Medium ruby hue. Aromas and flavors of baking spice, leather, nutmeg, raspberry, rose petal, tar, and vanilla. Medium body and tannins, with high acidity. Soft, rounded, and balanced. Drinking perfectly now.
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Much improved from the last bottle. Did not decant. Crimson colored with a lot of concentration. Notes of strawberry and blackberry, with rose petal and licorice. Well integrated tannins, and a medium- long finish
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Definitely a serious wine. Exceptional concentration, but the darkness overwhelms the desired California sunshine. The seams show on the back palate and especially finish, which appear to be from a different wine - sort of faster, thinner, more aqueous. Not going to get any better, so drink it now.
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Gift from a friend for Kokkarifest last November. On the nose and palate, light notes of tart cherries, cranberries, and lesser notes of red currants, strawberries and pomegranates, rose hips, earthy minerality and savoriness, likely from the whole clusters, a Rhys signature. Very light darkening to medium ruby with air, light bodied, medium legs. Medium+ acidity, medium- tannins, absolutely no heat. Fair complexity and persistence, good intensity. Off the pour, this was one of the faintest wines I recall, really needing a searchlight to find tasting and palate notes, but this did fill out with a couple of hours of air, with some nice red fruit and rose notes giving the wine at least a bit of punch. Light and lithe, the acidity gives this lift and made it better as a complement to seared salmon than as a sipping wine. While the occasional big and slightly confected pinot, like KB or at a lower level of ether, Lynmar, can be fun from time, but I do cotton to a more taut and rigorous style more often than not, and some of this producer’s SVDs, particularly the Horseshoe and Alpine, are among my favorite CA pinots. That said, this particular cuvee begs the question of when lean becomes simply emaciated, with just not enough meat on its bones, and in this style, I’ve preferred several of Gavin Chanin’s efforts at around this price point—actually, less at what I paid for them compared to what I’m seeing this go for—to this bottling. The Horseshoe and Alpine seem to love bottle age, almost more like a high end French pinot, and it’s possible that this could improve. But other than the acid being *slightly* too pronounced and having the possibility of integrating better, I’m skeptical. I thought that Rhys made these to drink sooner while those cuvees aged, and more personally, after the imporvement in the bottle after the few hours of air, it had lost what little steam it had by the third night. I’d be unlikely to buy this on my own—and it continues an unfortunate trend of my non-wine friends giving me underperforming bottles—and would encourage others to spend the additional $ to go with the bottlings I mentioned above.
This seems like it’s in a good place. Lots going on with the nose; roses, wild herbs, red berries, soil, something reminiscent of a butcher’s shop.
Acidity is quite high and could probably use another 2-3 years until it totally settles. Fruit is there but not in the foreground, if anything it reads as austere and a touch bitter. This is def better with food.
Good QPR if you can find for sub-$50.
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Surprisingly ripe for an Anderson Valley Pinot; more akin to a RRV exemplar. Fruit-forward with not enough acidity to balance it out. Not offensive but I’d echo the others’ comments on the forum, that it’s definitely nothing special, with similar bottlings available for less money. I’ve really liked 2016 Cali Pinots and so, would have expected this one to stand out and it didn’t. Worried that I got on the list and jumped on the single vineyard offerings right outa the gate; ordering some of these Alesia’s to drink while the others are aging to drink ability. Reading that many have been unimpressed; particularly at the price point. It’s a wait & see proposition. A totally different wine on Day 2, after a day in the fridge. The sappy fruit/sweetness was gone and as it warmed to room temp, the Anderson Valley aromatics blossomed. Likewise, the flavors were typically muted and reminded me of a Village Burgundy.
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Last of 3 bottles. Medium red color. Paired excellent with grilled salmon. On nose, cinnamon, all-spice, tart cherry and sweet cherry. On palate, tart cherry, sweet cherry & baking spice. Medium body/acidity and low tannins with a long finish. Really enjoyed this. 92+
Would buy again, which is interesting given had opposite opinion ~ 2 years ago. Time has been very friendly to this wine and highly recommended.
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What a difference a few years in the cellar and a few hours of decanting makes.
I purchased a case of this wine without much thought and after the first few bottles, was thinking this would be a candidate for cellar thinning.
Tonight, a nice if somewhat reticent nose and palate of rich red fruits, with a hint of some blueberry? Acidity balanced the wine throughout finishing with some dusty tannins.
Super excited to follow this over the next few years...
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Less precise then I’d hoped but maybe as expected. A bit too sweet, maybe drank the wine slightly too warm. This one drinking more like a California Pinot noir, little overwhelming in a chaotic way. That said, if you like the California aspect of Rhys, you’ll be happy. I might be done with my Alesia allotments.
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Will try again tomorrow, but dark and a bit simple. Tasted against a 2018 Cameron Dundee Hills (roughly half the price) amd that blows this out of the water for complexity and sheer yumminess.
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Opened the bottle I´v been coravining from for the last 10 weeks and as from the beginning this is a good, young, smooth and fresh PN but nothing special.
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A well made wine and consistent with the Rhys style (low alcohol, nice acidity, purity of fruit) and typical for Anderson Valley. A great wine to share with friend for a picnic lunch - a refreshing wine that does good work with food.
