TN: 2015 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard

WINE TALK
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  • 2015 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (4/17/2020)
    Prior notes from palates I trust suggested that this wine needed air to show well, so I opened and double decanted six hours in advance. Good move. Deep red and black fruit, baking spices, crushed green herbs, and a hint of black licorice lead into a strongly structured palate. The fruit is equal to the task, but for right now this is a bit of a beast. There is a ton of promise in this wine. Good to sacrifice one to have a better understanding of how to handle the remaining bottles…hold!

Posted from CellarTracker

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Buek, truth. Your comment too about ‘sacrifice to understand’ is right on.

  • 2015 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (1/12/2020)
    Rhys @ My Place–Part 5 (My House In The South OC): Bottle was opened yesterday for our Rhys tasting, and this was paired with the 2015 Horseshoe, both poured single blind. Taking my note here in two stages, let me first outline yesterday’s perceptions. I found this floral, more typical of the aromatics of Pinot Noir (as opposed to Horseshoe that was showing a lot of graphite). Strawberry, cedar, a good amount of tannin with blue/red fruit but the wine just seemed tight (as did the Horsehshoe). Tart finish with strawberry and spice. So, retasting the wine today from the leftovers in the bottle so it’s had a solid 24 hours to enjoy some air. Aromas of red fruit jam, some spice (perhaps seasoned by the light whole cluster inclusion it saw). The palate today? Well, I can sense the fruit tones, more blue than red, but these fruits are under the structure that is still evident. Some herbal seasoning from the stems, along with game and the same soil/loam note I found in the bottle I wrote up back in April 2019. There is a lot of complexity and raw material here, and I now understand why Kevin Harvey suggested we put the 2015s aside for some more age, but I wanted to get these onto the table and give Alpine and Horseshoe a go. My belief here on the Alpine is that this is going to evolve into a great bottle, kind of like the 2012s are starting to show, so my advice is that if you open the 2015s, breathe them well or recognize the runway ahead that is promising for Alpine.

Posted from CellarTracker

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I made a point to not read your note before writing mine.

I no doubt saw it back when originally posted, but it was not in my mind. Overall though very similar impressions.

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Opened another bottle this evening. It smelled like a stable. Unfortunate.

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David you are having some bad luck with these wines. Too expensive to have so many bad misses, any idea what’s going on?

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Just this one bottle of Alpine. As for Swan Terrace, I just don’t like what the site gives. I have learned and no longer buy it.

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Same bottle:
2015 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (1/11/2020)
– I believe this was popped and poured –
– tasted single blind over approx. 20 minutes –

Nose was extremely tight, but a bit more showy than the 2015 Horseshoe tasted alongside. Earthy red-fruited aromas with a hint of Twizzlers licorice. Light, tannic, and very tight on the palate. Medium oak. A touch floral. 13.0% alc… My primary take-away on this wine, as well as the 2015 Horseshoe Pinot tasted alongside, was “bury deep in the bottom of the back of the cellar.” I honestly would have struggled to consistently tell this apart from the '15 Horseshoe Pinot — they presented nearly identically. No point in opening this wine right now unless you’re interested in wasting it.