Very solid. Worth the price? Who knows. Doesn't really matter. This is great everyday sparkler and as the professional notes point out, it is perpetual so the base will only age and get better. Bright fruits and acide. A lot of citrus.
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PnP. last bottle opened 2 years ago. It has gained some weight and complexity. Apple, pear, lemon, lime, brioche and herbs on the nose. Apple, pear, lemon, lime, brioche, herbal flavors. Medium body with a short finish. Nice balance. While it has improved, it still lacks the depth and complexity of other sparklers at this price. Last bottle, won't be buying more. If it were half the price, would be an easy purchase.
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I was cooking so by the time I got to enjoy it, the bottle has been opened for a while. Overall it seemed very pleasant and balanced but closer to 91 rather than the 92 I gave it before.
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Opened by Blue Oval. A blend of the 2016, 2017 and 2018 grapes from both the Bearwallow and Mt. Pajaro vineyards. Disgorged April 2023. 75% Chardonnay and 25% Pinot Noir. Made in collaboration with Rodolphe Peters from Piere Peters. Clear white color. Fine bead. Much fruitier and different in style that the 2008 Champagnes at the dinner. A rather upfront wine. I previously had a couple of the Bearwallow Sparklers from this estate which I liked slightly better. 91 points.
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CWM Holiday Dinner - 2008 Champagnes (Pa Lian Burmese, Wheaton): A blend of the 2016, 2017 and 2018, disgorged in April 2023. Opens with a nice richness with orchard fruit, toasted nuts and marshmallow qualities. There's plenty of fruit on the palate as well. Very nice. (BO)
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Sunday hangout at Domaine (Chicago, IL): Disgorged June 2022. By the no-arbitrage principle, this wine shouldn't exist. But of course, we all know markets aren't efficient. Anyway, gotta think the reason this exists is that someone at Rhys thought it was cool the way Morty thought Gwendolyn looked pretty cool. Hollow and insipid.
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A nice sparkling wine. Clean and crisp with citrus notes. Perhaps lacking the depth and complexity, certainly fruitier than comparably priced champagnes.
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Very classy. What you’d expect from a high quality champagne style sparkling wine. Light, airy, elegant. A nice foil to richer foods like fried chicken and biscuits. Some lemon, spring flowers, and a springy mouthfeel reminiscent of a light early summer rain.
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Who knew Rhys had a sparkling wine? Say whhhaaaat? Ok, so I'm sure most of you knew this, but this was new on me. Medium bubbles. Moderate density mouthfeel. A multivintage wine about 75% chardonnay and about 25% Pinot, this wine is right down the middle between oxidative and reductive styles. Honeycrisp apples, lemon tart, limes, and brioche are all present here. This wine had a moderate density to it so it was good all by itself or would have really gone well with some fried chicken! Always enjoy geeking out on things like this! What a cool wine. Worth checking out and price is $59 so that's pretty darn good!
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The “crisp and acidic” notes here are right now, this is a lively and fresh bubbly. Everyone is also correct when they there isn’t much complexity or layers here. But it’s solid for what it is.
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Third bottle is a lot like the first - fresh and simple. Citrus, stone fruit, vanilla and bread / yeast notes dominate. Interesting cherry finish. Better with air but ultimately kind of boring.
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Monprivato dinner at Osteria Langhe (Chicago, IL): Disgorged June 3, 2021. The deficit in this wine is abundantly clear next to the basic Bereche Brut Reserve (in magnum). This has some tropical notes, with pineapple seeming to play a role, but otherwise has an angular, disjoint palate and a pretty thin texture. For the money, it's a no-brainer to stick with champagne; and I'm not even sure this is adding to the conversation in terms of new world sparkling wine the way Ultramarine is.
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I feel like this is a completely different wine that the last bottle. Aroma is more stone fruit (peach) and pear. Flavor is mostly lemon skins and vanilla with a citrusy finish. Aggressive bubbles - reminds me of Perrier.
Well balanced and well integrated, and much more complex with air. Kind of simple and first so give this plenty of time to open up. Pretty tasty.
