutmeg, and a floral top note. Rich savory fruit on the palate with permeated acid and an long ringing finish. Excellent with hot-pan-fried wild alaskan salmon, rare in the middle, and limp buttery asparagus.
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Tasted at a trade tasting in NYC. Definitely Cali in fruit ripeness yet not overdone and retaining enough acidity to develop with some time in bottle. Smoky, cherry on the palate and the nose. Medium tannin. Made from 100% de-stemmed fruit.
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Need to lie down a bit. Nice flavor profile includes Cola and Orange peel with the some rich/dark red fruit. Love the flavor profile but texture and mouthfeel aren't there yet. Doesn't quite have the elegance and balance.
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This pinot is a deep magenta in the glass with the typical cranberry most forward on the nose with a foundation of blueberry. On the palate that cranberry takes on a deeper note, as if it had been stewed a bit with the same blue fruit from the nose. There’s a hint of pleasant oak and a floral element that hits mid-palate. Perfectly balanced all around. An enjoyable pinot but not terribly complex at this point so probably a bit overpriced at $59. We’ll hold our second bottle for at least five years to see how it evolves.
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PnP, from 375ml bottle. This is definitely a California style Pinot with good fruit expression but it is balanced with good acidity, moderate 13.6% ABV. It is medium ruby color with a nose of cherry, spices (baking spices and cardamom), some florals and a hint of anise. Palate has a mix of red berries, strawberry, raspberry and cherry. Moderately long and layered with some stony minerality as well. Still young tasting and I’d say in need of a minimum of 5 years in the cellar for a 750ml bottle and longer for a magnum.
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An enigma. I am going to reserve judgment on this one. I big fan and buyer of Rhys, and usually like Bearwallow as a great entry into Rhys Pinot's. This one, over two days, was completely dormant (or suffering some other affliction). Could get nothing, and I mean nothing out of it. Nary an aroma nor something on the palate. These drink well young, so cannot really have been sleeping, so let me rack this up as I must have been going insane or completely losing my sense of smell and taste for a couple days. Anyway, will pop another one in a couple months, I am sure that will be more representative.
From 375ml bottle. Elegant and easy drinking Cali styled but understated Pinot. Low to medium tannin and moderate acidity make it smooth and pleasing at this relatively young age. Somewhat spicy with plenty of juicy fruit like raspberry, pomegranate and cherry along with stony minerals and florals on both the nose and palate. Pleasant and fairly long finish.
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From 375ml. 92+. PnP and was initially pretty restrained. With time in the glass it opened up to reveal a pretty and elegant wine with dark blue and black fruits. Nice acids and fine smooth tannin. Gentle spice notes on the finish. This needs a bit more time in the cellar or a good long decant. Great stuff that will get even better in a few years.
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Pop and pour and tasted without food. I recently had a Rivers Marie 2015 Bearwallow Vineyard Pinot and was somewhat disappointed. This was a different wine. The Rivers-Marie Bearwallow pinot showed a bit of heat and was disjointed. This did not. Rube red color; clear. Good blackberry and red berry on the nose with a slight smoky note. Very fresh and lively. The blackberry and red raspberry notes come through as silky. Light in weight and texture but still full of flavor. There is a nice cinnamon quality on the back-end. Plenty of acidity to balance the black berry bramble fruit. Enjoyable.
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Smoke, dark berries, a touch of vanilla, a hint of violet on the nose. Soft sweet fruit on the palate with a gentle acid frame. lingering finish. 50 + 17 + 16 + 8 = 91.
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Fragrant blackberry and blueberry hints with a hint of bramble spice, licorice; super clean, medium weight, moderate juiciness, med+ length. Very good. With BBQ salmon Brian's. 92+
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Served blind from 375 Medium ruby Fairly tight aromas Restrained, dry, I had a very hard time placing this at first and actually considered a light Bordeaux at first. More Pinot flavors after an hour in the glass Nice, but definitely hold
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Quite young and primary. Delicious concentrated plush fruit. Black cherry and raspberry notes. Palate shows a little herb and tea nuance. Plenty of freshness to balance the fruit. Impressive how much this bottling has come along over the years.
