2007 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Hillside, USA, California, Santa Cruz, Wine Review

This is drinking great right now. Everything one could want in a Santa Cruz Pinot Noir. Deep ruby in color with purple swirls. The nose has cherries, candied cherries and slight cherry cough drops with just a hint of clean earthiness. Medium bodied. On the palate, this has layers of cherry fruits with underlying earthiness. Lovely, slightly lush texture with a slickness that makes it so drinkable. Nice finish. This seems to be closing in on peak but may still develop more. Either way, it should easily do ten to twelve more years.

Grade:

Score:

Vintage:

2007

Current Price:

$160.00USD

Top California Pinot Noir: Which California Wine Producers Make the Best Pinot Noir?

California has actually been making outstanding wines from the Pinot Noir grape for a long time. Sure, not long in the Burgundian sense but going back at least to the middle of the last century there were good bottles of Pinot Noir being produced in California. Not many to be sure, but there were some. Starting slowly, in the 1990’s, and then exploding when the movie Sideways came out, there are now more and more offerings of good to excellent Pinot Noir being produced in California.

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2008 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard, USA, California, Santa Cruz, Wine Review

Vintage:

2008

Score:

Grade:

Current Price:

$98.00USD

Pop and pour, this is still youthful and needs a bit of air. Deep ruby with some ruby swirls. The nose has cherries, strawberries, spice and a slight char to it. On the palate, this has a great texture. Nice cherry fruit with just a hint of candied cherries over a mineral/earthiness. Light tannins. This is young and will continue to mature. It drinks grat on its own now but another few years and it might still improve. Either way, it has at least ten to fifteen more years at the top. This will work well with roasted fowl, pasta or casseroles.

2008 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard, USA, California, Santa Cruz, Wine Review

Vintage:

2008

Score:

Grade:

Current Price:

$100.00USD

Since these wines first came out, it has always been an open question how well they would age. At age 11, this one is doing great. Drinking quite young but quite well. Deep ruby in color. The nose is great with cherries, slight spice, black cherries, and very slight cola note. On the palate, this is young but delicious. Shows depth but tight. Plenty of cherries and black cherry fruit. Great balance. Drink now or should hold for another ten or fifteen years, depending what you like in a Pinot. Will work with a wide variety of food.

2014 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard, USA, California, Santa Cruz, Wine Review

Vintage:

2014

Score:

Grade:

A-

Ruby in color. This looked a bit older than it was. Blind, however, most people were guessing Burgundy. The nose is very earthy with cherries. On the palate, again earthy with cherries. Slightly clipped on the finish. Medium tannins. This seemed like it may have been a bit shut down. Pop and pour, it would have been helped out with some air. It would be good to revisit this in a few years.

2014 Rhys Pinot Noir Swan Terrace, USA, California, Santa Cruz, Wine Review

Vintage:

2014

Score:

Grade:

Current Price:

$118.00USD

One of the best California Pinot Noir's I have had. Middle of the road in style for Cal Pinot. Deep ruby in color with some purple hues. Mostly clear and bright. The nose has cherries, black cherries, spice, some smoke and slight earthiness. Medium to full bodied. Light tannins. On the palate, lots of delicious cherry and black cherry fruit. Deep and tight layers that unwind in the glass. Great balance. Long finish. This was pop and pour and it kept opening and evolving all night. Drink over the next ten to twenty years. Great on its own, this worked well with pasta with mushro

2007 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Hillside, USA, California, Santa Cruz, Wine Review

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