TN: 5 Great Wines: Rhys, Chevillon, Dutraive, Biggio Hamina

5 GREAT WINES: RHYS, CHEVILLON, DUTRAIVE, BIGGIO HAMINA - (9/3/2019)

I drank these wines, from my cellar, with 3 couples, on a night of simple dishes cooked on my Blackstone cooktop. I was so surprised at the constant high quality, as I have had a ton of disappointments lately. The order somehow worked perfectly, because I had no plan to drink all of these wines that night anyway.

• 2013 Rhys Pinot Noir Porcupine Hill - USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
  My first bottle of this, and I was absolutely in love with it. I drank this for two days. At first I was amazed by the nearly limpid light red color. This, to me is generally a sign of great things to come, and reminds me of how any GREAT Pinot Noir should look. Second, the aromas were amazing. This reeks of Anderson Valley, my favorite area in California. It was brightly red fruited and imbued with all manner of Vosne-ish baking and Christmas spices. In addition, there were lovely, lightly crunchy, light colored (perceptually) earth and soil traits with hints of sweetness that danced across the mouth, and stayed in my head for a few days after. In the mouth the wine had such light body, but with so much nimbleness; I tell you this was a joy to drink. If Kevin ever releases this as a library wine I will take a bunch! Extremely highly recommended! (97 pts.)
• 2009 Jean-Louis Dutraive (Domaine de la Grand’Cour) Fleurie Champagne Cuvée Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Fleurie
  This should be a monument to Fleurie and to the Gamay grape!
  This was the third wine of the night, all of the others were Pinot Noir. No, I did not put this in as a ringer, just another great wine to drink. To begin, this wine had a bright red, saturated, sanguine appearance. It was gorgeous to behold! The nose was certainly more feral than all of the PN we were drinking. The nose was feral, intermixed with bright red fruit, and game that has been set out, on a bed of fresh grass, to warm to room temp, before it is grilled. There was a heavy earth/soil perception as well. The wine was so delicious to swallow. The red fruit seemed to saturate and permeate the senses, and while the fruit might have been a little brighter than the Porcupine Hill, it might not have lifted as high. As it was, this was an absolute show stopper! (96 pts.)
• 2012 Biggio Hamina Cellars Pinot Noir Zenith Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills
  This was so delicious. It was the fourth wine of the night. 81% whole cluster, and teeming stemmy goodness. The beautiful Oregon fruit was dark cherry red, with pretty clear edges. The nose was lovely, with dark cherry and dark, forest-like earth soil tones. The fruit and soil were anything but dark when tasted. Here the wine had lift and verve, it was juicy and crunchy, and showed none of its excellently low 13% ABV. This was an excellent wine by Todd and team, one that I will gladly drink again and again. (93 pts.)
• 2013 Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Vaucrains - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
  This was the fifth and last bottle of the night. I was running out of good thoughts and took a chance on this one. It was on the floor of my cellar and hadn’t been entered into CT yet. Wow, this baby was singing, and it continued my streak of really good 2013 Burgundy! The Vaucrains was the darkest wine of the night. The fruit was dark red with lighter edges. This wine was all at once brambly and lovely, in a way that only Nuits can do. The fruit was dark red cherry, and there was a soil component that came across with light red clay perceptions, or maybe a gravely, dusty, clay road. These two components interacted perfectly with each other, and seemed to lighten and balance the wine. The wine was brambly and crunchy, and had a little spice component. Damn fine juice and it went with the other wines very nicely! (94 pts.)
• 2013 Rhys Pinot Noir Home Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, San Mateo County
  This was the second wine of the night. The color was very dark but fairly transparent. I picked up pretty blackberry and dark forest berries. There were lovely blackberry cobbler/warm rocks/bakery aromas emanating from the glass. This was very fluid and juicy, and full in the mouth. This was very complex and interesting, and, I think, the best Home I have had! (92 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Great notes Charlie. I would have expected that Vaucrains to be shut down hard and brooding. But wow.

Charlie coaxes love out of a bottle. It’s a Southern Charm thing.

Killer notes. I want that Dutraive.

2013 Rhys wine have been uber-friendly.

+1. I have some '14 and '15 Dutraive and have not been that wowed. Maybe they need more time. Or '09 was just super sexy.
Nice night of wine, Charlie! Cheers.

I bought most vintages of Chevillon Vaucrains from '99 forward, but '13 was my last as I was finally priced out. I haven’t opened any of mine yet from that final vintage, so I’m glad to see your note - thanks!

Atta boy, Charlie. Like to see these 2013 Rhys TNs. We’re gonna do the 2013 vintage across the range coming up in November. Looking forward to seeing how those wines are coming along, to include the Hillside bottlings.

Take care there during the Dorian storm, man. Both you and Alfie.

I thought about you when I drank this one. You would have been all over this.

It was surprisingly ready to go. I could have said the youngest, perceptually, of the night.

I was very happy with them all. I really have opened a bunch off/flawed bottles lately, and I really needed a 5 for 5 night.

I am kicking myself for not buying Dutraive “Champagne” Terroir in recent vintages!

Thanks buddy, we have it easy with Dorian! So many others have it so much worse. I look forward to seeing your report on the 13s

Thanks for posting, Charlie. Your Rhys notes have inspired me to put a Porcupine Hill in the Drink queue.

Nice work Charlie!