With vineyards in both Santa Cruz and Mendocino counties, Rhys can pull from a variety of sources to make a variety of Pinot Noir. With Bearwallow, their vineyard in the Anderson Valley, there is a delicate and quite lovely feel to this – something as smooth as silk. The softness texturally belies its layered complexity. Yes there is the requisite black cherry, boysenberry, loganberry and light strawberry, but there is also black tea leaf, light resin and sandalwood. Using native yeast to ferment and spending just 18 months in oak, only a small portion of that was new, allows for the fruit to express its lush ripeness. The acidity as well supports the overall wine, which is why it drinks so well. There is also a moderate minerality, brought about by the quartz, sandstone and shale soils. I’ve tasted many Pinot Noirs from the Anderson Valley, frankly an underappreciated region, but I’ve never quite tasted such a tactile, silken and downright enjoyable wine as this. ORIGIN: Anderson Valley, Mendocino. ALCOHOL: 13.9%