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Decanted. Notes from about 1hr open. Dark and rich with loads of black rapsberry and black tra and some mild wild stemmy character. On the palate, spicy and very acid driven, but good body showing black cherry and cranberry. Very fine tannins on the refined finish, which shows a touch of spicy heat. Evidently very young, but this bottle shows lots of promise. Check back in 2-3 years?
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A restrained yet still very Californian Pinot. Rich and somewhat powerful with still controlled ABV in the 13.5% range. It has raspberry, black raspberry and red cherry and medium acidity along with low to medium tannin. Full-bodied and slightly earthy. will improve with some time in the cellar I think.
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Aroma: spicy and floral with red berry and black cherry notes. Palate: clear cherry and red berry flavors with spice and floral notes. Good minerality and acidity. Good slug of green tannin. Needs time but could be enjoyed now with food.
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Rhys @ My Place--Part 3 (My House In The South OC): Listed ABV of 13.6%. This was the only 2015 Rhys PN we had in the event, and as such, I would say this made it stick out. There were no 2013s or 2014s to speak of, so it kind of felt like an outlier. Why? It comes across as big, and it's funny to make that remark I suppose, as this is barely above 13.5% but it does show some big shoulders for Rhys. Rich and bigger styled for the winery, bold, with lots of purple and even dark fruit. This will need time, and it reminds some of the Rivers-Marie 2015 Bearwallow I drank last year, which was very youthful and needing some time to let things settle. My sense is this will be good for the richer side of things.
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violet/dark garnet color. Flavors of dark cherries, some tannins. obviously youthful but already drinking nicely with interesting depth at this point. 91 pts
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Blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, fresh wet berries. Always the blues in Anderson Valley. A bit of the Rhys spice element, herbs and sight stem note (although, as Frank states below, the grapes are mostly if not all destemmed); medium silky, good moderate tannins, of course very young, but try in a couple years. At winery with Eric Prahl
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This is 5% new oak, totally destemmed. Juicy, almost plush, with a spicy component, gamy and a dark cherry finish. My notes also say blue fruit, which given the proximity to Kiser, I'd expect some blue tones here, too.
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5/6/2024 - KevinS wrote: 89 Points
Cola on the nose. Tart palate, red fruits, not a whole lot of depth or complexity. This is fine but strikes me as equivalent to a village level burgundy at best.
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4/18/2024 - 831900_ Likes this wine: 92 Points
The other notes are accurate. As usual, do not pop and pour: needs at least two hours. Elegant and just slightly powerful.
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2/22/2024 - pjhr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious bright red berries and spice on the nose and silky palate with earthy notes on the moderate long finish. Coming together beautifully!
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2/19/2024 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
PnP that added complexity, length and even some complexity with each successive glass. For my tastes, this is in its preferred window, a place that it's likely to occupy for the next several years. In a great spot now, with a med+ body, and a rich, ripe mid palate. Happily recommended
https://www.ItalianWine.blog
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1/4/2024 - acidqueen wrote: 93 Points
I was wrong 2.5 years ago. This wine is getting better and better. It was very firm and dense but now it is really opening up and has more time ahead. I will keep my last few bottles for a couple more years. Ripe red cherry with sweet spice and still holding back. This has achieved better balance and elegance. As mentioned earlier, I have been skeptical about the long range trajectory of some 2015 California Pinot Noirs because of the structure but clearly I was mistaken. Great wine and a pleasure to drink.
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9/30/2023 - drwine2001 wrote:
Half bottle. Full ruby throughout. Char and ripe black cherry fruit aromas. Medium bodied, quite sappy. Deep, serious dark fruit with excellent concentration, vanilla tones, a hint of green, excellent acidity, and round tannins. Just the barest hint of cola that I often find in domestic Pinots, little soil signature. Terrific wine and not yet at peak even from this small format bottle.
