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2006 Rhys Pinot Noir Swan Terrace Alpine Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (12/9/2011)
Tonight with seared Muscovy duck breast, I finally checked in on some of the 06 Rhys pinots. I’ve had some stunning successes with prior Rhys wines - pinots, sure, but especially the chards, and a bit of a hit-or-miss history with the Alesia wines (pinot and syrah). Taut red fruits with a sensuous, but shy perfume of floral notes, pine and spice (cardamom and cinnamon), this is drinking still rather young (it’s seen a 2 hour decant). It’s full on the mid-palate, but then falls off a bit on the back end. There’s plenty of rich, plush fruit nicely offset with cleansing acid, and this wine (to me) is still positively Californian (in the very best way). Impeccable balance, if a bit young. I’ll check back in a few years down the road. I’ve never been shy about being critical of these wines, but I like this bottle - a lot - and I think it really needs some time. (92 pts.)
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