That said, I vastly prefer the Santa Cruz Mountain Alesia to this. The Anderson Valley is a little more straight ahead. Probably a good value at current auction prices but wouldn’t pay a premium for this.
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No rating as notes are sketchy at best and from memory.
All I remember is that upon opening the wine was thin, and acceptable, if uninteresting, but really evolved after about 2 hours in the decanter, into a more complex and fuller wine.
So next bottle will get a 2 hour decant.
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Not bad, but not great QPR imo (you can do much better in this style in OR). Notes from Day 2 open (though consistent with yesterday). On the nose: a touch of plum, soft game and cocoa, wild strawberry. On the palate, good acidity, wild strawberry, plum, soft mineral notes, ok density. Nice finish with slightly grainy tannin. On the whole, I preferred this at a bit cooler than cellar temp...when it warmed too much it seemed slightly disjointed.
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Didn't take notes - enjoyed this - paired great with grilled swordfish.
Pretty plain though - good structure but not much complexity. Maybe needs another few years - structure would support drinking over the next 3-5 years. 90+/-
Not a re-buy.
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Quick decant of about 45 min. Pretty muted on the nose out of the decanter but pastilles packed with flavor - tart cherries, cranberry, and a bit of spice. The acids were hitting the right spot here making this just a juicy and very enjoyable wine. By the last glass the nose came back with of scents of violets and cola. This has several more years in it and will likely get better over the next 2-3.
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cherry and cranberry, wet forest, and touch of oak notes. Not getting the structure needed to age as others have. Pleasurable but I would probably spend my money elsewhere in the Anderson valley if you were going to spend more than $35/bottle
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Dark red fruit, floral, and wet earth notes on the nose. It is medium-bodied, with more dark red fruit and smoky tannins on the palate. It is not particularly complex, but is an excellent example of a reasonably priced New Word Pinot Noir that shows all the positive aspects of the varietal.
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Popped, poured into a burgundy glass and left to aerate for about an hour. NIce nose, showing cranberry and raspberry notes and some perfumed aromas as well. Attractive. Palate was smooth, light on it's feet but retained some nice complexity. Decent length finish completed the job. Paired well with baked sockeye with a sweet rub. Would buy again.
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Rhys tasting at K&L Redwood City.: Cranberries and warm cherry pie on the nose, but nothing overly fruity or jammy. Framed--but not overwhelmed--by baking spices. On the nose, it has medium plus tannin and quite a bit of acidity. Ethereal body. More cranberries and crisp red fruit on the palate, but the sous bois is just starting to peek through on the finish. This will be exceptional in maybe another ten years?
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My sixth half bottle out of a case of 12, and it’s suddenly a different wine. Instead of just being a juicy, fruity, slobber on your face puppy of a wine, it’s showing more spine, and a touch of savory, umami-esque complexity. Time to slow down, and finish the remaining halves at maybe one per year.
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Tasty tart red cherry with herbal and vanilla notes on the nose and palate with refreshing acidity on the moderate finish. Can't keep my hands off of these!
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Similar notes to our last bottle but a bit improved after a year has passed.
Medium magenta with orange-pink edges in the glass. The nose is a bit restrained but showing stewed cranberries, cola, and violet.
On the palate the wine shines with deep cranberry flavor predominating; it’s kinda sorta “jammy,” but not cloyingly so, yet with a light mouthfeel. There’s also baking spices in the background and a touch of oak. Soft tannins, medium acidity, and a medium finish. A pleasant, elegant wine at a decent Rhys price point.
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This was substantially better than than the bottle I had back in February. I was underwhelmed that time. But the wine seems to have mellowed down now; as others noted - mostly red fruits, with no hard edges; just substantially more enjoyable. Had it with friends over cheese plates and salami. The cheeses (Gouda, Cheddar, Goat) didn't play as nice, but didn't detract.
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Mild floral aromas with red fruit. Medium bodied, medium+ acidity, decently structured but not overbearing. Palette is mostly red fruit, cranberries and tart cherries. Nicely done and quite enjoyable.
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PnP. Medium red. This has an herbal note on the nose along with some red fruits. Seems a bit tight on the palate with a smokey quality as well, which could be whole cluster influence. Unusual - perhaps an off bottle.
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4th bottle since release, and this is my final one. Opened this on Monday, drank a glass or so across the past few days, finishing the final glass today 48 hrs later. Burg stem, temp ideal, without food. When really cool, this has a plush collision of raspberry and cherry, along with an herbal underpinning. As this airs, a bit of oak comes through, the juiciness of the wine accelerating too. The flavors evolve too, picking up the same red apple quality of the previous bottles, and some blueberry shows up. All of this doesn't surprise me, as if you served this to me blind, I'd guess Copain Kiser En Bas when Wells made fruit off that plot, which is right next door to Bearwallow (where the fruit for this Alesia is grown). There is some light structure here, which for my palate is absorbed into all the berry fruit that this wine nicely exhibits. Good stuff here, ready to go and this bottle finishes nicely, mixed up against A Tribe Called Quest for some final flavor as background music.
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Generous balanced nose of black fruit, violets, earth, and warm oak. Sweet aromatic fruit on the palate with a warm bath of aromatic acid at the back and a lovely lingering acid finish. Such a friendly wine. 50 + 16 + 16 + 8 = 90.
