TN: 2013 Rhys Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard

[David_Bu3ker]

Of course Rhys has evolved in their use of whole cluster. I don’t recall exactly what % they used in 2013, but it has changed over time.

[Jeff_Brinkman]

Of course Rhys has evolved in their use of whole cluster. I don’t recall exactly what % they used in 2013, but it has changed over time.

Hey David, the Horseshoe Pinot WC in 2013 was 20%, it’s now fully destemmed. Bearwallow is under 10%, and often fully destemmed as well. As the vineyards have gotten older and the flavor profile of the fruit has gone more floral and red fruited, we prefer the wines with less stems. Other than the Home, Skyline, and Swan Terrace, the remainder of the Pinots are generally less than a third whole cluster at this point.

[David_Bu3ker]

Of course Rhys has evolved in their use of whole cluster. I don’t recall exactly what % they used in 2013, but it has changed over time.

Hey David, the Horseshoe Pinot WC in 2013 was 20%, it’s now fully destemmed. Bearwallow is under 10%, and often fully destemmed as well. As the vineyards have gotten older and the flavor profile of the fruit has gone more floral and red fruited, we prefer the wines with less stems. Other than the Home, Skyline, and Swan Terrace, the remainder of the Pinots are generally less than a third whole cluster at this point.

Thank you Jeff!

[Keith_A_k_e_r_s]

So many tasting notes still read something to the effect “this wine needs a couple more years”.

This makes me wonder if a wine like this is what it is and will be. I don’t have any of my older Rhys’ near me at the moment, but I opened an 09 Bearwallow PN last year and the fruit was more in harmony and still fresh. I could easily see a lot of people thinking it can go longer or needs more age and yet it could also just be what it is and at the beginning of a long peak

I think that’s a sharp observation, that would apply to many whole cluster based wines.

Thanks! It’s definitely taken a lot of wines to realize it. What I wonder is if people keep holding on thinking it’ll get more tertiary that they’ll end up missing some of the fun.

I also wonder what these wines will be like when they get to that point and if they’ll actually be “better”. That’s a question I’ve gotten to asking myself more and more. It’s led to me cracking open younger wines more often these days, but I’d rather catch a wine on the way up than on the way down