A few of us gathered to take a closer look at 2 excellent vintages of Rhys Alpine and Horseshoe, paired with Peking duck, minced duck in lettuce cups, duck fried rice, and assorted other goodies. I left the hillside wines mostly unrated - clearly good material but needing more time to show their best.
A couple of extra bonus unicorn-y goodies - the 2018 Rhys ungrafted Horseshoe and a Chantereve Blouge, which I blinded the group on… Gamay fermented whole cluster in Aligote press juice. This wine would easily have found a home in a lineup of @H_Wallace_Jr light reds - both stylistically and quality-wise. 3 people independently guessed Poulsard (a good guess!), but I was especially impressed by @AndyK 's ability to narrow down to a Burgundy Gamay blend, and he even threw out Chantereves as possibly the producer, with very minor help.
An educational look at 2013 and 2017 Alpine and Horseshoe. The quality is there, clearly these wines require patience to show their best.
Blind Blouge!
2024 Domaine Chanterêves Bleu Cerise - France, Vin de France
A fun blind. Several initial guesses for Poulsard, one for grenache, one for cerasuolo. Very impressed by glou.sf's abiilty to very rapidly narrow down to burgundy, and then given the clue that it was labelled VdF, a blend of red and white. He even threw out Chantereves as a possible winemaker.
The wine itself is joyful - strawberry, watermelon jolly rancher and crushed herbs riding a lightning bolt of acidity. Light bodied at 10% alcohol but more finesse and savory depth than 95% of glou glou wines. (92 points)
2013 & 2017 Chardonnay
2013 Rhys Chardonnay Alpine Vineyard - USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Rich, complex, minerally, loaded with dry extract, with orchard fruit and a popcorn note from the oak. The most cote de Beaune-esque of the whites - would probably call out 1er cru Chassagne from a good producer if served blind. Not my favorite style of Chardonnay, which is not my favorite grape. Most others had this as their White WOTN. (90 points)
2017 Rhys Chardonnay Alpine Vineyard - USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Racier, more citrus than stone fruit in profile than the 13 Alpine, with less density. Seems a bit tight and needs some time to unfold. Most people feel the 13 is the superior wine, but I like the sleek, mineral laden profile a lot. (92 points)
2013 Rhys Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard - USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
This is perhaps the most Californian of the 4 whites, with a distinct mid-palate golden raisin and richness, but balanced by a vibrant thrum of acidity. High purity and none of the oak signature that I find in the '13 Alpine. Not quite as racy or refined as the '17 Horseshoe, but this is a delicious Chard I can get behind. (93 points)
2017 Rhys Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard - USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
High acidity, thrilling Chardonnay, tamed by just enough juicy orchard fruit and a chiseled mineral-laden structure. Complex and racy and very morish. This is young and a touch rambunctious but my clear favorite of the whites. (94 points)
2013 & 2017 Pinot Noir
2013 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard - USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Denser and more tannic than the other wines in the flight. Red fruit on the attack, but melts into a darker fruit profile on the midpalate, with some stem and spruce notes. Still could use a bit more time, but it starts opening up quite nicely at the end of the night. 4/4 in this flight for now, even if it may eventually be the best of the bunch. (92 points)
2017 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard - USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Fresh, almost a bit glou glou at first, but settles down with a bit of air to show a bit more stony depth and piney stems. A whisper of raspy tannin, but far more subtle than the '13 Alpine. Really enjoyed this, and while had a bit more aromatic complexity than the Horseshoe, it didn't have the weightless purity that I really loved in the Horseshoe wines. Again felt that this may be the better wine in 10 years. (93 points)
2013 Rhys Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard - USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Vibrant, juicy, and tastes fairly young at age 13. Shades of earth and leaf matter if you look for it, but this is still mostly primary. Quite delicious and at this point in its evolution I prefer it to the 13 Alpine, though a half-step behind the 17 Horseshoe. (93 points)
2017 Rhys Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard - USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
The 17 Horseshoe stands out for its purity and elegance. Perhaps a touch more stem inclusion than the 13 Horseshoe, but it harmonizes so well by the gorgeously transparent red fruit profile. Buffered by a touch more acid, and anchored by a pleasingly savory chalky base. I keep coming back to this. My Red WOTN. (94 points)
Fancy Pinots
2013 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Hillside - USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Denser than the regular 13 Alpine, with more tannin, more extract and a swarthier fruit profile. A nod in the direction of old school masculine NSG and made me think of a Gouges lite - it probably needs another 10 years to really start to show all its cards. I thought there's a bit of low-level brett here, but maybe that's just reduction? No one else seemed to notice it. Not my favorite expression of pinot, but clearly a wine of substance.