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I believe this was the second Rhys sparkler I've tried, and after the mixed reception to their debut 2015 Bearwallow BdB (which I found to be underwhelming but not as bad as some), I wasn't sure what to expect. Like the '15 BdB, this had a fairly coarse and aggressive mousse, which was tamed somewhat by pouring into a larger Grassl Liberté glass rather than a traditional flute. It starts with a lot of citrus notes, including lemon and kaffir lime, but gradually moves to pear and quince as it warms and aerates. I like the complexity here, but I wish it had a bit more acidity and minerality, and the dosage seems a bit high for my tastes. Still, a very nice apertif and enjoyed by all.
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PnP. Apple, pear and herbs on the nose and flavor. medium body with a short finish. Nice balance. Lacks the depth and complexity of other sparklers at this price. Was hoping for much more. Easily a one and one (except I have one more bottle).
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Great mouthfeel and really nice flavors of white peach and citrus. My impression is it still could have some upside with more time in the cellar. 5+12+16+8= 91
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Bready aroma with notes of apple and herbs. Slight sting of alcoholic at first. Linear lemon skin flavor with a short white flower finish. Fresh. Clearly well made, just kind of simple. Very fine bubbles — excellent texture and mouth feel. Curious to see where this goes over the next few years.
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Five months after the prior: we opened this earlier than we anticipated, but we were quite happy with it. Quite elegant, lively, and at the same time showing substantial depth. Very enjoyable right out of the bottle, and over the next two nights as well.
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Popped open New Years Eve. Enjoyed with food (lentil soup, homemade orecchiette and grilled chicken and NY Strip steak, in case you were wondering). Light straw/golden yellow color. Nose offers green apple and fresh baked bread notes. Quite enjoyable. Nice mouthfeel. Shows a little richness that gives it depth.
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Color: straw with green streaks. Very sprightly mousse Nose: primary. Apple and pear, ripe. A light yeast note. Wet stone. Present but not very intense Palate: high acidity, medium-full body. Very exuberant perlage, though to the eye beads are fine. Again: primary. Fruit. apple and pear Finish: medium
Like anything rhys, this needs to sit in cellar for a decade. Tastes like they degorged this last yesterday. It's clear that there is quality but for now this is just a bit too thin and primary to be really interesting. That said, all the elements for aging are there and performance with 2 hours of air comes together. Have a good amount and will hold for however long i can.
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Youthfully tasty, with vibrant, almost sweet fruit and excellent mouthfeel. I didn’t expect much more than that given the recent release, but all four of us enjoyed it. Bit simple for the price tag, but again very young. It will be interesting to see how it evolves in a year or so.
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Burgundy Al’s note below describes this very well. To that we will add, this was enjoyable over three nights, albeit rather monolithic / tart, and, at least for us, lacking significant complexity. We have another bottle, and so we’ll see how that goes in a year or two.
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Rhys Wine Dinner (RPM Steak - Chicago IL): Lean apple and lemon with good depth, but coming across as a bit ripe and tart at the same time. Latest MV release from Rhys is a step up from the Bearwallow from previous vintages. I think slightly more time on lees and/or a greater dosage would help this come across as more complete.
3/31/2024 - jrobs7777 wrote:
Very solid. Worth the price? Who knows. Doesn't really matter. This is great everyday sparkler and as the professional notes point out, it is perpetual so the base will only age and get better. Bright fruits and acide. A lot of citrus.
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3/8/2024 - gharter wrote: 88 Points
PnP. last bottle opened 2 years ago. It has gained some weight and complexity. Apple, pear, lemon, lime, brioche and herbs on the nose. Apple, pear, lemon, lime, brioche, herbal flavors. Medium body with a short finish. Nice balance. While it has improved, it still lacks the depth and complexity of other sparklers at this price. Last bottle, won't be buying more. If it were half the price, would be an easy purchase.
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1/21/2024 - azb Likes this wine: 91 Points
I was cooking so by the time I got to enjoy it, the bottle has been opened for a while. Overall it seemed very pleasant and balanced but closer to 91 rather than the 92 I gave it before.
