A recent auction purchase of one of the few Rhys wines I didn't already have in my cellar. Home was in notoriously small supply in the early days, and only went to people at the top of the mailing list (it wasn't until '07 that I was wishlisted my first bottle of this vineyard). I haven't drank that many bottles from this vineyard because they were so rare in my cellar, so I don't have as much experience as with other vineyards like Alpine, Horseshoe and Family Farm. This seems closest in style to FF, a bit loamy with some black cherry, citrus and spice notes. But while FF is approachable, this is a bit more backward, slightly austere and rather acidic. This has aged very well, however, and was even going strong when I came back to a half-consumed bottle after a week in the wine fridge. A solid early effort from Rhys.
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Very ripe red cherry with black cherry and sweet spice hints. Still fresh for California Pinot Noir at this age, with moderate weight. Good length finishing with bright energy, but also a slightly sweet finish. Purchased from Rhys upon release.
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Atlanta Does Rhys (Aria, Atlanta, GA): Red fruit with a little spice, at the moment it's a little diluted in the middle and lacks enough tannic or acidic structure to give the fruit the support it needs to shine. I'm not sure whether it is in a dumb stage, fading, or if my taste buds were just blown out by the much more intense 2006 Alpine Hillside. Not bad at all but not up to the competition tonight.
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In much better form than my last bottle of this almost exactly a year ago. To go by my notes on that wine, the general profile isn't all that different, it's just better put together. This is a seriously elegant wine with silky tannins and a slender, feminine figure. The fruit is very pure and still in a fresh, youthful state - I would never have guessed this has almost a decade in the bottle behind it. Served after a (slightly older) grand cru Burgundy and the fruit flavors have an ever-so-slight uptick in sweetness that gives away its Californian roots, but this is actually the more streamlined and civilized of the two.
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Haven't had this since release. At the time it was impressively elegant compared to the outsized Alpines, but I think the Alpine special cuvees were the pride of the cellar this year and they got really impressive with a bit of age. Not sure this one has turned out to be at the same level. It is still nicely elegant but not offering much intrigue at the moment besides the fruit, which is in a sort of plummy stage showing some secondary development but not revealing any of the stony character that makes the Home so distinctive when it's on.
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Nice enough, but still structured and still reticent. Nice nose, very structured, moderate length, structured slightly distractingly so mouth, good fruit, but can it possibly outlast the structure and show better? Glad this is my second of two, and not my second of four.
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Double decanted for an hour, followed for about two. Darker in appearance than most Rhys.. .Started with blue fruits, perfectly crispy ripe (crunchy blueberries came to mind, like when the skin is tight, and you get the tiny seeds) and some red berry too... not at all blowsy or fruit forward, lots of zing on the finish at the start, it seemed a bit tightly wound. It was not giving off much of a nose. There was a lot going on and the wine continued to improve through out dinner, gaining in weight and complexity showing layers of secondary flavors, some forest floor, a little pine lift and minerals with a long amazing elegant finish. To me it showed young. Not too young to drink exceptionally well, but young enough to show that it would continue to improve for at least another 5 years, probably 10. Wish I had more .. .. ..
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Open for 90 minutes before tasting. The whole package (except for the length) seems a bit reticent. The nose is sweet and the mouth is big and round, if still reticent, full of briary red fruit with some spicy spicy spice notes. The length is the best part of this wine, even when the liquid is still inside of the mouth, as it permeates upward. I find the whole package to be a bit high pitched, but then again, it's only the interesting wines that warrant comment.
Try the remaining bottle in 2014.
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much less evolved than the '04 at the same age. somewhat closed at opening. after an hour - red fruits, soil, roses or hibiscus?, and non intrusive stems. soft almost silky. more powerful in the mouth with medium body, good acid, and minerals. crunchy rock infused red fruit finish. if you have a good number, then a glimpse now is probably worth the education it would provide. i'll hold the rest of mine for a few more years before trying another.
begins to morph into something quite nice after about 2 hrs. if you must, give it at least this much time if not more.