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Really good stuff, has lots of smokey, autumnal, forest floor Pinot aromas, and at first very delish red berries (red currants, raspberries). Some vanilla. Only pleasant. After some hours there’s a childhood memory of fresh blueberries in milk. Which actually builds quite a bit. Very good balance, lighter in texture and fruit intensity in the middle. Delish now, but probably not built for saving two decades. For a second wine this is excellent.
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3rd bottle since 2018. What I continue to appreciate about this wine is the equal balance of acidity and fruit, which gives the wine a terrific energy. Raspberry, red apple that are both vivid and zesty, with the same lively quality in the finish. Terrific showing again.
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This Alesia is clear, deep magenta in the glass with a nose of muted cherry with a floral element. On the palate the wine is savory yet quiet with dark cherry, forest floor, and an herbal quality. For a Rhys, this left us disappointed as the wine didn’t have much to say. Has it shut down? We have another bottle that we’ll eagerly revisit in a year or two.
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Standard Anderson Valley young Pinot Noir: strawberry and Oak, balanced with good acidity. I find a lot of this style gets better with age as the oak wears away.
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again, already!? yes. this is why I bought a case of half-bottles... unassuming, not prohibitive in any way, and takes only about an hour open to relax into its full expression (or something close enough for great enjoyment)
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Pop and pour and tatsed with food (ribeye steak and a home made foccacia, in case you were wondering). Followed for over three hours. Saved half in a 375 ml bottle. Ruby color. Clear. Nose offers fresh berries and some spice. Nice red fruited wine with good acidity that makes this bright and light in texture. Slight herbal note. Enjoyable.
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Whoa - outrageously delicious right out the gate. Not especially complex but just easy, balanced, light-mid weight with generous fruit on an appropriate backbone. Completely delicious, no ‘work’ involved, just easy and perfect for a challenging Tuesday and a simple lentils-with-kale meal.
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Opened yesterday for Thanksgiving dinner. Enjoying the remnants of a couple glasses that were left over in the bottle for today. Serving in a burg stem with an ideal temp that has warmed from the fridge where I kept it overnight. Last tasted this in July at the winery, when I really took away a favorable impression of what is declassed Bearwallow, and on that day, I thought this declassed version showed better than the regular Bear. This bottle has a darker edged, fleshy quality, with plenty of dark raspberry and cherry, even some of the red apple kind of thing I get from the upper end of AV. As the wine warms up, the herbal note I found in July is present, but it's not stemmy kind of thing. Has the same juicy quality of July's bottle, a touch stony and a cool balance of all the parts working together. I paid $41 for these with the case discount, and no shipping, which is a killer value. People can form their own take on the Alesia project but for me, if this is the kind of quality that Kevin and Jeff are going to pump out in their 2-tier quality model, then these Alesia wines will stay in my cellar, along with the top tier Rhys. Excellent showing.
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At little disappointing...hoping it was just bottle shock but this 1st from a case was really kind of muted and just barely detecting the earth and fruit complexity I was hoping for even with lots of air time...ghost of the typical Rhys that I've come to love. Going to let these sit for a bit till next one. my impression is close to 'Lespaul' TN.
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Bright red fruit with good balancing herbal and earthy notes, is framed by ample acidity, and subtle tannins. Rhys wines are notable for early approachability, so this is a good cellar defender that has all the class of the bigger Rhys wines.
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Pretty wine, with red fruits, herbs and crunchy acidity. Above average length, and although young, this is a a delicious, well balanced, harmonious Pinot.
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Dark, beautiful nose that says Anderson Valley (unashamed of fruit, but with a distinctive savory note). The palate and flavor don't entirely back it up. Very soft and gentle for Rhys or past Alesias - absolutely none of the green/stem/vegetable house character with an edge that is not a flaw in Rhys wines, but had been part of the program for years. Instead it's soft, almost pillowy - hard to get a feel for. Finish is decently long but still ephemeral. I like it okay, but I don't think it's special even at $45/bottle. I'm very hopeful it will age into something with more personality.
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This screams the deep end of Anderson Valley to me. There's the classic red apple. The spicy aspect, well, I wrote cinnamon but the wine didn't come across as baked apples. It was more like the cinnamon bark. Yeah, that's it. I'm happy with that description. This is a great wine, the baby Bear.
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July 2018 Rhys Visit--Taste The 2016s (Rhys Estate (At The Winery)): Composed entirely of declassed Bearwallow fruit. Dark apple, roasted cherry, blueberry and a touch of savory which I flagged in my notes to say "herb, but not herbal". I say this because I don't want my note to take you down the rat-hole of 'stemmy' because this is not. I failed to write down the whole cluster % on this one but I did recall a few times during the tasting us talking through the wines with the Rhys team about how the whole cluster routines have been changing, with some wines now completely de-stemmed and others seeing less %. In the end, for me this savory quality was/is more about a soil imprint, which I have found in Bear before and it is here again, which is now beginning to affirm for me that the emergence of a terroir/signature is coming through. It's a loamy note that I really dig. There is lovely balance here and this is medium weight as it crosses through my palate. I LOVED this wine and starred it as one of my WOTD for our visit. Will be easy to buy this on release and load several of them to the cellar.
