Santa Cruz

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.  

Nice to revisit this with some age on it. Yellow-gold in color with slight green hues, clear and bright.  The nose is the same; vanilla, lemon crème, and minerals.  Medium to full bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, lemons, lemon curd and slight vanilla.  Long finish.  This tastes mature but very similar to how it tasted on release.  More depth, less energy.  Not sure where it goes from here but another five years and probably ten.  Great on its own, this will work well with salmon or tuna steaks.   

This is an interesting wine.  Much more about being refined and still expressing Santa Cruz Mountains than being boisterous.  Of course, some of that may also be the vintage.  Deep garnet in color with some purple hues, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is deep with cassis, black cherries, spice and graphite/char.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, this has a bit of a bell pepper/herbal streak to go along with nice cassis fruit.  Some underlying char.  Medium tannins.  This has the feel that it needs more time to develop and come together.  It drank better on day 2.  Hold for another

I am a huge fan of Rhys Chardonnays and also a big fan of the Chenin Blanc grape so it was with great anticipation that this got opened.  Its a very nice wine, but not at the level for me of the Chardonnays.  I believe this was the first vintage so perhaps Kevin Harvey and his team will zero in on growing this varietal and making the wine they want.  Tasted over three days, it didn't really change, so perhaps this is the proverbial "needs more time" wine.  In any event, light golden in color with the slightest copper hue.  On the nose, some orange rind, a bit of honey, peaches and some mine

From Magnum.  Very nice showing.  Light golden with green hues.  The nose is nice with slight lemon curd, vanilla, a bit of lemon rind and smoke.  Full bodied.  This is crisp and clean.  On the palate, plenty of depth  The lemon and lemon rind come thru with some underlying char.  The oak is there but deftly used.  Great balance.  Long finish.  This worked well with assorted cheeses, potato chips, and even a salad.  A 750ML will be more advanced but it seems like it easily has another eight to ten years.  

This continues to be one of the best Chardonnay's made anywhere.  Light golden in color with slight green swirls, clear and bright.  The nose has lemon curd, minerality, and vanilla.  Full bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, lemon curd and vanilla with great minerality.  Still quite young, this should drink well for the next ten to fifteen years.  It went great with soft cheeses and also some vegetarian Indian food.  

This is the base Pinot from Rhys.  Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, slight black cherries, and slight sour cherries.  Medium bodied.  Some depth and complexity.  Still youthful.  On the palate, sour cherries and cherries  with slight char and spice.  Nice finish.  This is chugging along nicely.  It won't get better but should mature and continue to drink well for another ten to twelve years.  It drinks well on its own but will work better food.  Roasted chicken or duck is a nice choice.  

Another great showing for this wine, but it did take some time to open.  In  addition, it seemed a bit different in profile than prior years (less oak and lemon, more grapefruit and salinity).  Not better or worse, just different.  Golden in color with a slight green hue.  On the nose, grapefruits, smoke/gunpowder with a streak of salinity.  Full bodied.  On the palate, tart grapefruit, a hint of almonds and some salinity.  Nice acidity.  Long finish.  This should drink well for the next 12 to 15 years.  This drinks great on its own but will be even better with food.  It worked well with qu

Another example of why Rhys is one of my favorite Chardonnay's from anywhere.  Light golden in color with slight green hues.  Clear and bright.  The nose is gorgeous with lemon curd, minerality, and vanilla.  Full bodied.  Solid acidity.  On the palate those flavors carry thru.  Lemon curd and vanilla with great minerality.  Just delicious.  The bottle is drained quickly.  Long finish.  These drink so beautifully young, they do shut down a bit after a few years and then re-open at around age 7 to 10 for another decade.  Great on their own, these work great with crisp or lighter foods.  

I just love this vineyard (across multiple producers) and Jamie's take on it is excellent.  Light golden in color.  The nose is beautiful with lemons, vanilla, a noticeable (but not overdone) note of toasty oak and slight almond flour note.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is on the bigger side but no bomb.  Great acidity.  Lively with energy.  It is delicious.  Lemon fruit with a touch of toast and vanilla.  Long finish.  This seems like it should easily go ten to fifteen more years.  It went wonderfully with a chopped veggie salad that included asparagus and drinks great on its own.