2010 Rhys Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard
This is really good. The bouquet is on the richer end of the spectrum, with loads of vanilla bean, grilled pineapple, clarified butter, honey and beeswax, but this is well balanced by fresh notes of lemon zest, white ginger, and herbal hints of tarragon and lemon verbena. A sexy, engaging bouquet, but not OTT. The palate is leaner and brighter, with lots of energy and zippy lemon acids, a layered mouthfeel and a nice slightly bitter finish. Overall, delicious and satisfying, and clearly in the so-good-now-so-donāt-wait zone. Drink now. 93-94 pts.
This is probably my 10th Rhys Chardonnay, and while all have been at least very good, this is the first that is truly thrilling.
Thanks for the note, Pat. Iām sitting on two bottles of the Chard. Sounds like I should open one soon.
I like this vineyard in 2010. Over the past couple of weeks, I opened a 2010 Rhys Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard and 2010 Rhys Syrah Horseshoe Vineyard. The Pinot was drinking very well and the Syrah was epic.
That was an enticing description. I would love to try that wine! I donāt think I have ever let a domestic chard age for ten years. Maybe Iām missing out. For whatever reason, I feel like I need to drink these at 4-6 years of age. I suppose it is quite common with Burgundy so why not? Iād be curious how many out there are drinking 10 year old domestic chardonnay and whether they are better with age.
Thanks Pat-I still have quite a few Rhys Chards dating back to about 2006 as I recall. Some have been in a good spot, some have not. I probably should be opening the pre-2010ās.
Thank you for the tasting note and your colorful description. I have not had the opportunity to taste a Rhys and I have seen many people on this site highlight how good it is. I will add this to my New Year resolutions of things to find in 2021
I first paid attention to Rhys thanks to the buzz on this board, and managed to back-fill a few vintages of the chardonnay a while back. Based on my prior experiences with this wine, I think the 10 years of age made a big difference in how well the 2010 showed. I am not in the habit of aging my chardonnays (domestic or French) for a decade, so this was just a fortuitous cellar management oversight
Iām drinking 40 year old CA Chard. There were a few producers back then making age worthy Chards, and some all along. Thereās been a more recent push for this sort of quality, which Rhys has been a part of, so the number of excellent producers of Chards that improve with extended aging continues to grow. A bunch of such CA and OR producers are Berserker Day participants. (Might want to take any non-Rhys follow-ups to what I said another thread.)
I personally think the chardonnays are the best and most consistent part of the Rhys portfolio. But I have had uneven results (usually good, but just uneven) with them aging more than a few years from release, and even the ones that hold up well, Iām not really sure they were as good as they were when they were younger.
Of course, Rhys is a young winery, and the aging curve on wines from 10+ years ago may not be the same as that of newer wines, either. Anyway, the process of trying and learning is a fun one of itself.
I occasionally drink 10 year old domestic Chardonnay and would happily drink more if I had them. Most were from Oregon, where a handful of producers have long track records.
As to whether they are better with age is a matter of personal preference I suppose. Iāll certainly be happy to have some 10 year plus Goodfellow, Walter Scott and Eyrie. Iāll bet Kutch Chardonnay will age well.
I have learned that these are well worth sampling through their early years. I now buy as much (or more) in 375 or 500 mL bottle as I do in 750mL to extend my sample set. Further, the self-indulgence threshold on the smaller bottles is much lower. Some vintages (thinking 2009) are really not going long; the acid structure just isnāt there to carry the fruit. Others have continued to evolve and improve in the bottle. I still have a few from the very early years that I am drinking through to get a sense of how Alpine and Horseshoe express with some age.