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Worked black leather, black licorice, blood orange, nutmeg, lilac. Palate is suprisingly lean, and elegant for cali. More pronounced spice and orange citrus on the palate. Dusty tannins with grip. First experience with rhys.
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Beautifully perfumed nose, very pretty darker fruit, medium body, excellent acidity with a bit of mouthwatering tartness. Declassified Bearwallow fruit, this will be a relative bargain for its quality.
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Medium nose shows black cherry, fresh potpourri, some must, light earth, dried herbs. Palate is nicely fresh and layered, dried cherry, cranberry but fresh, raspberry, hint of herbal tea, orange zest. Dry finish shows structure with medium tannins, smooth alcohol. I would guess whole cluster but it doesn't have it.
2/25/2024 - WhooskeyWine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Medium ruby hue. Aromas and flavors of baking spice, leather, nutmeg, raspberry, rose petal, tar, and vanilla. Medium body and tannins, with high acidity. Soft, rounded, and balanced. Drinking perfectly now.
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2/12/2024 - dr_blood Likes this wine: 88 Points
Notable grapes flavor. Cherry and raspberry. Pleasant light wine
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1/26/2024 - Inforred Likes this wine: 91 Points
Much improved from the last bottle. Did not decant. Crimson colored with a lot of concentration. Notes of strawberry and blackberry, with rose petal and licorice. Well integrated tannins, and a medium- long finish
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5/19/2023 - GlennO86 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Earthy, with sour cherry and dark berries. Dry. Nice acidety. Marzipan and anise. Vanilla exit. Quite nice. BftB 🍷
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3/24/2023 - dgkula wrote: 90 Points
Really great density and a bit of funk. Wait another year for the final bottle .
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3/23/2023 - LesPaul wrote: 88 Points
Definitely a serious wine. Exceptional concentration, but the darkness overwhelms the desired California sunshine. The seams show on the back palate and especially finish, which appear to be from a different wine - sort of faster, thinner, more aqueous. Not going to get any better, so drink it now.
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3/20/2023 - sfwinelover1 wrote: 88 Points
Gift from a friend for Kokkarifest last November. On the nose and palate, light notes of tart cherries, cranberries, and lesser notes of red currants, strawberries and pomegranates, rose hips, earthy minerality and savoriness, likely from the whole clusters, a Rhys signature. Very light darkening to medium ruby with air, light bodied, medium legs. Medium+ acidity, medium- tannins, absolutely no heat. Fair complexity and persistence, good intensity. Off the pour, this was one of the faintest wines I recall, really needing a searchlight to find tasting and palate notes, but this did fill out with a couple of hours of air, with some nice red fruit and rose notes giving the wine at least a bit of punch. Light and lithe, the acidity gives this lift and made it better as a complement to seared salmon than as a sipping wine. While the occasional big and slightly confected pinot, like KB or at a lower level of ether, Lynmar, can be fun from time, but I do cotton to a more taut and rigorous style more often than not, and some of this producer’s SVDs, particularly the Horseshoe and Alpine, are among my favorite CA pinots. That said, this particular cuvee begs the question of when lean becomes simply emaciated, with just not enough meat on its bones, and in this style, I’ve preferred several of Gavin Chanin’s efforts at around this price point—actually, less at what I paid for them compared to what I’m seeing this go for—to this bottling. The Horseshoe and Alpine seem to love bottle age, almost more like a high end French pinot, and it’s possible that this could improve. But other than the acid being *slightly* too pronounced and having the possibility of integrating better, I’m skeptical. I thought that Rhys made these to drink sooner while those cuvees aged, and more personally, after the imporvement in the bottle after the few hours of air, it had lost what little steam it had by the third night. I’d be unlikely to buy this on my own—and it continues an unfortunate trend of my non-wine friends giving me underperforming bottles—and would encourage others to spend the additional $ to go with the bottlings I mentioned above.
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1/10/2023 - AJBurt Likes this wine: 91 Points
This seems like it’s in a good place. Lots going on with the nose; roses, wild herbs, red berries, soil, something reminiscent of a butcher’s shop.
Acidity is quite high and could probably use another 2-3 years until it totally settles. Fruit is there but not in the foreground, if anything it reads as austere and a touch bitter. This is def better with food.
Good QPR if you can find for sub-$50.
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1/6/2023 - Nyllet wrote: 89 Points
Nice fruit with lots of darker berries and tobacco. Quite sleek with nice high acidity. Need to drink more american PN for sure!
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1/6/2023 - cchoukal wrote:
The stuff has finally turned the corner. The oak and strawberry have faded and this is a serviceable Pinot with mild tasting food.
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11/19/2022 - vinordinaire Likes this wine:
Aromatic, full fruit, good acidity, excellent finish.
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11/8/2022 - golfwine wrote: 88 Points
Surprisingly ripe for an Anderson Valley Pinot; more akin to a RRV exemplar. Fruit-forward with not enough acidity to balance it out. Not offensive but I’d echo the others’ comments on the forum, that it’s definitely nothing special, with similar bottlings available for less money. I’ve really liked 2016 Cali Pinots and so, would have expected this one to stand out and it didn’t.
Worried that I got on the list and jumped on the single vineyard offerings right outa the gate; ordering some of these Alesia’s to drink while the others are aging to drink ability. Reading that many have been unimpressed; particularly at the price point. It’s a wait & see proposition.
