2012 Rhys Lineup (Family Farm, Horseshoe, Alpine, Home, San Mateo)

WINE TALK
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Compiling my notes all in one post across the Rhys 2012 lineup. Across the board I find more black fruits than red and more ripeness than previous vintages. My three favorites are the Horseshoe Chard (absolutely incredible on day 2) and the Alpine is flat out fantastic, then Home. For my palate, the Fam Farm and San Mateo show too much cola, and are very full and ripe, however they are so young I think I’ll like them far better in years to come. The cola note is interesting, something I’ve never seen in Rhys. Anyone know if that’s terroir or derived from something else? I also tasted the Alpine chard, which is great but showing more closed at the moment. I would buy as much HS Chard, Alpine PN and of course Skyline/ Swan as possible… But it will be tough for me this year.


2012 Rhys Family Farm PN
Ripe red and black fruits, powdery aromatics, exotic spices with leafy forest notes and a decent amount of cola which on day two morphed into cooler tones with some black tea notes. Full palate with good polish, slight sweetness but balanced acidity. Great long and chewy finish.

2012 Rhys Alpine PN
Bright and lifted exhilarating aromatics with a wide fruit spectrum, this bottle showed lots of complexity comprised of smokey toasted game, minerals, and earthy soil tones and some funk with stalky florals. Lighter and seeming to show more stemmy than the other wines, but packed with underlying fruit. This really opened up a lot with air, best on day two and lighter on the palate than others, with bright acidity and a bit more present tannin. Really fantastic wine which interestingly reminded me of the 2008 Skyline in the aromatics. Wish I bought more!

2012 Rhys San Mateo PN
Cool red and black sappy fruits, classy oak, some coffee and cola with herbal floral undertones on the nose. Slightly sweet fruit and large on the palate, with cool fruits and a cola finish. Much darker and earthier on day 2, with more redwood foresty scents, yet the fruit seemed a bit baked. Still held the cola aspect on the finish. A big hit amongst a few folks yet I’m not a fan of the cola and sweetness. Perhaps too young to make much of a judgement.

2012 Rhys Home Vineyard PN
Dark and brooding nose, with earthy notes and wild forest. Very nice with equal parts earth and intrigue to fruit. Palate holds nice richness, good structure and complex flavors with a slight cola note and silky tannin on the finish. Somewhat muscular and very good.

2012 Rhys Horseshoe Chardonnay
From 375. Man is this good. Big nose filled with citrus, lemon, hazelnut, and bready spices. Racy richness on the palate, just great texture with vivid flavors and ripping beams of acidity. Finishes long with a powdery mineral note and spices. The great texture and richness reminds me of a recently tasted 2010 Jadot Corton Charlie. Brilliant.

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Any thoughts on the cola component in some of these? Maybe a function of ripeness + barrel, and will disappear with time? I find cola in a lot of RRV but also minimally in other regions.

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2012 was a relatively big / ripe vintage, maybe that accounts for your perception of black fruits and cola?

Thanks for posting your notes. I strongly agree on the Horseshoe Chardonnay.

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I have never had a Rhys wine, but I can speak to the cola factor a bit. I tend to find it in California and some Oregon Pinot Noir. Generally, I see it from balanced, restrained producers, but in warmer years, so I would think that has more to do with ripeness than terroir. I tend to avoid the style of domestic Pinot that is trying to be a Zinfandel, so I can’t speak on whether cola notes show up in riper wines in general.

Thanks for the notes on the Rhys lineup. I have been hearing so much about them and signed up for their mailing list, but alas, I have been put on the waitlist, so perhaps in a year or two I will have access to these to try them for myself. Lots to look forward to!

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I often wonder what tasters mean by the descriptor ‘cola.’ The flavor of Coke or Pepsi? Or does it mean something else?

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When I taste cola I sense something close to coke/ soda in both aroma and taste. Sometimes it can be root beer edged.

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I’ve only tasted the FF and the Alpine, but I didn’t pick up any predominant cola notes on either.

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Caramel sweet notes equate to cola.

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I’ve had the 2012 San Mateo two separate times (once from 375 ml and once from 750 ml), and have not picked up cola. I have picked up some spice and dark red fruit.

