From 375. Sandalwood, kirsch and a very sweet full bodied, ripe nose. Still quite young, tart and tannic on the palate. A little rough and tumble at the moment - some time in the bottle will do it good.
Jud, I’m gonna tack onto your note. We seem to agree on the curve here, what you call rough and tumble, I think of it as power and concentration that is still young. BTW, the ABV on this is listed at 13.8%, which probably helps speak to some of the concentration and fruit power here that is coming through. Not used to drinking Rhys at nearly 14 points.
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2017 Rhys Pinot Noir Bearwallow Vineyard - USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley (6/6/2020)
Opened yesterday, working through more of the bottle today. Without food, just lightly chilled from a Burg stem. This is reminiscent of the July 2019 bottle I had at the winery, dominated by cherry. Juicy, broad on the palate, with some spicy cinnamon, dark plum and lots of savory cherry. And if I let the wine sit with me and sense it a bit more, there is some red apple here and then a cedary note into the finish. This bottle seems more powerful and concentrated, and given the air this saw since yesterday, this portends a good aging curve. I will say too that this bottle has the same ‘pure’ feel that I found in the July 2019 bottle. Overall, this vintage of Bear will need some more time but the guts and power is here.
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