Good to hear, Fred — thanks for posting. Looks like the '14 Horseshoe is one I’ve not yet tried, but I have bottle somewhere at home to try — just have to find it.
2017 Rhys Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard - USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains (6/14/2022)
– decanted 1.5 hrs before initial taste –
– tasted non-blind over 2 hours –
– 375 mL –
NOSE: rich and buttery; pears; papaya.
BODY: medium pale yellow color, with a touch of green; medium-light to medium bodied.
TASTE: rich fruit, but not overdone; medium-light buttery oak note; tangy; medium+ to high acidity; embedded mineral tones. My last of this wine, as I only ever had the three half bottles. No harm in drinking now, but no need to drink now, either.
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Alex_G
Stylistically this is much closer to the vibrant Kutch chardonnays than it is to Aubert’s richness (and I have many bottles from both producers over many years). But this Rhys Horsehoe benefits plenty from rich layers of fruit. To my palate the split is something like 60% energy and precision and 40% fruit. A perfect bullseye for the flavor profile I seek in Chardonnays. Far more France than Cali. (BTW, at 12.5% alcohol this is also much closer to Kutch, and France, than to Aubert’s 15%+ behemoths.)
I’m pretty confident that Kevin and Jeff have not desire to produce wines in the Aubert style!
I just opened a '13 last weekend. Best wine I’ve had from Rhys and one of the best Chards ever apart from a few GC Burg whites and very old late releases.
That wine is really firing right now. I think I have one left, hate to open the last one lol.
I enjoyed the '13 the one time I had it. The '12, in particular, is something special, too.
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Yeah, that was my last–and, as so often, the best, though I only think I got one other that year.
We opened the 2010 Horseshoe last weekend. Very nice! Still on the plateau. Fruit, mineral, balance. Not the big lemon notes mentioned in this thread about other vintages, but still enough acidity to keep it refreshing and very food-friendly.