Yup, finished up my time in Paso and then drove up to Skyline/Santa Cruz for my first-ever visit to Rhys.
HERMAN STORY
Molly was a great hostess here and I was very appreciative of her time. This is another appointment that Bernie set up for me. When I asked her what changes 6 years from now, she said they’re running out 6,000 cases right now and are happy with that number. They will want to be showcasing their new vineyard and there is the connection (through winemaker Russell From’s wife) to Desperado winery that will be strengthened. Otherwise, just continuing their current success
2016 Herman Story Viognier
9 months in 100% new oak, the fruit is 50/50 from Bien Nacido and Larner. Gamba barrels used. Really big and fruity-beauty nose–tons of orange peel, some nougat and sweet Georgia peach. Caramel and treacle to taste, the wood is very much the thing here. Not my style, but unique
2014 Herman Story On the Road Grenache
18 months in 60% new oak. 20% whole cluster. Checks in at 16.1%. some brown sugar across beets and strawberries. This is actually relatively cool for the alc, if still very sweet replays. Holds the alcohol very well indeed.
2016 Herman Story Milk & Honey
15,6% A blend of tempranillo (from the Yankowski Weeks vineyard), Cab Sauv (from their Shell Mountain vineyard), Syrah (Shadow Canyon) and Petit Verdot. 18 months in Ermitage barrels, 87% new. Roasted chestnut wafts up the glass, married with plum and bits of cocoa here and there. Big, rich, Bernie wine–super-sugared plum but at the end there’s a peppered steak finish. In its style, very good.
2016 Herman Story Nuts & Bolts Syrah
15.6%, it’s all Syrah from (50/50) Paso and Central Coast. 18 months in 80% new oak. 20% whole cluster and they pulled at 28 Brix. Still the essence of sugarplum fairy. Boysenberry sweet too. Good mouthfeel and presence. Replays with the sweetness throughout. Bacon at at the back.
2015 Herman Story Bolt Cutter
CS, P.V., Syrah. 15.2% and 2 years in 85% new oak. Cab is from Shell Mountain, the P.V. and Syrah are from SBC. This is much more about sweetmeats and carne. Black cherry and plum sneak into the bouquet. To taste, just a touch held back on the sugar, leaving very dark fruit to lead the way. Some smoke and bacon notes at the side.
J. DUSI
My fave vineyard down here for Zin. I tried a few things here
2017 J. Dusi Pinot Grigio
From Fossil Creek Vineyard, stainless. Quite musky, some lemon balm, a little balsam. Fresh and clean, good for a summer’s day. Light citrus
2017 J. Dusi Rose
80% Grenache, 20% Carignane. Pomegranate and pink grapefruit. Just OK, no fruit really asserts itself, though a bit high-toned overall.
2016 J. Dusi Zin
14.8%, 70 year vines, 16 months in 20% new oak. The pepper and spices are out in front, but nicely muted. Currant and bits of meat show up aromatically too. Le gout is absolutely lovely–even so young, complete and very expressively polished. Brambly and woodsy, a yummy zin for my tastes.
2015 J. Dusi the Don
40% CS, 34% Sangiovese, 26% Petite Sirah. 16 months in 20% new. Lovely and fine expressive red and black currant with plum. Not as lovely on the palate, where it doesn’t seem to find an identity and is jumpy.
2015 J. Dusi Caterina’s Syrah
Cote-Rotie style, co-fermented with Viognier. A whale of plum and jammy scents. Soft and quite meaty, it does have the Hermitage profile.
2015 J. Dusi Paper Street the Narrator
50% Grenache, 25% mourvedre, 25% zin. This is 18 months in all French and 50% new, the rest once and twice-used barrels. Dark strawberry and plum, with light herbs and spices. Composed–bits of smoke and meat around certain blackberry and currant fruit. Quite nice indeed, conquers my Grenache aversion–and kinda reminds me of a Beaucastel.
2015 J. Dusi Escandalosa
Zin, Mourvedre and P.S. in equal parts. Nose and mouth are both strict with small berry fruit, some carrying acid.
