2023 Rhys Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard
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Tasting notes
From a sedimentary-shale and limestone site near Alpine Vineyard that also features powdery clay soils, the outstanding 2023 Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard is resinous and freshly layered in grapefruit, key lime, and just-picked peach, a focused, gorgeously layered and integrated white that's beyond impressive. Medium-bodied, it has concentration and intensity but wow, so much crisp flavor. Don't wait, drink now, but if you must, it will hold up with grace and ease through 2038.
Critic scores
Matthew Luczy, Wine Advocate
Virginie Boone, jebdunnuck.com
More reviews and scores
The 2023 Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard has real attitude. It’s so phenolic, chewy and salty, a wine that channels all the intense power of this terroir. The 2023 is all about cut and drive, seeming as if it were chiseled from stone, but there’s also a beguiling underlying richness that grows more prominent in the glass. Fruit is pushed all the way to the background, but that’s not surprising for a Horseshoe Chardonnay in its early days. Brisk and racy, this precocious young wine will need at least a few years to begin to reveal its charms, but your patience will be rewarded.
The most powerful of the Chardonnays is the 2023 Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard, which confidently emphasizes its textural power while maintaining finesse and nuance. The bouquet features a round, stone-fruit and nougat-like richness, complemented by dried white flowers and citrus-driven energy, leading to a sleek, tense, silky and rich palate. The finish is the slowest and most concentrated among the Chardonnay selections, perfectly balancing high-toned energy with a deep, high-fidelity richness and a persistent salinity, with less overt mineral character than the Mt Pajaro bottling.