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9/8/2023 - jbaron wrote: 90 Points
Opens in a quite nice place, but seems to become entangled in its structure. Still nice, but I would have liked it more had its initial presentation remained.
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8/11/2023 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 94 Points
Pale ruby with garnet edges. Aromas of red berries, roses, lilacs, dusty red earth, water through moist ferns, mocha, the vanilla note of ponderosa pine sap. Crisp and vibrant red fruit on the palate, medium to high acids, light tannins with a crisp bite, low to medium alcohol (13.6%), very long winding aromatic finish. Lovely with pan fried coho salmon and asparagus.
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7/31/2023 - Eric Wright wrote: 90 Points
Half bottle. Fruit still bright, but starting to get some tertiary notes on the nose. Surprisingly peppery. Solid with short rib
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5/27/2023 - pjhr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tasty red berries and spice on the nose and silky palate with earthy notes on the moderate finish.
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5/19/2023 - sh6k Likes this wine: 93 Points
Fresh with juicy red fruit and good depth behind it, great with food
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4/9/2023 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Light and airy with a prominent stemmy note. Fine palate, strawberry and raspberry notes with a strong spicy finish. Quite solid.
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2/12/2023 - peternelson Likes this wine: 92 Points
Superbowl wine! Very nice, still quite young, a bit monolithic at this point, but great balance, pure fruit, dark red, light black berries aspect, seamless and med + finish. Silky mouthfeel. At B's
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12/30/2022 - Jahull03 wrote:
Still pretty tightly wound but nice complexity, medium body and a really delightful drink. Think this will continue to get better for my palate for next couple years - guessing it peaks around year 10 from vintage.
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12/3/2022 - jbaron wrote: 91 Points
There’s a lot going on, but I can’t for the life of me write what that is.
Try next in 2025?
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11/16/2022 - Jbird73 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Ruby red in color but not opaque. Nose is very vibrant with cranberry and spice. This comes alive in the mouth with strong but not overpowering acidity and a bit of grip on the finish.
Makes me think even another five years would be just fine.
Really nice right now but could evolve further with even more time and low risk of going downhill fast.
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10/31/2022 - Aravind Asok wrote:
Pop and pour. Notes from 24 hrs open. On the nose: cranberry, cola, soft va. Glossy red fruit. On the palate: solid acidity and density, some whole cluster notes, soft strawberry, stone, and soft, grainy tannin on the finish.
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9/17/2022 - rosenst1 wrote: 90 Points
PnP. Medium dark red. Dark fruit on the nose but rather closed. Medium weight on the palate - touch of tannins on the finish. Good acid fruit balance. Not special but good.
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8/19/2022 - grafstrb wrote:
Drinking well now. Rich red fruits. Nothing tertiary yet, but currently well-relaxed.
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7/6/2022 - Deux Chevaux wrote:
11 months after the prior: well, maybe this time we do pick up cola, of the cherry variety. And frankly, we found this bottling to be surprisingly sweet — by far the most dramatically sweet Rhys we’ve ever had. Hmm. Pleasant enough over three nights, but disappointingly out of character.
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6/4/2022 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 92 Points
Interesting nose of wild strawberries, spices, red cherries, cloves, smoke, and a hint of darker fruit. Nice acidity with good structure and flavors of more wild berries, dark cherries, and more spices on the palate. Good finish. A very good CA Pinot, the nose in particular is very intriguing. Maybe falls a bit short on the palate in comparison, at least at the moment. Will likely continue to improve, I’d give this another 3-5 years.
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5/2/2022 - rogerr Does not like this wine: 89 Points
As recommended, decanted for 2+ hours. Wine seems to be in a "dumb" phase currently. I don't have experience to say it will improve. Right now it is shut down and delivers little palate pleasure. Simple with a short finish and little to justify its price tag.