RHYS
Kevin and Jeff were both away, but Sean Castorani (who I have connection with through the Model Farm project that he and wife Joanna are making) was legion to take me around the whole facility and talk about everything we could talk about. What’s changed from 6 years ago? Well, at that time, they switched winemaking techniques–stopped using any ice, dialed back from an extracted approach. More hands-off now, e.g. no acidification. They are more comfortable with the winemaking. He also notes the marketplace is much more knowledgeable than it was back then. What changes 6 years from now? Kevin’s appetite for knowledge and experimentation won’t change, so they will continue to try to do better farming. There is also an Italian project coming online. Mostly, he’s not averse to risk and that will drive all their decision-making. A new facility is opening in A.V. which will deal with all the northern fruit.
Down here, they are almost all dry-farming except for Skyline. The idea is/was to make wine the same way from the radically different geologies they have in their vineyards here. The winery and vineyards are right on the San Andreas fault, so geologies do change from Skyline to Family Farm to Alpine to Horseshoe. 2004 was the first commercial vintage. Also, this year Rhys will be the label for all the SVDs and Alesia will be used for the estate and declassified wines.
2016 Alesia Anderson Valley PN
12.9%, all Bearwallow fruit. 16-18 months in 10% new oak. They are using Francois Freres almost exclusively. 10% whole cluster. “chewy” nose of walnut oil and earth. This is a figure skater of a wine, dances and glides with lovely pure raspberries, with earth and woodsy kickbacks. Real nice.
2016 Rhys Bearwallow PN
A little more tucked away, but balsam and earth and a bit of barn are components to deep black cherry and raspberry. Firmer, with unfinished fruit, but deeper and more structured. Sean says that Kevin was attracted to the moderateness of the climate up there—they have lost almost entire vintages in the past in Santa Cruz.
2016 Rhys Porcupine Hill PN
A section of Bearwallow in the northwest of the vineyard. Very dense planting–so dense it looked like porcupine quills to him. Smells slightly sweeter and redder fruit. To taste, actually in between the first 2 for body and feel, structure, with some requisite richness.
2016 Alesia Santa Cruz Mountains PN
50% Mt. Pajaro vineyard (thanks for clarification, Kevin!) (new plantings in Watsonville) with the rest Alpine and Horseshoe. Sandalwood and mineral, bits of nuts and boysenberry. Still quiet, but a strength, a real burnt rock taste for me, red raspberry fruit matches well.
2016 Rhys Alpine PN
16 year vines, a lot south-facing. The did this 40% whole cluster and 40% new oak. Experimental burg clones make up the backbone of the Rhys Pinots. Swan Terrace also gets added in, on an east-facing slope. A bit of La Tache and 828. Also smoky. “Cocoa-dirty” with damson plum. Good mouthful of wine, lots of acidity, a lot of life–like 20 years at least–touch of green fits into the profile, tannic firmness to match the acid with some currant added in.
2016 Alesia Santa Cruz Chard
Mt. Pajaro and some press wine from Alpine and Horseshoe. 12 months in oak, 6 months in stainless. plenty of floral–lilac, acacia, apple blossom. Light and fresh here, with lemon and apple wedges. Not too complicated.
2016 Rhys Alpine Chard
Grabs the nose and throttles it with the saline and rocks & toast. Apple underneath and grapefruit. An already-classic example, mouthwatering (as in must-have-more) lemon, minerality but it slides along with the rest of the wine. This is really fabulous stuff, beautiful gingerbread finish at the back. One of the best winery wines I’ve had on the whole trip.
2016 Rhys Horseshoe PN
About 20% whole cluster, 40% new oak, checks in at 12.5%. Almost mysterious bouquet with spices galore, plenty of red and black fruit, touch of smoke. Perks up with air, strawberry shows up. Dans la bouche, earthy and deep and strong-willed horse right now, cocoa and fine red fruit underneath. Another that could last 20-30 years.
2015 Rhys Horseshoe Syrah
12.9%, 100% whole cluster here. Malo done in stainless for a couple months. They rack off the lees and go to barrel for 10-12 months, then to the hectolitre casks for 8 more months. 11 year vines. Understandably, still a baby. Sweetmeats, plum, Sean gets olive and mint, I can see that. A mid-weight, olive is more on the palate for me with cracked pepper. Tannins are teeth-gripping now but everything is in place for excellent Syrah. Bit of black licorice at the tail end. Don’t touch for 5 years.
A most satisfactory first visit!
Haere Ra,
Mike
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