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Very nice- opens a little strange, but calms down almost immediately- perfect ripeness, great balance. Sweet red fruits with a touch of hibiscus. light on its feet- terrific stuff.
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Jay Miller saves the world and we celebrate with wines from all over. (Jay's): Cherry and cranberry aromas with citrus notes and light funk on the nose. On the palate the cherry fruit shows riper than it does on the nose. Harmonious and delicate. While not particularly complex, its quite enjoyable and easily gulpabale. A-/B+.
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Rhys (Seasonal): Closer in style to the two '07s than to any of the three '06s from the Alpine Vineyard. In fact very similar in profile to the '07 Horseshoe Ranch although there's an extra something going on that tastes almost smoky. Extremely feminine and pure silk in texture, lean in the best way. An Audrey Hepburn wine.
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Tour of Rhys Vineyards and Tasting with Kevin Harvey (Rhys Vineyards, San Mateo County, California): Light medium red color; intriguing, perfumey, mineral and rosehips nose; Burgundian tart red fruit with delicacy, minerality, rosehips, good structure and acidity, and a saline note; medium-plus finish 92+ pts. (Only 1 barrel; 100% whole cluster and no new oak, from 9 different clones and vines aged 10 to 13 years.)
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8/8/2022 - GrapeScott wrote: 91 Points
A recent auction purchase of one of the few Rhys wines I didn't already have in my cellar. Home was in notoriously small supply in the early days, and only went to people at the top of the mailing list (it wasn't until '07 that I was wishlisted my first bottle of this vineyard). I haven't drank that many bottles from this vineyard because they were so rare in my cellar, so I don't have as much experience as with other vineyards like Alpine, Horseshoe and Family Farm. This seems closest in style to FF, a bit loamy with some black cherry, citrus and spice notes. But while FF is approachable, this is a bit more backward, slightly austere and rather acidic. This has aged very well, however, and was even going strong when I came back to a half-consumed bottle after a week in the wine fridge. A solid early effort from Rhys.
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1/31/2020 - Burgundy Al wrote: 88 Points
Very ripe red cherry with black cherry and sweet spice hints. Still fresh for California Pinot Noir at this age, with moderate weight. Good length finishing with bright energy, but also a slightly sweet finish. Purchased from Rhys upon release.
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2/20/2018 - paulst Likes this wine: 94 Points
Sweet light blackberry with cedar and long finish.
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12/10/2017 - paulst Likes this wine: 88 Points
Very light and austere; too young? Some earth and cherry.
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11/25/2017 - paulst Likes this wine: 92 Points
Earth; cherry-raisen; cedar; austere; soft tannins; nice finish.
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5/2/2017 - MikeATL wrote: 89 Points
Atlanta Does Rhys (Aria, Atlanta, GA): Red fruit with a little spice, at the moment it's a little diluted in the middle and lacks enough tannic or acidic structure to give the fruit the support it needs to shine. I'm not sure whether it is in a dumb stage, fading, or if my taste buds were just blown out by the much more intense 2006 Alpine Hillside. Not bad at all but not up to the competition tonight.
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2/5/2017 - Keith Levenberg Likes this wine: 92 Points
In much better form than my last bottle of this almost exactly a year ago. To go by my notes on that wine, the general profile isn't all that different, it's just better put together. This is a seriously elegant wine with silky tannins and a slender, feminine figure. The fruit is very pure and still in a fresh, youthful state - I would never have guessed this has almost a decade in the bottle behind it. Served after a (slightly older) grand cru Burgundy and the fruit flavors have an ever-so-slight uptick in sweetness that gives away its Californian roots, but this is actually the more streamlined and civilized of the two.