A totally different wine on Day 2, after a day in the fridge. The sappy fruit/sweetness was gone and as it warmed to room temp, the Anderson Valley aromatics blossomed. Likewise, the flavors were typically muted and reminded me of a Village Burgundy.
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6/12/2022 - CWilliam wrote: 92 Points
Last of 3 bottles. Medium red color. Paired excellent with grilled salmon. On nose, cinnamon, all-spice, tart cherry and sweet cherry. On palate, tart cherry, sweet cherry & baking spice. Medium body/acidity and low tannins with a long finish. Really enjoyed this. 92+
Would buy again, which is interesting given had opposite opinion ~ 2 years ago. Time has been very friendly to this wine and highly recommended.
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6/11/2022 - jmc167@me.com Likes this wine:
What a difference a few years in the cellar and a few hours of decanting makes.
I purchased a case of this wine without much thought and after the first few bottles, was thinking this would be a candidate for cellar thinning.
Tonight, a nice if somewhat reticent nose and palate of rich red fruits, with a hint of some blueberry? Acidity balanced the wine throughout finishing with some dusty tannins.
Super excited to follow this over the next few years...
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1/30/2022 - Rechrom wrote: 90 Points
Nice balance and good fruit. Lovely wine with food. Fine on its own, no real panache but great typicality and well integrated.
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7/20/2021 - Golf_Wine Likes this wine: 86 Points
Less precise then I’d hoped but maybe as expected. A bit too sweet, maybe drank the wine slightly too warm. This one drinking more like a California Pinot noir, little overwhelming in a chaotic way. That said, if you like the California aspect of Rhys, you’ll be happy. I might be done with my Alesia allotments.
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6/23/2021 - Aravind Asok wrote:
Will try again tomorrow, but dark and a bit simple. Tasted against a 2018 Cameron Dundee Hills (roughly half the price) amd that blows this out of the water for complexity and sheer yumminess.
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6/8/2021 - CWilliam wrote: 91 Points
Very tasty - really enjoyed and has improved since tasting from 1 year ago - didn't take formal notes. Paired great with grouper. Would buy again. 91+
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6/1/2021 - Zorg wrote: 87 Points
Opened the bottle I´v been coravining from for the last 10 weeks and as from the beginning this is a good, young, smooth and fresh PN but nothing special.
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5/21/2021 - Vinomnivore wrote: 90 Points
A well made wine and consistent with the Rhys style (low alcohol, nice acidity, purity of fruit) and typical for Anderson Valley. A great wine to share with friend for a picnic lunch - a refreshing wine that does good work with food.
That said, I vastly prefer the Santa Cruz Mountain Alesia to this. The Anderson Valley is a little more straight ahead. Probably a good value at current auction prices but wouldn’t pay a premium for this.
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4/26/2021 - cchoukal wrote:
Eh, strawberry jam and oak. At this price point for Anderson Valkey, I’ll stick with Navarro.
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4/16/2021 - Zorg wrote:
Coravin glass 4, 86 p.
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4/3/2021 - mayakacz wrote:
Cherry, blueberry, blackberry, capsicum, pepper.
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3/25/2021 - Zorg wrote:
Coravin glass 3: Young smooth and fresh PN. Good but nothing special. 87 p.
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3/21/2021 - BHP1994 wrote: 88 Points
Not nearly as good as my first two bottles. Less fruit. Thinner. You sensed what once was. My last bottle. Movin’ on...
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3/19/2021 - Zorg wrote:
Coravin glass 2. 89 p.
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3/13/2021 - Zorg wrote:
Coravin glass 1, 88 p.
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2/24/2021 - MK9786 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Bit thin on its own, but with some cheese and charcuterie it really blossoms.
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2/21/2021 - 559Cheers wrote: 86 Points
Didn’t see much here. 2nd night.
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1/2/2021 - Golf_Wine Likes this wine: 90 Points
Another good Rhys. Drinking like expected, although a low end version. If you know and like Rhys you’ll like this. Opened an hour before enjoying it.
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12/11/2020 - Golf_Wine Likes this wine: 91 Points
Good low end Rhys - solid. Got better and better
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11/19/2020 - jmc167@me.com wrote:
No rating as notes are sketchy at best and from memory.
All I remember is that upon opening the wine was thin, and acceptable, if uninteresting, but really evolved after about 2 hours in the decanter, into a more complex and fuller wine.
So next bottle will get a 2 hour decant.
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9/10/2020 - Aravind Asok wrote:
Not bad, but not great QPR imo (you can do much better in this style in OR). Notes from Day 2 open (though consistent with yesterday). On the nose: a touch of plum, soft game and cocoa, wild strawberry. On the palate, good acidity, wild strawberry, plum, soft mineral notes, ok density. Nice finish with slightly grainy tannin. On the whole, I preferred this at a bit cooler than cellar temp...when it warmed too much it seemed slightly disjointed.
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6/6/2020 - CWilliam wrote: 90 Points
Didn't take notes - enjoyed this - paired great with grilled swordfish.
Pretty plain though - good structure but not much complexity. Maybe needs another few years - structure would support drinking over the next 3-5 years. 90+/-
Not a re-buy.
