2018 Rhys Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard Ungrafted Vines
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The 2018 Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard Ungrafted Vines is the inaugural release from a two-acre, own-rooted hillside block that yielded just two barrels of wine. The results are the most elegant and haunting expression of the Horseshoe site, the other side of the coin from the structurally impenetrable Hillside bottling. The nose is beaming, red-fruited and floral, with a seductive, refined intensity. A textural openness and weightlessness on the palate leads seamlessly to a fine-grained, expansive finish. This wine is singular in the Rhys stable, emphasizing red fruits and silky delicacy instead of a dark-fruited, dense structure. I enjoyed this wine immensely, and I suspect the minuscule quantities out in the world will drink beautifully well past their 20th birthday.
Critic scores
Jancis Robinson MW
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Produced from a parcel of densely planted, own-rooted vines in Horseshoe Vineyard, which is a bowl-shaped site that sits at 1,500 ft (460 m) above sea level above Monterey Shale. A phenomenally aromatic wine, with enchanting scents of exotic flowers and black-raspberry fruit that don't even require you to put your nose in the glass. The wine is electric with acidity and juicy with raspberry and cherry fruit flavours that are expansive and ethereal. Almost weightless on the palate, this is not so much a wine as a gorgeous vibrant cloud of berries, fresh herbs and floral nectar. Faint gauzy tannins and this gorgeous aromatic sweetness. An incredibly profound expression of Californian Pinot Noir that ranks among the very best in the state. (AY)
This 10.85-acre (4.39-ha) vineyard sits at approximately 1,500 feet (460 m) above sea level with slopes varying from 10% to 25% across its east, south, and west aspects. Roughly 18 inches (45 cm) of soil sits on top of Monterey shale. 583 cases made. Light to medium garnet. Smells of candied sour cherries and raspberries topped by floral aromas. Silky floral flavours of raspberry and cherry mix with cranberries as cotton-ball-soft tannins float through the mouth. Notes of candied dried flowers linger in the finish. Hard to pin down, but scintillating in its flavours and dynamism. Wow! (AY)
There are now three releases from this vineyard, a grafted vine, an ungrafted vine, and a hillside selection. The base 2018 Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard is about as textbook a rendition of this site as I could imagine. Its masculine, earthy, meaty bouquet includes lots of ripe red and black fruits, spice, exotic flowers, iodine, and incense. It shows more sweet fruit on the palate and is medium to full-bodied, has nicely integrated acidity, silky tannins, and a great finish. It shows a supple, even charming style on the palate and has plenty of upfront appeal, yet it's still going to benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and evolve for over a decade.