Gave this a go, just finished the bottle tonight. It’s interesting how various palates will interpret a wine. I will say that the oak, or whatever we might attribute the toasted/coconut note to be, is a part of this wine. I do find the older vintages of Rhys Chard to show oak imprint. This bottle does show that quality. But beyond that aspect, this is solid and flavored nicely, sans the glycerine and other heaviness that turns me off in white wines.
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2011 Rhys Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (5/12/2019)
Opened to pair with Thai food, for both my daughter and wife in honor of Mother’s Day. I was intrigued to some recent notes, both by pjhr and Nanda, who I follow on CT. They had differing views into this wine, and it made me curious enough that I wanted to open my final bottle. FWIW, this is my last 2011 vintage Rhys that I own. Opened and gave this some air, as well as brought it down to an ideal temp. My take on this wine is that I don’t find any aged or advanced quality in my bottle. The color, while lightly golden, didn’t seem out of the ordinary. No bruised apple quality or any of that either. What I did find was some toasted oak, that brings with it some coconut. The fruit on on it shows a pineapple, pear and lemon mix, with good balance. I have a final glass that I will finish tomorrow after work, then close out this note…retasting the following day, very similar to my first pass TN above. Toasty in the aromatic and palate with a big whack of apple and pineapple, with the lemony acidity still quite vibrant. This drinks just fine and in this bottle, there is nothing advanced or aged. This can continue to go a bit longer, although for me all the parts are in the correct harmony to enjoy now.
Posted from CellarTracker