2013 Rhys - Pinot Noir comparison: Alpine Vnyd & Family Farm Vnyd

WINE TALK
1

With the next release upcoming, I figured now would be a good time to put some of those 375s to work. I selected the Family Farm and Alpine for a side-by-side comparison, as these are the two of Rhys’s four higher-production Pinots that I’ve not always been smitten with. Both wines were uncorked ~30 minutes before initial taste, and then followed over the next couple hours. The wines were tasted both without and with food (seared pork chop; grilled broccoli; risotto). The Family Farm was a little too light for me, and the Alpine was wonderful. The Alpine was a pleasant surprise for me — I had been planning on easing-up on my Alpine purchases, as I haven’t loved the last couple I’ve had, but that plan will now be shelved, perhaps at the expense of Family Farm. For planning purposes, this was a helpful tasting.

2013 Rhys Pinot Noir Family Farm Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, San Mateo County (7/16/2015)
– popped and poured –
– tasted non-blind over a couple hours –
– 375 mL bottle –

NOSE: very high-toned; red-fruited with a background note of camphor; “lighter” bouquet than the '13 Alpine.

BODY: violet-garnet color of medium-light to medium depth; light to medium-light bodied.

TASTE: high acidity; initially somewhat closed, but not as hard/tannic/green upon opening as was the Alpine; lower level of fruit concentration than the Alpine; medium-light oak; hint of funk (brett?) — this funky note didn’t emerge until ~ 1 hour after bottle was opened; 13.1% alc.; a nice wine, but I prefer the Alpine.

2013 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (7/16/2015)
– popped and poured –
– tasted non-blind over a couple hours –
– 375 mL bottle –

NOSE: initially moderately expressive; red/purple fruits – a bit “darker” than the purely red-fruited Family Farm; like the Family Farm, this has some high-toned aromatics; some oak; hint of florals after having been open for more than one hour; smells very nice.

BODY: violet-garnet color of medium-light to medium depth; medium-light bodied.

TASTE: quite hard/closed initially; high acidity; a bit green tasting — seems closed; some oak (started as light to medium-light, but intensified with air exposure); 12.4% alc.; nice concentration of fruit (more concentrated than the Family Farm); opened-up a bit with air; probably my favorite of the 4 or 5 Alpine vintages I’ve tasted, and I do prefer this over the Family Farm. Excellent, with room for Excellent+ if the oak integrates.

2

Thanks for the great idea and notes, Brian. For whatever reason, I’ve tended to be too precious with my Rhys, letting them accumulate and age rather than digging into them. I think the aging will be rewarded, but I have enough that I should probably open them more often, too.

3

Historically, I’ve done the same, Chris. But, as the number of Rhys bottles in my cellar continues to swell, I’m starting to realize I need to start opening them more often so I can continue to reevaluate my position(s) on them. In particular, the primary purpose for which I bought these 375s was to inform my buying decisions for the regular releases of those wines. Too bad we’re not going to be seeing you tomorrow night — you’ll be missed. [cheers.gif]

4

Interesting. I had these about 2 weeks apart and preferred the Family Farm. I found both having more similarity than not. The FF I thought was the best one I’ve tasted yet, with the Alpine light and a little soft.

5

I bought a bunch of the 2012 375s to do the same thing. Of course, I haven’t opened a single one yet. This reminds me I need to do so.

James

6

Just wondering…does a half bottle truly reflect a 750ml bottle? Magnums age differently than 750s so is there a collary relationship between 375s and 750s?

7

While a smaller cork-enclosed bottle will certainly age differently than a larger bottle over time, I don’t think it is worth worrying about in the first few years of the wine’s existence, Arnold. This thread is a great reminder for me to pull out my 500mls to do a similar pre-order test with friends.

8

It’s the same juice, and the wine is extremely young, so I think a half bottle is fairly reflective of a 750mL. The differences in size reveal themselves increasingly with time.

9

Great idea for a note and great execution!

10

Got the 375’s and have not opened Alpine, but will say that the Bearwallow is superb. Likely similar to the Alpine in darkfruitedness, but it has impressed everyone I’ve tasted it with.

11

Timely post, Brian. My wife and I dipped into the '13 Rhys 375’s last night, also. We opend all four. I agree with your notes and relative ranking of Alpine over Family Farm. All four were very good to excellent. My relative ranking was Family Farm < Alpine < Bearwallow < Horseshoe. We have leftovers of all four that we plan to retaste tomorrow.