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2/15/2022 - rosenst1 wrote: 90 Points
PnP. Medium red. Nice nose of red fruits and lavender. Quite round on the palate with red fruits with no hard edges and a clean finish without residual tannins. Nice wine and ready to drink; not as complex as the Rhys Santa Cruz Mtn Pinots but earlier drinking!
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1/24/2022 - unc0rked Likes this wine: 92 Points
Solid Rhys Pinot Noir. Decanted over 2 hours. Soft and smooth on the palate, nice red fruit with bright acidity. Not overly complex. I tried to search for other dimensions in the wine but continually came back to just enjoying it. I have another bottle and plan to wait a year. I think it would be safe to wait another 2 to 5 years but doubt it will noticeably improve.
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1/23/2022 - Golf_Wine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. Still a bit muted, need some good swirling then came to life. Drank the best an hour after that. Atypical good Rhys.
Was very good with sautéed creamed mushrooms on toast.
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12/7/2021 - jackstraw Likes this wine: 91 Points
Excellent
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12/1/2021 - pjhr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking a bit young and tight. Tasty red berries and spice on the nose and savory palate with moderate tannins on the finish.
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11/28/2021 - Golf_Wine Likes this wine: 92 Points
A very good typical Rhys. The more I drink Rhys I’m realizing that many of their wines I like end up tasting very similar no matter year or plot/location ....except Pajero....although I have a fair amount of the black label Rhys, I’ve not drank any of my black label Rhys yet and can’t include those. A good thing or bad thing ? I don’t know how Rhys operates but to me it’s really through a singular voice and I somehow can’t believe there’s not more differences in the soil/land that would give the wines more variance. I have burgundy wines that are one plot over from the next and they’re very different wines. It’s almost like Rhys have perfected what I like but in that, kind of lost something. That said, I agree with WGMCCALLUM and MARTIN REDMOND. I would add that the wine like all other Rhys are a little bit too sweet and wish slightly more focused wines. For better or worse I have another 125 bottles of Rhys to go through.....lot of work....
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11/28/2021 - Diane (LI) wrote:
I haven’t been a fan of the Rhys wines from the Bearwallow Vineyard, but this one was delicious. Bright fruit and good acidity-doesn’t need any more age.
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8/29/2021 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 94 Points
Pale ruby. Delicious concentration of dark berry fruit, sweet tannic base in a vibrant acid frame. Soft floral notes on the nose with candied fruit aromas, aromatic red berries, a hint of vanilla oak. A lovely intertwining of sweet floral aromatics and soft acid fruit. Long winding aromatic finish.
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8/18/2021 - Martin Redmond Likes this wine: 92 Points
Translucent dark ruby color with billowing aromas of red and blue fruit, damp forest floor, exotic spice, mint, and dried rose. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, concentrated and impeccably balanced with supple fine-grained tannins, vibrant acidity and ample fruit flavors of black cherry, a mix of candied red cherry and blueberry, with very appealing spice notes and a compelling minerally savoriness with a long finish. It's a delicious and structured beauty! The Bearwallow vineyard is located in the 'Deep End" of the Anderson Valley at 300' to 600', and planted on 10-25 inches of top soil over fractured shale, quartz and sandstone. 13.6% abv
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8/16/2021 - cos65 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Crimson ruby
Light pinot aromas and flavors,
Rather restrained, 13.6% though I guessed lower.
I initially thought burg and was pleasantly surprised. Really lovely and balanced
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7/18/2021 - acidqueen wrote: 91 Points
Better than anticipated as I have generally been underwhelmed by 2015 Northern California Pinot Noir. It seems a very dense vintage and I prefer my PN brighter and more acidic. This one is more full bodied and riper but it holds up well against red meat. Spice - nutmeg, with a ripe cherry compote flavor. I prefer more acid but it isn’t out of balance right now. I agree with others - time to drink now and next year and it will be enjoyable.
