TN: 2008 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard

WINE TALK
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  • 2008 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (2/23/2021)
    Getting on towards thirteen years from the vintage, and there is a clear glimmer of developing maturity. It’s not yet heading in the sous bois direction, but there is a distinct element of umami coming through on the mid-palate. Still it’s a massive wine in terms of overall density, but not heavy. Patience is starting to be rewarded, but further patience is required. Structure is developing on pace with the fruit, so I am not worried about balance. That holy grail of a Rhys Pinot that achieves full maturity is still out there. Choose wisely.

Posted from CellarTracker

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Now this Rhys bottling I think has the goods to go the distance. Thanks for the note, David.

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2008 is the best of the pre-2012 vintages at Rhys. I still think the more recent years are better.

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Honest question, Why are wines since 2012 better?

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Sounds like a crowd pleaser. For some reason, I imbibed all my 08s prematurely. Is what it is. And for some reason, I have some 07s laying around. Wasn’t planned.

Full Maturity is an interesting unicorn to chase, God’s speed.

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Kevin Harvey has talked about things such as vine age, learning the vineyards, and fine tuning the winemaking (e.g. levels of stem inclusion). I don’t recall all the details, but 2012 was a bit of a dividing line on some important things if I correctly recall his comments. From my personal standpoint, I have sometimes found the wines from 2006-2011 to be a bit “blocky,” with more nuance showing, even at release in wines from 2012 forward.

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Maturing nicely with red cherry fruit merging with developing secondary earth. Ample acid and a hint of tannin. Great texture.

Along with 2006 Alpine Hillside, this is my favorite Rhys to date showing development. Drinking very well now with more to go.

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