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4/26/2020 - BHP1994 wrote: 91 Points
Quick decant of about 45 min. Pretty muted on the nose out of the decanter but pastilles packed with flavor - tart cherries, cranberry, and a bit of spice. The acids were hitting the right spot here making this just a juicy and very enjoyable wine. By the last glass the nose came back with of scents of violets and cola. This has several more years in it and will likely get better over the next 2-3.
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4/12/2020 - tunaguy Likes this wine: 89 Points
cherry and cranberry, wet forest, and touch of oak notes. Not getting the structure needed to age as others have. Pleasurable but I would probably spend my money elsewhere in the Anderson valley if you were going to spend more than $35/bottle
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4/8/2020 - DickMull Likes this wine: 90 Points
Dark red fruit, floral, and wet earth notes on the nose. It is medium-bodied, with more dark red fruit and smoky tannins on the palate. It is not particularly complex, but is an excellent example of a reasonably priced New Word Pinot Noir that shows all the positive aspects of the varietal.
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4/6/2020 - pjhr Likes this wine: 91 Points
As tasty as the last bottle!
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2/6/2020 - hiker_guy Likes this wine:
Popped, poured into a burgundy glass and left to aerate for about an hour.
NIce nose, showing cranberry and raspberry notes and some perfumed aromas as well. Attractive.
Palate was smooth, light on it's feet but retained some nice complexity. Decent length finish completed the job.
Paired well with baked sockeye with a sweet rub.
Would buy again.
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1/24/2020 - mkribar Likes this wine: 90 Points
Rhys tasting at K&L Redwood City.: Cranberries and warm cherry pie on the nose, but nothing overly fruity or jammy. Framed--but not overwhelmed--by baking spices. On the nose, it has medium plus tannin and quite a bit of acidity. Ethereal body. More cranberries and crisp red fruit on the palate, but the sous bois is just starting to peek through on the finish. This will be exceptional in maybe another ten years?
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1/17/2020 - Rieslingfan wrote:
My sixth half bottle out of a case of 12, and it’s suddenly a different wine. Instead of just being a juicy, fruity, slobber on your face puppy of a wine, it’s showing more spine, and a touch of savory, umami-esque complexity. Time to slow down, and finish the remaining halves at maybe one per year.
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1/16/2020 - melzar wrote: 91 Points
Tannic and somewhat austere. Burgundian from nose to finish. Opens up over two hours. Will age well.
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1/15/2020 - DaninClearwater wrote: 92 Points
drank well above its price
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12/6/2019 - pjhr Likes this wine: 91 Points
Tasty tart red cherry with herbal and vanilla notes on the nose and palate with refreshing acidity on the moderate finish. Delicious Pinot!
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12/2/2019 - pjhr Likes this wine: 91 Points
As tasty as the last bottle! Loving this pinot in its youth!
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11/22/2019 - pjhr Likes this wine: 91 Points
Tasty tart red cherry with herbal and vanilla notes on the nose and palate with refreshing acidity on the moderate finish. Can't keep my hands off of these!
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11/10/2019 - MMiazga Likes this wine: 94 Points
Darker a valley fruit profile, crisp raspberries, cola, earthy, cherry tartness slowly comes out. Quite unique and recommend trying.
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10/20/2019 - pjhr Likes this wine: 91 Points
As tasty as the last bottle!
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10/17/2019 - hiker_guy Likes this wine:
nice, easy drinking, moderately complex pinot for a weeknight meal with sockeye salmon for dinner.
From 375ml
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10/17/2019 - pjhr Likes this wine: 91 Points
Tasty tart red cherry with herbal notes on the restrained nose and palate with refreshing acidity on the moderate finish. Young, but approachable.
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10/13/2019 - Ortiz Brown Likes this wine: 89 Points
Similar notes to our last bottle but a bit improved after a year has passed.
Medium magenta with orange-pink edges in the glass. The nose is a bit restrained but showing stewed cranberries, cola, and violet.
On the palate the wine shines with deep cranberry flavor predominating; it’s kinda sorta “jammy,” but not cloyingly so, yet with a light mouthfeel. There’s also baking spices in the background and a touch of oak. Soft tannins, medium acidity, and a medium finish. A pleasant, elegant wine at a decent Rhys price point.
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9/20/2019 - pren wrote: 88 Points
尝LD。尚可,但是价格有点贵。
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9/14/2019 - hiker_guy Likes this wine:
served with fresh coho
Worked well. Very fresh and youthful. Fruit and acidity were spot on.
Would buy again
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9/8/2019 - hiker_guy Likes this wine:
Easy drinking.
I did notice a little more sweetness to this one on the palate.
Drank well with fresh King Salmon.
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8/31/2019 - kaush Likes this wine:
This was substantially better than than the bottle I had back in February. I was underwhelmed that time. But the wine seems to have mellowed down now; as others noted - mostly red fruits, with no hard edges; just substantially more enjoyable. Had it with friends over cheese plates and salami. The cheeses (Gouda, Cheddar, Goat) didn't play as nice, but didn't detract.
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8/20/2019 - Burgundy Al wrote: 86 Points
Rhys Tasting (Knightsbridge - Northbrook IL): Tasting, brief note. Candied red cherry on nose and palate. Good start, simpler finish. Good now.