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7/4/2021 - decaturwinedude wrote:
I don't drink a lot of Rhys pinot. This was either not a sound bottle, or it's just not my thing. Rather dormant nose. Ripe. Oak. Uber rich and round. Too ripe. Lacking acidity for me. Too heavy handed, or just Not my style.
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4/22/2021 - Deux Chevaux wrote:
The three most recent textual notes describe it well. On reflection, we did not initially pick up cola — something that, in excess, we don’t appreciate — but maybe there was a pleasant background hint. In any event, this was quite nicely developed, showing depth and complexity. Decent acidity — sufficient to keep it lively. Highly enjoyable over three nights, gaining if not further developing to the end. We will likely hold our remaining bottle a year or two.
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4/2/2021 - Thek Likes this wine: 94 Points
Color: light ruby, semi translucent
Nose: cola nut, almond extract, sassafrass, pomegranate. Very aromatic
Palate: cola, black raspberry, red fruit, a hint of blue bubblegum, and a savory/spicy flavor that makes me think of conifers and nutmeg (I found it softer than what others called menthol). Medium body with a little less acid than I expected and light chalky tannins.
This wine was a real experience, highly recommend.
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1/26/2021 - rmh66 wrote: 90 Points
Black cherry, blackberry, smoke, menthol, earth, red cherry, pomegranate, and herbs on the nose. Tart cherry, red cherry, plum, earth, herbs, and spice on the palate. Good acidity (needs a bit more), fine but quite present, almost chewy tannins, medium-long finish. Really dense and meaty. To be honest, it's not terribly delicious at the moment. It's very solid, there's a lot there, but it lacks some joy. I would say that another few years might help.
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1/18/2021 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Opened yesterday, and looks like I can get three days of wine out of this bottle. But, we'll go with Day 2 for the TN here. As I wrote about the wine back in 2017, it was indeed broad shouldered then, and it remains so three years later. There is a great deal of density here, and whether it is oak/barrel influence that is still at play, or the wine is exhibiting some other kind of forward quality that I cannot adequately express, there is a flamboyance here. There is also a cola nut note in this wine, which I believe another CT author called "Dr Pepper", which for those not familiar with the drink here in the US, it's a cola-like beverage. The fruit here waxes back and forth between black and red, showing blackberry and black raspberry. Acidity is moderate, there is more than enough to counter off the darker fruit. And, there is balance here, but this is a denser version of what I think of as Rhys, and after drinking this the past few nights, my view is that I would rather enjoy this now, as a more forward wine with lots of bounce, than a wine in several year that still tastes big and maybe doesn't age out any better.
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12/30/2020 - jbaron wrote:
Still good but still not ready. What a surprise!
Try next in 2022.
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12/29/2020 - Pinotfanbg Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank over two nights from a 375. These were little fruit bombs on release. Dark, blue black color. Spicy blue fruit and stemmy scent. The fruit has mellowed and a savory aspect has emerged on the palette. Finishes with a savory woodish flavor with medium length and a good balance of fruit and acids on the silky finish with just a touch of heat that was not noticed on the first night. Best on the first night so I would drink these in this format sooner rather than later.
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12/26/2020 - blaine Likes this wine: 93 Points
We drove back from the Mendocino Coast on Xmas morning and passed this vineyard on the way. Decided this would be a nice bottle for Xmas and also to celebrate the area we had just visited. This bottle is singing right now. Beautiful nose, medium-bodied nicely balanced on the palate, tart acidity. 13.6% seems about right. Gorgeous finish. Light on its feet. So many years ahead of it, but these are so good this is my oldest one from this vineyard. For me this is just a consistent wine year after year. FWIW, seeing the vineyard after many miles of deep redwood forest is amazing. I don't know that there are any vineyards closer to the coast, this is certainly the "Deep End".
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11/27/2020 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Solid CA Pinot. Shows ripeness and richness, with a deft hand keeping it structured and balanced. Bearwallow comtinues to improve vintage to vintage.
