Congratulations RHYS (Again)!..IWC loves 2010's

Kevin, Jeff and Team Rhys did it again! Very strong scores across all the wines. Looking forward to getting my hands on the 2010 Alpine Chard and 2010 Swan Terrace next year!

well done! not surprised in the least.

had an '07 swan the other night. awesome fruit and structure but years away from being ready.

can anyone share the notes?

Full notes are already up on the Rhys website.

Juggernaut

I do believe that is an understatement. Thrilled to be able to say I have followed them from the very beginning.

Congrats to the whole team at Rhys.

Did I just see $99 for the Swan & Skyline PN???

TTT

I just polished off another '06 Alesia Green Valley. Now I know these are not ‘Rhys’ estate wines per se, but I certainly didn’t find anything I didn’t like in this bottle. Up against an '07 Anthill Demuth, I think the Green Valley won. The Anthill came on late, but just didn’t get that final kick it need to cross the finish line first.

Ok, back to work.

$99? Say it ain’t so.

I think I’m out if that’s the case. $69 for Alpine Chard is steep too.

Well done Kevin, nice to hear…

Where did you see this? Upcoming releases show only Skyline (Spring '13) at $79.

I think Testy was saying that with tongue firmly planted in cheek, i.e., implying that prices will rise commensurate with huge scores. I sincerely hope that is not the case as the pricing is getting very close, if not already surpassing wine on the other side of the pond. If it goes any higher I’ll be buying significantly less. I’m praying the price hikes are done for awhile.

Russ,
For the 2010s, we raised prices on the Swan Terrace and Skyline (but no others) and have no current plan for further price increases. Prices won’t change for the 2011s and if we can get a decent yield in 2012 (which currently looks good), I don’t see a change coming for those either.
Our average price per bottle actually decreased in 2010 because we declassified 30% of our Pinot production into a $45 San Mateo bottling. This is the only way that we can provide the consistency that the reviewers are noting.

It’s official – we Rhys buyers are a bunch of score whores and point chasers.

Engaging in a bit of thread drift, this is a good example of why the board’s derision about critics and scores can be pretty exaggerated. Imagine someone were to read these reviews and seek out Rhys to try based on the strong recommendation in IWC – would that really be so shallow and vapid as people often claim on this board? Obviously, Kevin doesn’t think so, as he’s (quite correctly) posted the reviews on his website.

I first bought Baudry Chinon many years ago based on reviews I read in Wine Spectator, for example. That encouraged me to go buy a bottle and try it, when I wouldn’t have (at least back then) had I not seen the positive reviews, since I hadn’t heard of the producer or had experience with Loire cab franc. Is that so bad?

There is some gradation between using critical reviews and scores to identify wines to try, versus just substituting high scores and critical praise for your own judgment on whether you like the wine, but I think a lot more of what goes on out there is towards the former end of that scale, which is why I tend to object to what seems like a lot of grandstanding on this board about critics and scores.

Sorry, end of thread drift, and congratulations Kevin on the well-deserved praise.

Thanks Kevin!!!

Kevin,

Are you still estimating a 1-2 year wait to move to the active list? As usual I’m late to the game. Thanks.

Steve

25% price increase from last year.
68% increase since 2006 on the Swan Terrace and 2007 for the Skyline.
Supply and demand…

Steve,
We will possibly add customers this Fall. If that doesn’t happen, we will definitely add some by the Spring of 2013.

And I lost my spot

Every so often I debate whether to keep paying up for certain wines… Rhys sometimes falls into that category.

But then I end up opening a Rhys - like I did the other night with an 09 Alpine Chard - and I totally reconsider. That wine was spectacular. Powerful and rich, lemon and minerals - not driven by oak or massive malo/butter/popcorn overtones. I feel like most wines with that much body are only helped along by the oak and malo (not to mention are high alcohol), but not the Alpine. Stunning wine. And worth every bit of the $69 I spent on it. Now I’m not daddy warbucks where $69 for a bottle is no big deal, quite the contrary, but this one is/was worth it.