This wine has aged brilliantly. Golden in color, slightly deeper, clear and bright. The nose is great with vanilla, lemon crème, and a slight butterscotch note. Full bodied. Deep and complex. Good balance. On the palate, the vanilla and lemon are joined with some grapefruits. Long finish. Delicious. Drink over the next five to eight years.
Golden, maybe a bit deeper in color, clear and bright. The nose has lemons, lemon drop candies, spice and slight vanilla note. Full bodied with a slightly oily texture. Nice acidity. On the palate, lemons, lemon curd, with vanilla. Long finish. This has more depth and complexity than the 2012 consumed at alongside. It will continue to mature for the next seven to ten years and drink well for another seven to ten after that if well stored. Great on its own, this will work well with pork chops or roasted chicken.
Always one of the best chardonnay's made anywhere! This vintage is no exception. Light golden in color with slight green hues. The nose is classic Rhys: Vanilla, lemon cream, and slight bakers spices. Full bodied. This was drinking well from the beginning. The palate has lemon cream and vanilla with a touch of spice/oak. Good acidity. Long finish. Delicious. This drinks great on its own and perfect with a Caprese salad. In my experience, these drink well for a few years and then shut down a bit before re-emerging at age eight or so. They drink well for another ten after that.
Holy smokes. I love this wine, but this was the best showing for it yet. Light golden/green in color. Lemon cream, vanilla and slight smoke on the nose. On the palate, this has a slightly oily texture which is great. Crisp acidity. The lemon and vanilla come thru over a slight charred wood quality. Deep and complex, this is the most developed bottle I have had although certainly not old. Layers of fruit, wood and char. Long finish. Went great with roasted Shihitto peppers. If this is a glimpse where this is heading then patience will be rewarded but no harm in opening now.
Golden in color. The nose is classic Rhys and gorgeous. Lemon cream and vanilla with an underlying rocky minerality. On the palate, this is almost seamless in a creamy texture. Lemon and vanilla notes. Bright fruit. It is not as big as some vintages but this is not reticent either. Delicious. Still youthful. It opens in the glass and improves in the bottle. So good right now it might not be worth risking holding, but it should still get better. One of the best California Chardonnays I have had.
Rhys may be my favorite Chardonnay producer (that I still choose to afford) and Santa Cruz may be my favorite region for Chardonnay. But, still, this is their basic offering and I had low expectations. They were far exceeded. What an excellent wine. I ended up drinking two bottles over three days and that is unusual. Light golden in color with slight silvery/green hues. Clear and bright. The nose is great. Very mineral driven but also some lemon creme, vanilla and a touch of grapefruits. Medium to full bodied. Lots of energy. Light tannins. Great acidity and balance. On the pal