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11/2/2020 - wgmccallum wrote: 93 Points
Expressive nose of red fruit, roses, herbs, spicy oak, autumn leaves, and a hint of ripe plum. On the palate the fruit is dry and salty with a firm acid tang, moving into a gently aromatic tannin finish. So many beautiful elements, but I am having trouble putting them together into an integrated whole.
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9/13/2020 - cadamson Likes this wine:
Much better than 20 months ago, but still a ways to go. Agree with the the note from Dec 2019 from OLDWINES.
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8/29/2020 - TWMDoesWine wrote: 83 Points
Cherry, acidity, medium to full bodied. Dark cherry color. Delightful wine - did not improve greatly with oxygen. 8/29/20 from a 375ml.
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3/31/2020 - joraesque wrote: 89 Points
Unstable, heading downhill.
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1/21/2020 - aajder wrote: 86 Points
Deep color, no fading. The nose shows aromas of raspberry preserves, spices, underbrush, rhubarb, and a hint of flowers. This is medium bodied on the palate with very good concentration and decent class. The medium length finish features earthy tannins.
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12/9/2019 - oldwines Likes this wine: 92 Points
From 375ml bottle... medium to dark but still translucent ruby. Nose is a bit muted but some menthol, spices and red fruit comes through. Palate has good acidity with a distinct savory overtone along with menthol, pomegranate, black cherry, strawberry and a minerally finish. Pretty dense and medium to full bodied but quite balanced. In larger formats, I think this needs to be 10 years old before you start drinking it.
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12/9/2019 - BHP1994 wrote: 93 Points
Consistent with prior note with one exception. Only took about 30 min in the glass to start singing. Drinking really well!
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12/7/2019 - Rgentile wrote: 93 Points
No formal note, decanted 30mins, enjoyed with friends over a few hours and she was singing!
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10/23/2019 - oldwines Likes this wine: 92 Points
From 375ml bottle, 13.6% ABV, Elegantly styled Cali Pinot. Fruit is mostly cherry, raspberry and pomegranate on both the nose and the palate. Nice texture and viscosity, very glycerin-like. Brighter acidity than I remembered from previous tastings. Baking spices and earthy tones dominate the nose otherwise. Some game meat on the finish. Nice with both a steak and Thai spring rolls.
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10/4/2019 - nrjessup Likes this wine: 94 Points
Absolutely singing now! This 2015 Rhys Bearwallow has a soft bouquet of floral notes with subtle hints of blackberries and strawberries on the nose. Plenty of gas left in the tank but she’s drinking wonderfully now
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9/30/2019 - lyura wrote: 92 Points
Much better than last time.
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9/14/2019 - jbaron wrote:
Made it to September. Still quite good still quite young. Needs a few years.
Try next in 2021...?
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7/2/2019 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 94 Points
On the nose, cherry cola with a dusty raspberry undertone, a hint of dried herbs, nutmeg, and a floral top note. Rich savory fruit on the palate with permeated acid and an long ringing finish. Excellent with hot-pan-fried wild alaskan salmon, rare in the middle, and limp buttery asparagus.
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6/18/2019 - oldwines Likes this wine: 91 Points
Tasted at a trade tasting in NYC. Definitely Cali in fruit ripeness yet not overdone and retaining enough acidity to develop with some time in bottle. Smoky, cherry on the palate and the nose. Medium tannin. Made from 100% de-stemmed fruit.
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5/9/2019 - Drrobjo Likes this wine: 90 Points
Well made juicy and ready right now. Bright red fruits with nice balanced acid with Pinot Noir nose. Don’t think it will get any better.
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5/1/2019 - Grillgod Likes this wine: 91 Points
Need to lie down a bit. Nice flavor profile includes Cola and Orange peel with the some rich/dark red fruit. Love the flavor profile but texture and mouthfeel aren't there yet. Doesn't quite have the elegance and balance.