2013 Rhys Pinot Noir Horseshoe Hillside - USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Perhaps a bit more accessible than the '13 Alpine Hillside, this wine still would benefit from a few more years in the cellar. Again, more extracted than the regular '13 Horseshoe, but has a bit more of a red fruited profile, and shows more aromatic lift - herbs, citrus peel, and potpourri spice. I'm not sure if I'll ever come around to loving the Alpine Hillside, but I feel this is a wine that will eventually knock my socks off. 93++ (93 points)
2017 Rhys Pinot Noir Horseshoe Hillside - USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Definitely too young. The stem inclusion is more pronounced than the '13, with higher acidity and higher-toned crunchy red fruit. I definitely get a pronounced chalky note in the Horseshoe wines that is less apparent in the Alpine. Again, I feel this is a wine I will love in another 10-15 years, but I find it hard to give it a very fair score now.
2018 Rhys Pinot Noir Ungrafted Vines Horseshoe Vineyard - USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Darker, more masculine, and denser in fruit and structure than all of the other wines at the table. Stemmy too. Perhaps a great wine in the making, but my palate was fairly fatigued at this point and it was hard for me to judge. Seems a waste to open a unicorn like this before its 20th birthday, but appreciate Dan for bringing this "for science". For drinking now, I found the regular Hillside wines to be far more engaging and enjoyable.
I generally enjoyed the brighter, chalkier profile of the Horseshoe wines, and preferred the 17s to the 13s. 17 SCM seems to be a real sweet spot, and more to my palate than the highly lauded 13 vintage.
13 Alpine Chardonnay was one of my two WOTN. The other was 13 Alpine Hillsides PN.
In the Chardonnay flight, I preferred both Alpines over Horseshoe.
I feel there were too many stems in the 13 Alpine and Horseshoe PNs. At this stage, there should be more integration (not saying completely).
Other than the 13 AH, the other three Fancy Pinots didn’t knock my socks off. Not that they were bad, but I expected more given the price points.
I was in the minority with the blouge wine. It needed more fruit to balance out with the other structural elements. I searched and I think it costs twice as much as it should. Sadly these days, it just has to whisper Burgundy and that jacks up the price.
2013 Rhys Chardonnay Alpine Vineyard - USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Very pretty nose with some reduction, minerals, apples, lemon, and a hint of white flowers. Great acidity on the palate with quite good depth, orchard fruit, and nice salinity. Long finish. I really liked this wine. Quite impressive and very mineral driven. It still feels very young and able to age for quite some time. (95 points)
2013 Rhys Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard - USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
This felt a little richer and rounder than the Alpine next to it. Notes of orchard fruit, peaches, and grapefruit on the nose. Good acidity on the palate, again with a bit rounder flavor profile, apple, pear, minerals, and a hint of honey. Good finish. Very good, but clearly a step or two behind the Alpine in this flight. This feels a bit more "classic CA" of the two with slightly less complexity. I will say that apparently this bottle had noticeably lower fill than the Alpine, so it's possible that the difference is also due to bottle condition (although I didn't get any obvious oxidation profile). (92 points)
2017 Rhys Chardonnay Alpine Vineyard - USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Flinty nose with notes of green apples, chalk, lemon zest, and a bit of smoky toast. Nice acidity on the palate with mineral driven flavors, more lemon, and bright fruit. Nice finish that leaves you salivating. Quite lovely, but this felt also very tightly wound up right now. Clearly needs more time than the Horseshoe to show its best. 93++ (93 points)
2017 Rhys Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard - USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Lovely nose with citrusy notes of lemon oil, apple, minerals, and a bit less reduction than the Alpine next to it. Very good acidity on the palate with nice depth, flavors of lemon, minerals, and dry extract. Long finish. Beautiful wine that felt more open than the Alpine next to it. Great option for drinking now! (94 points)
2013 vs 2017 Pinot Noir
2013 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard - USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Red cherries, pine needles, raspberries, and underwood on the nose. Medium acidity on the palate with a little plusher fruit profile, more cherries, and forest notes. Good finish. A nice wine that perhaps misses a bit of extra gear to make it special. Still feels young and will continue to age well. (93 points)
