Da Latest Tour de Rhys

WINE TALK
1

The Galli family took Ann and Russ Williams on a tour of the Rhys Kingdom as part of their stay in CA. Kevin and Jeff were the Heavenly Hosts.
After visiting Family Farm, Alpine, Horseshoe and Skyline, we settled into the Cave for some serious tasting.

1) 2014 Rhys Bearwallow Chard
This is available in the upcoming offer. (the only one tasted today)
Light/medium yellow color.
Fine lemon/pear nose.
Rich lemon/grapefruit with a long, intensely penetrating finish.
The first of the Bearwallow Chards is a brilliant success with a bright future ahead.
Definitely buy this!
[93+ pts]

2) 2014 Rhys Bearwallow PN – 13.4%
Medium/dark purple red.
Dark fruited, spicy cassis nose.
Spicy fruit with a dollop of root beer.
Exotic and yummy!
Nice structure and balance.
[92+ pts]

3) 2014 Rhys Alpine PN – 13.0%
Dark purple color.
Floral, necco wafer nose with a touch of caramel.
Firm, spicy black fruits with a touch of licorice.
Good tannin and acid levels assures a bright future for this pup!
[92 pts]
4) 2014 Rhys Horseshoe PN – 12.7%
Medium/dark purple red.
Nose of black fruits with a touch of pinot funk.
Elegant, perfectly balanced blackberry fruit with a long aftertaste.
This is actually more ready to drink than the Alpine, but will improve for several years.
[93 pts]
5) 2014 Rhys Horseshoe “Ungrafted Vines” PN – 12.6%
Less than 100 bottles made on this small plot of own rooted vines. (Not for sale)
Identical color to the regular bottling.
Fabulous flowery, slightly hammy nose.
Somewhat reticent entry led to an explosive, long, extracted finish.
VERY different from the regular bottling and quite special.
This won’t be the last of ungrafted vines for Rhys.
[95 pts]

6) 2014 Rhys Swan PN – 12.2%
Always a favorite of mine and this version did not disappoint!
Dark purple color.
Wonderfully perfumed, spicy floral nose .
Soft feminine pomegranate fruit with a long firm finish.
Good now, great later.
[95 pts]

We then did a four vintage vertical of Family Farm Pinots.
Upfront, I much prefer Home and the mountain vineyards to this site.

1) 2010 Rhys Family Farm PN - 12.7%[/u][/b]
Medium red color.
Somewhat stalky, piney nose.
Firm, bitter cherry fruit with some tannin to yet resolve.
If it were me, I would drink this now.
[87+ pts]

2) 2011 Rhys Family Farm PN – 12.8%
Medium red color.
Earthy (KH says loamy, and I can see that) nose.
Elegant and lighter bodied but nicely balanced.
This can be pounded now.
[89 pts]

3) 2012 Rhys Family Farm PN – 13.1%
Medium/dark red.
Herbal sappy nose.
Light/medium bodied cherry/raspberry fruit with a firm finish.
[89 pts]

4) 2013 Rhys Family Farm PN – 13.1%
Medium/dark red.
Somewhat reticent, stalky nose.
Ripe, lush red fruits.
Definitely poundable NOW!
{90+ pts]

Another classic tour N’ taste from the Rhys folks.

BTW, there are a LOT of surprises coming in the near to medium future.

TTT

2

TTT,
Thanks for the notes! I may have to re-think my upcoming Bearwallow Chard purchase.

Surprises? Riesling…Chenin Blanc? Trying to remember where I saw something about this…

3

Riesling was mentioned at one point:)!

4

I was not the only one in the room who liked it.
Da love was universal… flirtysmile

TTT

5

My first visit to Rhys and what a grand day. Kevin was super generous with his time and gave us a wonderful tour of the local Rhys vineyards and then a great tasting in the cave. The Bearwallow Chard is not to be missed. I was shocked by the quality of this first vintage and dare I say, it presented some meursault qualities. The '12 & '13 Family Farm were the best wines from this vineyard to date. They are both D/H, but the '13 is really ready to go at this point while the '12 has a bit more structure to resolve. The '14 Bearwallow PN is likely the best wine produced so far from this vineyard. A yummy wine with nice balance that will improve with a few more years. The '14 Alpine and Horseshoe PN are both very good wines but different in their presentations. The Alpine has more structure while the Horseshoe is a bit more feminine with less sharp edges. The Alpine will out live the Horseshoe, but there will be no rush to drink either.

The “Own Rooted” Horsehoe PN was a revelation and swatted the regular Horseshoe PN to the sidelines. The nose on this is stunning and unlike anything I’ve experienced from a CA PN. I’d be happy to just smell this wine. However that would be a huge mistake as the palate at this early stage is already showing it’s potential greatness. The finish is very long and you find yourself still tasting the wine minutes after your last sip. The crazy floral elements on the nose translate to the finish. I saved some in my glass to compare to the Swan which ended up being quite interesting. This was my 1st taste of Swan as I’ve been hoarding all of my bottles. This is a great wine that reflects it’s unique site. The wine is dark and shows a nice dose of spicy floral perfume on the nose. On the palate it’s all about delicious soft red fruit with plenty of structure and balance to ensure a very long life ahead. If not for the “Own Rooted” Horseshoe, this would have been the wine of the day by a good margin, but instead it finished in 2nd place by just a nose. The good news is, Kevin is planning to do more ungrafted plantings to provide enough wine for some of us to have a chance to buy a bottle or two. If you’re ever offered some do not hesitate.

Thanks Kevin and Jeff for a wonderful experience I will never forget.