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3/21/2019 - cos65 Likes this wine:
From 375
This has opened up quite a bit in the past year with ripe red fruit, great balance and great enjoyment if still quite young
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3/19/2019 - Ortiz Brown Likes this wine: 90 Points
This pinot is a deep magenta in the glass with the typical cranberry most forward on the nose with a foundation of blueberry. On the palate that cranberry takes on a deeper note, as if it had been stewed a bit with the same blue fruit from the nose. There’s a hint of pleasant oak and a floral element that hits mid-palate. Perfectly balanced all around. An enjoyable pinot but not terribly complex at this point so probably a bit overpriced at $59. We’ll hold our second bottle for at least five years to see how it evolves.
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3/18/2019 - Louvin wrote:
pnp, not helpful. very young wine, so much red/blue fruit, cola, orange hints, very taut finish. Won't touch another for 5 years.
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2/24/2019 - jbaron wrote: 92 Points
Young, but good promise. Good nose, very good length, nice round slightly tannic roughy rough mouth. Mostly briary dark red fruit.
Try next 375 next year, in 2020.
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2/4/2019 - oldwines Likes this wine: 92 Points
PnP, from 375ml bottle. This is definitely a California style Pinot with good fruit expression but it is balanced with good acidity, moderate 13.6% ABV. It is medium ruby color with a nose of cherry, spices (baking spices and cardamom), some florals and a hint of anise. Palate has a mix of red berries, strawberry, raspberry and cherry. Moderately long and layered with some stony minerality as well. Still young tasting and I’d say in need of a minimum of 5 years in the cellar for a 750ml bottle and longer for a magnum.
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1/23/2019 - cadamson wrote:
An enigma. I am going to reserve judgment on this one. I big fan and buyer of Rhys, and usually like Bearwallow as a great entry into Rhys Pinot's. This one, over two days, was completely dormant (or suffering some other affliction). Could get nothing, and I mean nothing out of it. Nary an aroma nor something on the palate. These drink well young, so cannot really have been sleeping, so let me rack this up as I must have been going insane or completely losing my sense of smell and taste for a couple days. Anyway, will pop another one in a couple months, I am sure that will be more representative.
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1/15/2019 - Griffeyfan04 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Young and tannic. Some fruit with red and a little green in a good way poking through
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11/12/2018 - oldwines Likes this wine: 92 Points
From 375ml bottle. Elegant and easy drinking Cali styled but understated Pinot. Low to medium tannin and moderate acidity make it smooth and pleasing at this relatively young age. Somewhat spicy with plenty of juicy fruit like raspberry, pomegranate and cherry along with stony minerals and florals on both the nose and palate. Pleasant and fairly long finish.
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10/21/2018 - BHP1994 wrote: 92 Points
From 375ml. 92+. PnP and was initially pretty restrained. With time in the glass it opened up to reveal a pretty and elegant wine with dark blue and black fruits. Nice acids and fine smooth tannin. Gentle spice notes on the finish. This needs a bit more time in the cellar or a good long decant. Great stuff that will get even better in a few years.
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10/2/2018 - t_moderne wrote: 93 Points
Pop and pour and tasted without food. I recently had a Rivers Marie 2015 Bearwallow Vineyard Pinot and was somewhat disappointed. This was a different wine. The Rivers-Marie Bearwallow pinot showed a bit of heat and was disjointed. This did not.
Rube red color; clear.
Good blackberry and red berry on the nose with a slight smoky note. Very fresh and lively. The blackberry and red raspberry notes come through as silky. Light in weight and texture but still full of flavor. There is a nice cinnamon quality on the back-end. Plenty of acidity to balance the black berry bramble fruit. Enjoyable.
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9/25/2018 - wgmccallum wrote: 91 Points
Smoke, dark berries, a touch of vanilla, a hint of violet on the nose. Soft sweet fruit on the palate with a gentle acid frame. lingering finish. 50 + 17 + 16 + 8 = 91.
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9/22/2018 - joraesque wrote: 92 Points
Classic wild Anderson Valley yeast. Seemingly more concentrated fruit one hour in.
