2010 Rhys Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard

The 2010 Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard comes across as surprisingly tropical for Rhys. Pineapple, passion fruit, mint, flowers and honey wrap around the palate in this juicy, expressive Chardonnay. Mineral notes appear later to frame the finish. The 2010 harvest produced the lowest alcohols yet for Chardonnay at Rhys. I also tasted the 2007, which was never commercially released. That wine has acquired quite a bit of complexity, with notes of smokiness and graphite that round out the fruit.

The 2010 Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard comes across as surprisingly tropical for Rhys. Pineapple, passion fruit, mint, flowers and honey wrap around the palate in this juicy, expressive Chardonnay. Mineral notes appear later to frame the finish. The 2010 harvest produced the lowest alcohols yet for Chardonnay at Rhys. I also tasted the 2007, which was never commercially released. That wine has acquired quite a bit of complexity, with notes of smokiness and graphite that round out the fruit. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2020. Proprietor Kevin Harvey and his team, led by winemaker Jeff Brinkman, have received quite a bit of attention of late. They deserve every bit of it, if not more. Harvey has spared no expense in building a state of the art facility, which includes 100 one-ton fermenters that allow for multiple small lot fermentations. In the vineyard, Harvey has taken the type of risks only someone with a background in early stage technology investing could stomach. The result is a series of breathtaking wines, Pinots especially, that are among the finest being made in the United States. I am quite sure Harvey’s goals are much more ambitious than that, though. It will be interesting to see how things play out at Rhys over the coming years, but there is no question these are exciting, compelling wines of the highest level. My experience with the Rhys Pinots is that they develop very slowly in bottle, so readers need to exercise a bit more patience than is typically required with California Pinot Noir. Like most estates in 2010, Rhys grappled with the September heat spikes, which took place during the harvest. The Home and Family Farm were brought in before the spikes, as was 80% of Alpine, Horseshoe and Bearwallow. Rhys had a harder time with Skyline, which came in after the spikes. Ultimately, only 25% of that fruit made it into the fermentation tanks. Tel. (866) 511-1520; www.rhysvineyards.com

Green-tinged gold. Complex, highly fragrant aromas of peach pit, melon and candied orange, with intense mineral and iodine qualities gaining power with air. Sappy and expansive, offering vibrant pit fruit, pear and anise flavors lifted by zesty minerality. Rich but lithe and stony, finishing with excellent clarity and a persistent note of bitter citrus pith. I was strongly reminded of a serious Chablis.