2022 Rhys Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard

The 2022 Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard is sultry in texture, with ample length and medium-bodied richness, the fruit elusive in comparison to the savory, herbal, and forested tones of bay leaf, white pepper, soy, and black tea. The texture is thick in umami-like structure, showing just a touch of oak in the hints of Asian spice and cardamom. This should age easily another 5-10 years. Rhys has two estates in California, one in Anderson Valley called Bearwallow and an estate winery and six estate vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Its Santa Cruz winery, where organic and dry farming are typical, is set across the fault line from Ridge Monte Bello and Mount Eden. The first commercial release was 2004. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, and sparkling wines are all made by winemaker Jeff Brinkman and sold direct, with these ocean-influenced wines considered among the finest in the state.

The 2022 Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard is the most exuberant and meaty Pinot Noir in the range, proudly displaying its quintessential meaty aromas with the vintage's beautifully expressive, red-fruited fidelity. The palate is plush, silky and layered, with an impressive concentration in the mid-palate and an almost perplexing lack of weight. It concludes on a suave, seamless note, with a plethora of fine, precise tannins that are already well-integrated. This is a fantastic showing that will be abnormally ready for enjoyment long before examples from more structurally endowed vintages.

The 2022 Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard is still coming together in bottle. Wild and exotic, the Horseshoe is endowed with tons of complexity. It's also very clearly an adolescent. Black cherry, dried herbs, mint and espresso gradually begin to take shape. More than anything else, this really needs time in the cellar. - Antonio Galloni