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2/8/2016 - Keith Levenberg Likes this wine: 89 Points
Haven't had this since release. At the time it was impressively elegant compared to the outsized Alpines, but I think the Alpine special cuvees were the pride of the cellar this year and they got really impressive with a bit of age. Not sure this one has turned out to be at the same level. It is still nicely elegant but not offering much intrigue at the moment besides the fruit, which is in a sort of plummy stage showing some secondary development but not revealing any of the stony character that makes the Home so distinctive when it's on.
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5/24/2014 - jbaron wrote: 90 Points
Nice enough, but still structured and still reticent. Nice nose, very structured, moderate length, structured slightly distractingly so mouth, good fruit, but can it possibly outlast the structure and show better? Glad this is my second of two, and not my second of four.
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7/11/2012 - gzim wrote: 94 Points
Double decanted for an hour, followed for about two. Darker in appearance than most Rhys.. .Started with blue fruits, perfectly crispy ripe (crunchy blueberries came to mind, like when the skin is tight, and you get the tiny seeds) and some red berry too... not at all blowsy or fruit forward, lots of zing on the finish at the start, it seemed a bit tightly wound. It was not giving off much of a nose.
There was a lot going on and the wine continued to improve through out dinner, gaining in weight and complexity showing layers of secondary flavors, some forest floor, a little pine lift and minerals with a long amazing elegant finish. To me it showed young. Not too young to drink exceptionally well, but young enough to show that it would continue to improve for at least another 5 years, probably 10.
Wish I had more .. .. ..
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12/22/2011 - jbaron wrote: 92 Points
Open for 90 minutes before tasting. The whole package (except for the length) seems a bit reticent. The nose is sweet and the mouth is big and round, if still reticent, full of briary red fruit with some spicy spicy spice notes. The length is the best part of this wine, even when the liquid is still inside of the mouth, as it permeates upward. I find the whole package to be a bit high pitched, but then again, it's only the interesting wines that warrant comment.
Try the remaining bottle in 2014.
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9/7/2011 - etherscreen wrote:
much less evolved than the '04 at the same age. somewhat closed at opening. after an hour - red fruits, soil, roses or hibiscus?, and non intrusive stems. soft almost silky. more powerful in the mouth with medium body, good acid, and minerals. crunchy rock infused red fruit finish. if you have a good number, then a glimpse now is probably worth the education it would provide. i'll hold the rest of mine for a few more years before trying another.
begins to morph into something quite nice after about 2 hrs. if you must, give it at least this much time if not more.
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3/9/2011 - cookie7 wrote:
One of the more approachable 2006 Rhys. Earth and minerals on the palate. Long finish, very enjoyable wine.
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11/6/2010 - winenutnyc wrote:
Very nice- opens a little strange, but calms down almost immediately- perfect ripeness, great balance. Sweet red fruits with a touch of hibiscus.
light on its feet- terrific stuff.
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10/4/2009 - BradKNYC wrote:
Jay Miller saves the world and we celebrate with wines from all over. (Jay's): Cherry and cranberry aromas with citrus notes and light funk on the nose. On the palate the cherry fruit shows riper than it does on the nose. Harmonious and delicate. While not particularly complex, its quite enjoyable and easily gulpabale. A-/B+.
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4/24/2009 - Keith Levenberg wrote: 93 Points
Rhys (Seasonal): Closer in style to the two '07s than to any of the three '06s from the Alpine Vineyard. In fact very similar in profile to the '07 Horseshoe Ranch although there's an extra something going on that tastes almost smoky. Extremely feminine and pure silk in texture, lean in the best way. An Audrey Hepburn wine.
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5/2/2008 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 92 Points
Tour of Rhys Vineyards and Tasting with Kevin Harvey (Rhys Vineyards, San Mateo County, California): Light medium red color; intriguing, perfumey, mineral and rosehips nose; Burgundian tart red fruit with delicacy, minerality, rosehips, good structure and acidity, and a saline note; medium-plus finish 92+ pts. (Only 1 barrel; 100% whole cluster and no new oak, from 9 different clones and vines aged 10 to 13 years.)
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