Rhys Bearwallow Vineyard Pinot Noir 2010
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From a recently purchased site in the Anderson Valley, the 2010 Pinot Noir Bearwallow Vineyard stands apart from all of the other wines in the Rhys lineup. It possesses precise, brilliant aromatics and finely sculpted fruit. Overall, the Bearwallow is a subtle, refined Pinot built on finesse, with gorgeous underlying minerality and tons of class. Proprietor Kevin Harvey bought this site in 2008, and subsequently planted an additional 25 acres of vineyards to the existing six on this property. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2018.
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.
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Wine Spectator
Deftly balanced, offering spicy and peppery scents, with red berry fruit and a crushed rock minerality, ending with a cleansing, detailed finish. The first Rhys Pinot from a new vineyard in Anderson Valley. Drink now through 2020.
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At Rhys Vineyards we aspire to make great Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah from some of California’s most unique and expressive vineyards. This pursuit has led us to search the state for exciting rocky soils that exist within the mountainous, cool, Coastal climate zone. Over the last 15 years we have developed seven estate vineyards, six in the Santa Cruz Mountains and one in Anderson Valley, each of which is capable of producing uniquely compelling, distinctive, soil driven wine.
Their overriding belief that unique vineyard expression is the key to truly great wine leads them to an approach that includes: 1. A relentless, spare-no-expense, focus on producing the best possible fruit in the vineyard; 2. Carefully selected cool weather sites that offer interesting and expressive soil character; 3. Natural winemaking with minimal intervention. These core tenets help produce age-worthy wines that emphasize vineyard expression, balance, fresh fruit, and concentration.