TN: A visit to Rhys

A VISIT TO RHYS - Rhys Vineyards (4/15/2016)

On the way to Hospice du Rhone we stopped and visited with Kevin and Jeff at Rhys. They have really put together an amazing winery. In a gorgeous section of Santa Cruz, the Cave built into a hillside is very impressive. Then Kevin took us to see Alpine and Horseshoe vineyards. Very impressive, steep slopes. Kevin is really dialing in his vineyards to provide what he wants for his wines. Geeky and educational. Perfect. Then we went back to the winery to tastes some wines after a quick stop to look at Skyline vineyard and vines growing directly into rock. They were in the middle of bottling so we tasted the Chards from tank just prior to bottling.
I have said many times that Keviin makes the best Chardonnays in California or maybe anywhere and certainly for the money. They have that CA sunshine, but depth and minerality as well. The biggest issue is patience as they keep getting better but I want to drink now. My wife likes them more than I do. Seeing the vineyards gives a new perspective on them plus it was great to taste side by side; something I have not done…so far. My general preference is Alpine by a slight bit but that may change over time.

  • 2014 Rhys Chardonnay Bearwallow - USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
    This was a tank sample right before bottling Green gold in color the nose is nice. Some lemon curd. Very clean. some depth to it. Open. on the palate this is tighter. Really gets more expressive on the finish. Quite nice. A bit less flamboyant than the other vineyards. Not a bad thing, it seems like this would be versatile with food. 91-93
  • 2014 Rhys Chardonnay Alpine Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains
    This was a tank sample taken just before bottling. Green gold in color. The nose is a bit woody with some lemon cream. Kevin described the scent as popcorn and he thinks that comes from the vineyard and not oak. It will be interesting to see how this develops. Tighter on the palate. A bit of lemon on the finish. Great acidity. Normally I prefer Alpine over Horseshoe but it will be fun to watch these develop. They seem like they will not peak for about 5 to 10 years. 92-95
  • 2014 Rhys Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains
    This was a tank sample opened taken just before bottling. Much deeper in color but still a lighter to medium gold. Love the nose. Clean with a lemony freshness to it. Maybe because I was just out in the vineyard but there seemed to bee a subtle sage note that I loved. No oak showing even now. On the palate, a lovely, creamy texture. Great balance. Depth. Lemon cream with great acidity. Good finish. 92-95
  • 2014 Rhys Chardonnay - USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
    Kevin said this was a declassified Bearwallow, less expensive wine that was about to be bottled. It was drinking really well right now and not far off the other wines. Perhaps it will have a shorter life span but this is drinking very well. Light golden in color, some green. Nose has nice lemons and minerals. Open. The palate was the most open of the four. Not as deep, but good cut. Nice lemon rinds with good minerality. 90-92

I don’t drink much Pinot but I do like it with Rhys being my largest holdings. They always seem to be in need of more time but getting there. It was great to try a couple just after racking and a couple from barrel. As said above, Kevin seems to have an idea of what he wants; site specific wines where the site is taken care of in a way to provide lower alcohol, concentrated, spicy fruits. There is some oak used but little new.

  • 2014 Rhys Pinot Noir Skyline Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains
    This was the wine I think will be the best of the four I tried but it will take at least a decade. That is of course based only on a small tank sample taken just after racking so take that with a grain of salt. Medium ruby in color. The nose is has great light cherries with a bit of soy and baking spices. On the palate this has an ethereal quality. Lots of energy to it. Very concentrated. Lots of tannins. A very cool slightly bitter cherry note on the finish. 93-96+
  • 2014 Rhys Pinot Noir Swan Terrace Alpine Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains
    Just racked. About to be bottled. Very concentrated. A lot of spice on the nose. Lots of depth. Firm tannins. Will need a lot of time. 93-95
  • 2014 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains
    Taken from a barrel sample. Ruby in color. The nose is tight with cherries. Creamy texture. On the palate, cherries with a dry confectionary sugar quality if that makes sense. Lots of depth/tight complexity. Smooth but long finish. 92-95
  • 2014 Rhys Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains
    Taken from a barrel sample. Ruby in color. The nose has nice cherries. On the palate, there is tight rope precise acidity and complexity. Really concentrated and intense. Lots of depth. Long finish. 93-96

As we make a tiny bit of Syrah, Kevin was kind enough to show us a few from barrels. They are quite good but I don’t think he has quite the intensity about his passion for this grape as Pinot. Nothing wrong with that. He seems to be still dialing in on just what he wants as he looks to new vineyards and sources. In the meantime, these are quite good and especially the more cooler climate aspects.

  • 2014 Rhys Syrah Halcon Vineyard - USA, California, North Coast, Yorkville Highlands
    Barrel sample. Inky purple in color. Very tight on the nose. Nice black raspberry fruit. Like many Halcon fruits, this has a fair amount of alcohol but is also quite backwards. This will need time. Atypical for Rhys. 90-92.
  • 2014 Rhys Syrah Horseshoe Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains
    Barrel sample. Purple in color. This is a pretty big Syrah albeit cooler climate with low alcohol. Deep with a nice complexity. Long finish. 91-93
  • 2014 Rhys Syrah - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz County
    Barrel sample. This is I believe declassified Horseshoe Syrah. There really is not much difference. Perhaps this is a bit more forward and easy. Nice acidity. 90-92

Many thanks to Kevin and Jeff. We were blown away, not just by the wines, not just by the amazing vineyards, but by the hospitality and time spent showing and educating us. Thank you!
Posted from CellarTracker

Excellent information. Thanks much.

I’ll be visiting in early June and obviously very excited. I didn’t realize Kevin was sourcing Halcon fruit. Friggin’ love the Copain version which sadly is no more, so will be interested to see what this is like with some age.

Wow, sounds amazing. Thanks for the notes.

Thanks for your impressions! Much appreciated. As Russ indicated, I was not aware that Rhys sourced fruit from Halcon. Should be interesting…

Cheers,
JP

Great notes, thank you.

Thanks - great notes and information.