2006 Rhys Alesia Pinot Noir Green Valley- USA, California, Sonoma County, Green Valley (2/17/2012)
PnP. Strawberries with strong scents of forest floor and pine leading to sweet cola. This smells like RRV pinot, but there are stronger elements of wood spice and black tea present. The palate lends more towards blue fruit, like cran-blueberry cocktail, and again the stem inclusion is really noticeable here with strong herbal notes. Altogether the wine is seamless, and the viscosity is well balanced by the remaining acids. I feel this wine is approaching its peak, but still 2-3 years away. By far, the best Alesia to date.
My favorite Alesia as well, I just love it. I just popped one on Saturday and it was singing. Strangely I thought it went through an “off” period last year with some good, but not great showings after having some fantastic bottles previously, so hopefully they are back in bidness.
OK, this is interesting. I had this wine twice last December, and thought it was disappointing compared to when I had it one year prior. It was showing some cherry fruit, but seemed very one-dimensional, actually a simple wine. So I resolved to wait a year, as it seemed to be in a very awkward phase. In 2 months from December to now could the wine have opened back up again? Brandon, do you recall when last year you observed that “off” period? I may want to try another sooner than I’d planned.
Lew, I felt similarly about my experience with the '06 Sonoma Coast about 6 months ago. At that time the Sonoma Coast did seem a little one-dimensional.
This is also my favorite Alesia to-date (I haven’t yet opened any of my '07’s). I had it four times last year . . . January, May, June and November. I felt that it showed better at the end of the year than the beginning.
I’ll offer another viewpoint. Following one of these tonight. While a solid well made bottle, it’s doesn’t have anything that keeps my interest. Started off slow, so i decanted, which hasn’t helped. Nose is quiet, maybe a hint if something green. It’s dark and somber with drying tannins. Blue fruit maybe with black currants I guess. I want to like it, but. My least favorite of the Alesia’s from this vintage.
Drank our last bottle of the 2006 San Mateo (best Alesia value ever) this week. It was still delightful, but I’d worry that it won’t remain on this plateau for much longer, so drink up. Meanwhile, a bottle of 2006 Green Valley 6 months ago was flawed… flavors were all muddled, with extreme steminess (and I don’t mind a bit of green). Glad your bottle showed A LOT better.
Regards,
Peter
My guess is that '06 San Mateo County has some years left. I realize its made from very young vines, which I believe renders any longevity estimate even more risky than usual, but this wine does have fine mid-palate intensity and just perfect balance IMO. I do plan to test that notion with a bottlr ot two from my remaining stash.
+1
Drank my last bottle a few nights ago and wish I had waited at least a couple more years.
This wine has actually put on some weight since I had it last April and is just starting to show some intriguing complexity.
Just for fun, I saw a note I wrote about this wine in 2008. Liked it a bunch then. Today to me it’s a much different wine and at the moment not for the better.
Lew, I can’t remember exactly, but I think the disappointing bottles(2 or 3?) were all in early to mid '11. My two bottles in '10 were fantastic, and my bottle on Saturday showed much like the ‘10 experiences. Had much more brightness and secondary characteristics than last years’ showings, which were much more one-dimensional and almost boring.
I bought 2 on release, and then another 6 from an odds and ends release a year or two later, so maybe there is some variation there, but I doubt it.