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8/8/2019 - Ghoulardi Likes this wine:
Mild floral aromas with red fruit. Medium bodied, medium+ acidity, decently structured but not overbearing. Palette is mostly red fruit, cranberries and tart cherries. Nicely done and quite enjoyable.
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7/21/2019 - stephenv wrote:
Feels a little like I just committed infanticide with this one. Very good but I suspect will develop more in the coming years.
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7/18/2019 - rosenst1 wrote: 87 Points
PnP. Medium red. This has an herbal note on the nose along with some red fruits. Seems a bit tight on the palate with a smokey quality as well, which could be whole cluster influence. Unusual - perhaps an off bottle.
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7/13/2019 - Bakerbd Likes this wine: 91 Points
Red apple skins, wild strawberry, spice. Med - body, med + acidity. Bit sharp upon opening but much improved w/air and food
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6/20/2019 - Frank Murray III wrote:
4th bottle since release, and this is my final one. Opened this on Monday, drank a glass or so across the past few days, finishing the final glass today 48 hrs later. Burg stem, temp ideal, without food. When really cool, this has a plush collision of raspberry and cherry, along with an herbal underpinning. As this airs, a bit of oak comes through, the juiciness of the wine accelerating too. The flavors evolve too, picking up the same red apple quality of the previous bottles, and some blueberry shows up. All of this doesn't surprise me, as if you served this to me blind, I'd guess Copain Kiser En Bas when Wells made fruit off that plot, which is right next door to Bearwallow (where the fruit for this Alesia is grown). There is some light structure here, which for my palate is absorbed into all the berry fruit that this wine nicely exhibits. Good stuff here, ready to go and this bottle finishes nicely, mixed up against A Tribe Called Quest for some final flavor as background music.
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6/18/2019 - oldwines wrote: 88 Points
Tasted at a trade tasting in NYC. Crisp acidity and crushed berries and slight bitterness. Seems like it needs food...
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5/24/2019 - hiker_guy Likes this wine:
Paired well with fresh copper river sockeye.
Enjoyed.
Would buy again.
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5/5/2019 - steakandcoffee Likes this wine: 90 Points
good - tart cherry, long finish, pairs well with rich fish and brown butter asparagus
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4/19/2019 - mmurph wrote:
Drinking beautifully. Highly recommend.
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3/24/2019 - Omar Khayyam wrote:
Dream Big - Discover California Wine Tasting (Stockholm, Gamla Riksarkivet (old government archives building) March 2019): Has a darker more brooding nose than the Santa Cruz with some licorice and lots of pinosity, but lighter on the palate than the Santa Cruz. Recommended.
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3/21/2019 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 90 Points
Generous balanced nose of black fruit, violets, earth, and warm oak. Sweet aromatic fruit on the palate with a warm bath of aromatic acid at the back and a lovely lingering acid finish. Such a friendly wine. 50 + 16 + 16 + 8 = 90.
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3/6/2019 - Brandy2426 Likes this wine: 88 Points
Nice red fruit and balanced, but very linear and not very interesting or complex. Good with food.
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3/2/2019 - Burgundy Al wrote: 87 Points
Another Saturday at Chevalier...Mostly Blind New World Pinot Noir (Chevalier Fine Wines - Chicago IL): Double blind in New World Pinot Noir tasting. Bright and crunchy red berry shows both ripe and tart notes. Some baby fat on finis. Better in another year.
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3/2/2019 - Omar Khayyam wrote: 92 Points
Really good stuff, has lots of smokey, autumnal, forest floor Pinot aromas, and at first very delish red berries (red currants, raspberries). Some vanilla. Only pleasant. After some hours there’s a childhood memory of fresh blueberries in milk. Which actually builds quite a bit. Very good balance, lighter in texture and fruit intensity in the middle. Delish now, but probably not built for saving two decades. For a second wine this is excellent.
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2/18/2019 - Frank Murray III wrote:
3rd bottle since 2018. What I continue to appreciate about this wine is the equal balance of acidity and fruit, which gives the wine a terrific energy. Raspberry, red apple that are both vivid and zesty, with the same lively quality in the finish. Terrific showing again.
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1/5/2019 - hiker_guy Likes this wine:
From 375ml .
Enjoyed this with sockeye salmon. Worked well. Seemed fresh and nicely made.
Would buy again.
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12/30/2018 - Ortiz Brown wrote: 87 Points
This Alesia is clear, deep magenta in the glass with a nose of muted cherry with a floral element. On the palate the wine is savory yet quiet with dark cherry, forest floor, and an herbal quality. For a Rhys, this left us disappointed as the wine didn’t have much to say. Has it shut down? We have another bottle that we’ll eagerly revisit in a year or two.
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12/28/2018 - cchoukal wrote:
Standard Anderson Valley young Pinot Noir: strawberry and Oak, balanced with good acidity. I find a lot of this style gets better with age as the oak wears away.
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12/25/2018 - jroy wrote: flawed
Corked
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12/20/2018 - Jahull03 wrote:
again, already!? yes. this is why I bought a case of half-bottles... unassuming, not prohibitive in any way, and takes only about an hour open to relax into its full expression (or something close enough for great enjoyment)
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12/10/2018 - t_moderne wrote: 89 Points
Pop and pour and tatsed with food (ribeye steak and a home made foccacia, in case you were wondering). Followed for over three hours.