91-92
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8/12/2018 - peternelson wrote: 92 Points
Fragrant blackberry and blueberry hints with a hint of bramble spice, licorice; super clean, medium weight, moderate juiciness, med+ length. Very good. With BBQ salmon Brian's. 92+
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6/27/2018 - cos65 Likes this wine:
Served blind from 375
Medium ruby
Fairly tight aromas
Restrained, dry, I had a very hard time placing this at first and actually considered a light Bordeaux at first. More Pinot flavors after an hour in the glass
Nice, but definitely hold
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6/3/2018 - Nutty08 wrote: 93 Points
Quite young and primary. Delicious concentrated plush fruit. Black cherry and raspberry notes. Palate shows a little herb and tea nuance. Plenty of freshness to balance the fruit. Impressive how much this bottling has come along over the years.
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5/12/2018 - nrjessup Likes this wine: 93 Points
Outstanding depth and balance at a young age. Thoroughly enjoyed with an Italian meal. Well heeled sips with bites of the burrata!
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4/6/2018 - Aravind Asok wrote:
Decanted. Notes from about 1hr open. Dark and rich with loads of black rapsberry and black tra and some mild wild stemmy character. On the palate, spicy and very acid driven, but good body showing black cherry and cranberry. Very fine tannins on the refined finish, which shows a touch of spicy heat. Evidently very young, but this bottle shows lots of promise. Check back in 2-3 years?
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2/17/2018 - brigcampbell wrote:
Very herbal nose, dried leaves and red fruit. Rich red berry. More weight than the Alpine which is expected. Very good.
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1/4/2018 - oldwines Likes this wine: 92 Points
A restrained yet still very Californian Pinot. Rich and somewhat powerful with still controlled ABV in the 13.5% range. It has raspberry, black raspberry and red cherry and medium acidity along with low to medium tannin. Full-bodied and slightly earthy. will improve with some time in the cellar I think.
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12/7/2017 - cos65 Likes this wine:
Medium Crimson.
From 375.
Quite taut at this point; wood seems a bit up front,
But otherwise tasty, streamlined without any heat.
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11/17/2017 - bconly wrote:
The wood needs time to hopefully integrate.
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10/29/2017 - kosinski wrote:
Aroma: spicy and floral with red berry and black cherry notes.
Palate: clear cherry and red berry flavors with spice and floral notes. Good minerality and acidity. Good slug of green tannin. Needs time but could be enjoyed now with food.
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10/1/2017 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Rhys @ My Place--Part 3 (My House In The South OC): Listed ABV of 13.6%. This was the only 2015 Rhys PN we had in the event, and as such, I would say this made it stick out. There were no 2013s or 2014s to speak of, so it kind of felt like an outlier. Why? It comes across as big, and it's funny to make that remark I suppose, as this is barely above 13.5% but it does show some big shoulders for Rhys. Rich and bigger styled for the winery, bold, with lots of purple and even dark fruit. This will need time, and it reminds some of the Rivers-Marie 2015 Bearwallow I drank last year, which was very youthful and needing some time to let things settle. My sense is this will be good for the richer side of things.
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9/30/2017 - fred o. Likes this wine:
violet/dark garnet color. Flavors of dark cherries, some tannins. obviously youthful but already drinking nicely with interesting depth at this point. 91 pts
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7/25/2017 - peternelson wrote: 92 Points
Blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, fresh wet berries. Always the blues in Anderson Valley. A bit of the Rhys spice element, herbs and sight stem note (although, as Frank states below, the grapes are mostly if not all destemmed); medium silky, good moderate tannins, of course very young, but try in a couple years. At winery with Eric Prahl
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7/23/2017 - Frank Murray III wrote:
This is 5% new oak, totally destemmed. Juicy, almost plush, with a spicy component, gamy and a dark cherry finish. My notes also say blue fruit, which given the proximity to Kiser, I'd expect some blue tones here, too.
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