2013 Rhys Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard - USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Lovely nose with strawberries, earth, and a hint of roses. Good acidity on the palate with more (wild) strawberries, cherries, and overall quite primary fruit flavors. Nice finish. I quite liked this wine! Some tertiary notes are starting to show but this is still quite young and the flavors are delineated. Should age well for decades. 94+ (94 points)
2017 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard - USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Bright fruit, red cherries, tart berries, and some floral notes on the nose. Nice acidity on the palate with more berries that again lead on the tarter side. Medium finish. This felt quite lean in comparison to the other wines and in need of time. Seems to be in a shutdown/closed stage right now, but could be quite promising in a few years. Clearly not showing everything right now. 92-93+ (93 points)
2017 Rhys Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard - USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Lovely nose with red fruit, cherries, berries, forest notes, pine needles, and flowers. Good acidity on the palate with lifted, bright fruit, more flowers, a bit of earth, and strawberries. Long finish. Feels a bit rounder and more ready than the Alpine next to it, but should have similar aging potential. 94+ (94 points)
2013 vs 2017 Hillsides + 2018 Ungrafted
2013 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Hillside - USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Beautiful nose with noticeably more depth and complexity than the regular Alpine. It's also a bit darker toned with notes of cherries, violets, sweet fruit, and underwood. Good acidity on the palate with nice structure, flavors of strawberries, a bit riper fruit, dark berries, and a bit of forest. Long finish. This was really good and a significant step up from the regular wines. It feels more concentrated and "serious" and will clearly age for decades to come. I preferred the Horseshoe for the regular bottlings, but the brighter Alpine character with added concentration works really well. (96 points)
2013 Rhys Pinot Noir Horseshoe Hillside - USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Lovely nose with brighter and more fragrant fruit than the Alpine Hillside, notes of strawberries, violets, and underbrush. On the palate, it feels a bit plusher with slightly less acidity and also less structure. Flavors of more strawberries, cherries, and underwood. Long finish. Excellent wine that feels a bit more immediate than the Alpine. I liked the nose a bit more compared to the palate, but both wines still need a good amount of time to peak. (95 points)
2017 Rhys Pinot Noir Horseshoe Hillside - USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Pretty but also coiled up nose with good concentration, darker fruit, cherries, and violets. Good acidity on the palate with lots going on, nice precision, but still very primary flavors of berries and cherries. Long finish. While clearly impressive, this needs time in the cellar. Hold for 7-10+ years. 94-95+ (95 points)
2018 Rhys Pinot Noir Ungrafted Vines Horseshoe Vineyard - USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Incredible nose with a ton of concentration and depth, yet it doesn't lack nuance. Notes of dark cherries, herbs, flowers, and a hint of strawberries. Nice acidity on the palate with a sense of density, flavors of cherries, and forest floor. Long finish. Started out relatively open, but it shut down a little with air. I found this very impressive, although not really "classic" for a CA Pinot Noir. Everything seems to be dialed up a notch, but this will need a long time in the cellar. Don't touch this for another 10-15+ years. 96+ (96 points)
What a fun tasting, thanks for all the details notes. I have a 16 Alpine Chard up to bat in 10 days or so, previously has been my favourite Rhys Chard. I’ll be sure to let it breathe before sampling!
Funny I went digging for a bottle of that Chantereves for happy hour last Friday and could not find the bottle. Instead ended up with the 2024 Bourgogne Blanc, which was really delicious. Sounds like I need to go back to the locker and dig a little more (or look in my login notes which box number the Bleu Cerise is in).
Thanks for all of the notes…especially the fancy/scarce bottlings. It helps when you only have single bottles of these.
if someone else took a better picture, feel free to post it