Saved half in a 375 ml bottle.
Ruby color. Clear.
Nose offers fresh berries and some spice.
Nice red fruited wine with good acidity that makes this bright and light in texture. Slight herbal note.
Enjoyable.
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11/27/2018 - Jahull03 wrote:
Whoa - outrageously delicious right out the gate. Not especially complex but just easy, balanced, light-mid weight with generous fruit on an appropriate backbone. Completely delicious, no ‘work’ involved, just easy and perfect for a challenging Tuesday and a simple lentils-with-kale meal.
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11/23/2018 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Opened yesterday for Thanksgiving dinner. Enjoying the remnants of a couple glasses that were left over in the bottle for today. Serving in a burg stem with an ideal temp that has warmed from the fridge where I kept it overnight. Last tasted this in July at the winery, when I really took away a favorable impression of what is declassed Bearwallow, and on that day, I thought this declassed version showed better than the regular Bear. This bottle has a darker edged, fleshy quality, with plenty of dark raspberry and cherry, even some of the red apple kind of thing I get from the upper end of AV. As the wine warms up, the herbal note I found in July is present, but it's not stemmy kind of thing. Has the same juicy quality of July's bottle, a touch stony and a cool balance of all the parts working together. I paid $41 for these with the case discount, and no shipping, which is a killer value. People can form their own take on the Alesia project but for me, if this is the kind of quality that Kevin and Jeff are going to pump out in their 2-tier quality model, then these Alesia wines will stay in my cellar, along with the top tier Rhys. Excellent showing.
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11/11/2018 - wineguy1968 wrote:
At little disappointing...hoping it was just bottle shock but this 1st from a case was really kind of muted and just barely detecting the earth and fruit complexity I was hoping for even with lots of air time...ghost of the typical Rhys that I've come to love. Going to let these sit for a bit till next one. my impression is close to 'Lespaul' TN.
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11/4/2018 - Rieslingfan wrote:
Bright red fruit with good balancing herbal and earthy notes, is framed by ample acidity, and subtle tannins. Rhys wines are notable for early approachability, so this is a good cellar defender that has all the class of the bigger Rhys wines.
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11/2/2018 - hiker_guy Likes this wine:
Nice
Just arrived and had to pop 1
Youthful and delicious
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11/1/2018 - mdefreitas wrote: 91 Points
Pretty wine, with red fruits, herbs and crunchy acidity. Above average length, and although young, this is a a delicious, well balanced, harmonious Pinot.
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8/20/2018 - LesPaul Likes this wine: 88 Points
Dark, beautiful nose that says Anderson Valley (unashamed of fruit, but with a distinctive savory note). The palate and flavor don't entirely back it up. Very soft and gentle for Rhys or past Alesias - absolutely none of the green/stem/vegetable house character with an edge that is not a flaw in Rhys wines, but had been part of the program for years. Instead it's soft, almost pillowy - hard to get a feel for. Finish is decently long but still ephemeral. I like it okay, but I don't think it's special even at $45/bottle. I'm very hopeful it will age into something with more personality.
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7/29/2018 - brigcampbell wrote:
This screams the deep end of Anderson Valley to me. There's the classic red apple. The spicy aspect, well, I wrote cinnamon but the wine didn't come across as baked apples. It was more like the cinnamon bark. Yeah, that's it. I'm happy with that description. This is a great wine, the baby Bear.
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7/25/2018 - Frank Murray III wrote:
July 2018 Rhys Visit--Taste The 2016s (Rhys Estate (At The Winery)): Composed entirely of declassed Bearwallow fruit. Dark apple, roasted cherry, blueberry and a touch of savory which I flagged in my notes to say "herb, but not herbal". I say this because I don't want my note to take you down the rat-hole of 'stemmy' because this is not. I failed to write down the whole cluster % on this one but I did recall a few times during the tasting us talking through the wines with the Rhys team about how the whole cluster routines have been changing, with some wines now completely de-stemmed and others seeing less %. In the end, for me this savory quality was/is more about a soil imprint, which I have found in Bear before and it is here again, which is now beginning to affirm for me that the emergence of a terroir/signature is coming through. It's a loamy note that I really dig. There is lovely balance here and this is medium weight as it crosses through my palate. I LOVED this wine and starred it as one of my WOTD for our visit. Will be easy to buy this on release and load several of them to the cellar.
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7/12/2018 - pdev wrote: 90 Points
Worked black leather, black licorice, blood orange, nutmeg, lilac.
Palate is suprisingly lean, and elegant for cali. More pronounced spice and orange citrus on the palate. Dusty tannins with grip. First experience with rhys.
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5/7/2018 - alanr wrote: 91 Points
Beautifully perfumed nose, very pretty darker fruit, medium body, excellent acidity with a bit of mouthwatering tartness. Declassified Bearwallow fruit, this will be a relative bargain for its quality.
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2/13/2018 - GTFreek wrote:
Medium nose shows black cherry, fresh potpourri, some must, light earth, dried herbs. Palate is nicely fresh and layered, dried cherry, cranberry but fresh, raspberry, hint of herbal tea, orange zest. Dry finish shows structure with medium tannins, smooth alcohol. I would guess whole cluster but it doesn't have it.
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