2015 Rhys Chardonnay Alpine Vineyard
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The 2015 Chardonnay Alpine Vineyard is a brilliant young wine with a great future ahead of it, unwinding in the glass with notes of Anjou pear, lime zest and preserved citrus, complemented by subtle nuances of fresh nutmeg and drawn butter. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, bright and racy, with elegantly glossy texture on the attack that segues into a racy line of ripe acidity that carries through the extremely long, tongue-tinglingly intense and mouthwatering finish. Deep and concentrated, it's also uncompromisingly structured for the cellar, and I expect it will gain considerably in mid-palate amplitude after a few years of cellaring. It's hard to find wines like this in Burgundy, let alone California.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
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One of my favorite Chardonnays from this team is always the Alpine Vineyard and it’s a classic, pure expression of Chardonnay that ages beautifully. The 2015 Chardonnay Alpine Vineyard is certainly one of the great examples of this terroir and it shows terrific concentration and viscosity, while staying elegant, pure and perfectly balanced. White peach, citrus oil, tangerine and white flower characteristics give way to a medium to full-bodied, tight, backward Chardonnay that has racy acidity, more than enough fruit, and a great finish. Give bottles 2-4 years and enjoy over the following decade or more. This was a terrific lineup of 2015s from the team at Rhys. Across the board, these are tight and structured, with terrific concentration. Give them a few years of bottle age. Unfortunately, due to the devastating yields, there’s no Skyline Vineyard or Hillside releases in 2015s. In addition, they have a new estate vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains (bringing their total to seven estate vineyards) that will be coming on line over the next couple of years. Named Mount Pajaro Vineyard, the site was planted in 2010 and covers 18 acres in the southern part of the Santa Cruz Mountains, planted all with high density, 3.5 feet row spacing. Harvey commented that they’ve learned a lot over the past decade planting their other estate properties and they’re excited about the quality of this site.
Rich, honeyed and oily on the palate, the 2015 Chardonnay Alpine Vineyard is also the most overt Chardonnay in the Rhys lineup. Orange peel, crème brulée, spice and butter notes fill out the wine's ample frame effortlessly. This is a decidedly flamboyant, extroverted style. The 2015 can be enjoyed with minimal cellaring. (AG)