TN: 2007 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Hillside

WINE TALK
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  • 2007 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Hillside - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (8/17/2021)
    12.9% abv. Dark purple burgundy, very aromatic. The flavor profile is wild and exotic - black cherry, boysenberry, sage, blue fruit, menthol and floral overtones. Excellent depth and length. This wine looks young and maintains intensity and great balance. Powerful, but light on the palate. An excellent, mature Pinot. Drink now or over the next few years. Impressive! (95 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

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Nice!

I have some 2006…somewhere…will have to do an excavation this fall.

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Bring it down here, David, I will pair it with the 2007

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I just checked CT to see if I had ever had the 2006 and see that I opened my only bottle for Becky and Russell last time they were in DC - in February 2010! They really liked it and according to my notes “ Blew away Littorai and DuMol with relative stylishness.”

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A few additional factoids:

  • The philosophy behind the Hillside wines has shifted since 2007 from location on the steep upper slopes of the vineyard to an assemblage of the best lots process (like Monte Bello)
  • This wine has improved tremendously since I first tasted it (around 2013) - let your Rhys age!
  • If you have this wine, open with an ah so type corkscrew, the early Rhys corks were notoriously crumbly
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Just opened one of these 45 minutes ago. Used a Durand and this was the toughest, tightest cork I’ve ever removed. Mike nailed the description so there’s not much that I can add.