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12/4/2023 - Vino Me wrote: 91 Points
Opened by Blue Oval. A blend of the 2016, 2017 and 2018 grapes from both the Bearwallow and Mt. Pajaro vineyards. Disgorged April 2023. 75% Chardonnay and 25% Pinot Noir. Made in collaboration with Rodolphe Peters from Piere Peters. Clear white color. Fine bead. Much fruitier and different in style that the 2008 Champagnes at the dinner. A rather upfront wine. I previously had a couple of the Bearwallow Sparklers from this estate which I liked slightly better. 91 points.
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12/2/2023 - AllRed wrote: 91 Points
CWM Holiday Dinner - 2008 Champagnes (Pa Lian Burmese, Wheaton): A blend of the 2016, 2017 and 2018, disgorged in April 2023. Opens with a nice richness with orchard fruit, toasted nuts and marshmallow qualities. There's plenty of fruit on the palate as well. Very nice. (BO)
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10/29/2023 - acyso wrote: 80 Points
Sunday hangout at Domaine (Chicago, IL): Disgorged June 2022. By the no-arbitrage principle, this wine shouldn't exist. But of course, we all know markets aren't efficient. Anyway, gotta think the reason this exists is that someone at Rhys thought it was cool the way Morty thought Gwendolyn looked pretty cool. Hollow and insipid.
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8/19/2023 - Inforred Likes this wine: 89 Points
A nice sparkling wine. Clean and crisp with citrus notes. Perhaps lacking the depth and complexity, certainly fruitier than comparably priced champagnes.
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6/17/2023 - Guarded by Griffs Likes this wine: 96 Points
It’s just the best.
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6/10/2023 - VoVo Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very classy. What you’d expect from a high quality champagne style sparkling wine. Light, airy, elegant. A nice foil to richer foods like fried chicken and biscuits. Some lemon, spring flowers, and a springy mouthfeel reminiscent of a light early summer rain.
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5/22/2023 - mflesh wrote: 91 Points
Who knew Rhys had a sparkling wine? Say whhhaaaat? Ok, so I'm sure most of you knew this, but this was new on me. Medium bubbles. Moderate density mouthfeel. A multivintage wine about 75% chardonnay and about 25% Pinot, this wine is right down the middle between oxidative and reductive styles. Honeycrisp apples, lemon tart, limes, and brioche are all present here. This wine had a moderate density to it so it was good all by itself or would have really gone well with some fried chicken! Always enjoy geeking out on things like this! What a cool wine. Worth checking out and price is $59 so that's pretty darn good!
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3/27/2023 - oldwines Likes this wine: 89 Points
2019 disgorgement. Light flavor profile. Not very yeasty. More floral and herbal. Soft easy finish.
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12/26/2022 - WineGold wrote: 91 Points
The “crisp and acidic” notes here are right now, this is a lively and fresh bubbly. Everyone is also correct when they there isn’t much complexity or layers here. But it’s solid for what it is.
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12/17/2022 - Wine_Poobah wrote: 91 Points
Third bottle is a lot like the first - fresh and simple. Citrus, stone fruit, vanilla and bread / yeast notes dominate. Interesting cherry finish. Better with air but ultimately kind of boring.
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12/5/2022 - anna.l33 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Floral, crisp
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11/9/2022 - acyso wrote: 85 Points
Monprivato dinner at Osteria Langhe (Chicago, IL): Disgorged June 3, 2021. The deficit in this wine is abundantly clear next to the basic Bereche Brut Reserve (in magnum). This has some tropical notes, with pineapple seeming to play a role, but otherwise has an angular, disjoint palate and a pretty thin texture. For the money, it's a no-brainer to stick with champagne; and I'm not even sure this is adding to the conversation in terms of new world sparkling wine the way Ultramarine is.
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10/7/2022 - Wine_Poobah Likes this wine: 92 Points
I feel like this is a completely different wine that the last bottle. Aroma is more stone fruit (peach) and pear. Flavor is mostly lemon skins and vanilla with a citrusy finish. Aggressive bubbles - reminds me of Perrier.
Well balanced and well integrated, and much more complex with air. Kind of simple and first so give this plenty of time to open up. Pretty tasty.