Specific tastes are so personal that it’s hard to get consensus on a specific aroma/flavor.

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Very true… I just read an old thread on here about cola (which was interesting but devolved quickly) and many have never tasted it, although I do see it cited in some critics notes for the 12’s. The SM and FF were widely favored over Alpine/ Home among a few others I tasted with. I’m really excited for Skyline/ Swan in 2012… Hopefully I get some/ more than 1 each.

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I do get caramel sweetness sometimes. Maybe my caramel is others’ cola.

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Dan, I have tasted the FF 2X this year and I have not found cola. I did have the wine T-Giving week and I thought to me it was not ready. My note below reflects that view. No cola on the San Mateo either, and I found that wine in a better place than the FF. I put that note below too, along with the Home, which I think is fantastic, and of course, the Swan.

This weekend, a handful of us are doing some 2008, 2009 and 2011 Rhys, and I’ll drop some notes up here once I can type them up.

  • 2012 Rhys Pinot Noir Family Farm Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, San Mateo County (11/27/2014)
    2nd bottle in the last few months, the last one at the Rhys dinner we did where we had a few other 2012s. Pulled this today, opened and put a light chill on it. Floral and light stems. Comes off a bit rough and tumble for me, with whatever new oak showing in the form of some light mocha. Strawberry and raspberry, feels a little sweet at this stage, too. Stems play a role too, adding a menthol note. In sum for me, this wine is not yet ready, as the parts are all asserting their own influence. In my opinion, let the wine rest another year and then enjoy.
  • 2012 Rhys Pinot Noir San Mateo County - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, San Mateo County (11/26/2014)
    I opened this last night, we drank about 1/2 and then let the remainder sit in the fridge overnight. No decanting at all, just drink and pop the cork back in until now. Dark ruby, with some maroon in the core. There is whole cluster here, it gives it a cool, piney taste, almost like I’d find in an IPA, and it also accents the bouquet, both which I like. Medium plus weight of spicy red and black fruit, tangy in tone, too. Finishes with spicy black cherry, some soil tones and minerality. There is a great savory, meaty quality to it, real Burgundian in that respect and what I like to drink in that style. Probably a bit youthful at this point but still hits the spot. Very good.
  • 2012 Rhys Pinot Noir Home Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, San Mateo County (10/11/2014)
    Rhys Tasting With The Gang (My House): Once again, as with the previous flights, we paired this wine against the same vintage of Family Farm. And, like those other flights, the Home here beats the FF for my palate. The Home is earthier, leaner, brighter, red fruited with strawberry, a touch of blue fruit, too. Spicy, terrific acidity. Very nice.
  • 2012 Rhys Pinot Noir Swan Terrace Alpine Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (10/11/2014)
    Rhys Tasting With The Gang (My House): Drank alongside the 2012 Family Farm and Home. I really dig this fruit, as it’s stony, juicy and has cool red tones to it. The acidity here is spot on, too. Much like the 2006 Swan Terrace we had earlier in the evening, this wine shined like that one.

Posted from CellarTracker

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I’ve only tried the SM of the Rhys 2012 lineup- no cola for me either- lovely wine. Loved the savory aspect that Frank mentioned above. Was perfect with the Peking Duck we had at Sun Wah here prior to seeing Wilco- a pretty damned good night!!

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I loved the CM 2012 but if I had to find a fault in it, it was that it had a rather sweet finish. Long but sweeter than I would have preferred.

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Too much fruit? I sorely doubt it has residual sugar.

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I just popped a 375 of the SM 12’. I think Frank’s note above captures the San Mateo pretty well. The spicy black cherry could be seen as cola or dr. Pepper to some people as those are the flavors many would associate with spicy black cherry…it certainly isn’t fizzy in any way. It’s a palate filler and not a light wine and does have a pine sap sweetness to it, maybe a bit ripe. It all works and it’s a very tasty Califonia pinot at a great price. Better after an hour and a half of air. Glad I have more.

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Concur the '12 Horseshoe chard is killer and the horseshoe PN is a hit too.

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The CM?

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I presumed he meant the SM (San Mateo).