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10/1/2022 - GrapeScott wrote: 90 Points
I believe this was the second Rhys sparkler I've tried, and after the mixed reception to their debut 2015 Bearwallow BdB (which I found to be underwhelming but not as bad as some), I wasn't sure what to expect. Like the '15 BdB, this had a fairly coarse and aggressive mousse, which was tamed somewhat by pouring into a larger Grassl Liberté glass rather than a traditional flute. It starts with a lot of citrus notes, including lemon and kaffir lime, but gradually moves to pear and quince as it warms and aerates. I like the complexity here, but I wish it had a bit more acidity and minerality, and the dosage seems a bit high for my tastes. Still, a very nice apertif and enjoyed by all.
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8/13/2022 - gharter wrote: 86 Points
PnP. Apple, pear and herbs on the nose and flavor. medium body with a short finish. Nice balance. Lacks the depth and complexity of other sparklers at this price. Was hoping for much more. Easily a one and one (except I have one more bottle).
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6/8/2022 - rhit wrote:
Pleasant enough, but just not interesting. Held up well over several days. It might get better with time, but not sure I'll try to find out.
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5/29/2022 - fingers Likes this wine: 91 Points
Great mouthfeel and really nice flavors of white peach and citrus. My impression is it still could have some upside with more time in the cellar.
5+12+16+8= 91
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5/13/2022 - Wine_Poobah Likes this wine: 91 Points
Bready aroma with notes of apple and herbs. Slight sting of alcoholic at first. Linear lemon skin flavor with a short white flower finish. Fresh. Clearly well made, just kind of simple. Very fine bubbles — excellent texture and mouth feel. Curious to see where this goes over the next few years.
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4/21/2022 - Deux Chevaux wrote:
Five months after the prior: we opened this earlier than we anticipated, but we were quite happy with it. Quite elegant, lively, and at the same time showing substantial depth. Very enjoyable right out of the bottle, and over the next two nights as well.
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2/7/2022 - cadamson Likes this wine:
no notes
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12/31/2021 - t_moderne wrote: 92 Points
Popped open New Years Eve. Enjoyed with food (lentil soup, homemade orecchiette and grilled chicken and NY Strip steak, in case you were wondering).
Light straw/golden yellow color.
Nose offers green apple and fresh baked bread notes.
Quite enjoyable. Nice mouthfeel. Shows a little richness that gives it depth.
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12/31/2021 - Disgustaeer Likes this wine: 88 Points
I like it but it’s just kinda there. Probably won’t order again. Just doesn’t do it for me
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12/31/2021 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Smells pretty. Rick notes kinda lacking in character. And that kinda is it. But maybe it will blow up like their Chards at 7 or 8 years.
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12/8/2021 - MikeATL Likes this wine: 91 Points
Floral and mineral with plenty of fruit, young but impressive.
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12/3/2021 - stet Likes this wine: 88 Points
Color: straw with green streaks. Very sprightly mousse
Nose: primary. Apple and pear, ripe. A light yeast note. Wet stone. Present but not very intense
Palate: high acidity, medium-full body. Very exuberant perlage, though to the eye beads are fine. Again: primary. Fruit. apple and pear
Finish: medium
Like anything rhys, this needs to sit in cellar for a decade. Tastes like they degorged this last yesterday. It's clear that there is quality but for now this is just a bit too thin and primary to be really interesting. That said, all the elements for aging are there and performance with 2 hours of air comes together. Have a good amount and will hold for however long i can.
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11/27/2021 - Rieslingfan wrote:
Youthfully tasty, with vibrant, almost sweet fruit and excellent mouthfeel. I didn’t expect much more than that given the recent release, but all four of us enjoyed it. Bit simple for the price tag, but again very young. It will be interesting to see how it evolves in a year or so.
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11/17/2021 - Deux Chevaux wrote:
Burgundy Al’s note below describes this very well. To that we will add, this was enjoyable over three nights, albeit rather monolithic / tart, and, at least for us, lacking significant complexity. We have another bottle, and so we’ll see how that goes in a year or two.
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9/21/2021 - Burgundy Al wrote: 88 Points
Rhys Wine Dinner (RPM Steak - Chicago IL): Lean apple and lemon with good depth, but coming across as a bit ripe and tart at the same time. Latest MV release from Rhys is a step up from the Bearwallow from previous vintages. I think slightly more time on lees and/or a greater dosage would help this come across as more complete.
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