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2016 Rhys Horseshoe Vineyard Pinot Noir, 500ml

Not Currently In Auction

Latest Sale Price

October 27, 2024 - $46

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RATINGS

97Vinous / IWC

...flat-out stunner. Crazy, beautiful, deeply spiced aromatics literally explode from the glass. Broad and ample on the palate, with tremendous intensity... Orange peel, mint and spice overtones add an exotic flair. This is an utterly captivating Pinot Noir from Rhys.

96Jeb Dunnuck

...offers a more savory, mineral style as well as terrific depth of fruit. Lots of currant and black cherry fruits, ample rocky, earthy minerality, medium to full body, and a seamless texture all emerge from the glass.

94The Wine Advocate

...notes of strawberries, red cherries, rich spices, forest floor and subtle grilled meat. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, taut and youthfully firm, its bright core of concentrated fruit framed by chalky, fine-grained tannins...

92Burghound.com

...high-toned nose reflects notes of red raspberry, spice, floral and soft wisps of menthol...there is a beguilingly sleek and seductive texture to the delicious middle weight flavors that possess good mid-palate volume, all wrapped in a dusty, moderately firm and expansive finish that really fans out as it sits on the palate. This offers excellent depth.

17Jancis Robinson

Real verve on the nose, bright and intense red fruits with a hint of green tea. The palate is floral and lifted, with jasmine, red cherry and wild strawberries. Elegant yet intense, this ethereal wine is harmonious, approachable yet complex and very moreish.

PRODUCER

Rhys

Rhys Vineyards is a Santa Cruz maker of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The estate is owned by Kevin Harvey, who has vineyards in several sites in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Rhys Vineyards also makes a few wines under the Alesia label that come from grapes purchased in the Sonoma Coast and in the Santa Lucia Highlands. It is the Rhys Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays, however, that have made the small estate into something of a cult producer of California wines with Burgundian appeal. Both the Pinots and Chardonnays regularly earn high ratings from reviewers. The wines are generally available through mailing lists.

REGION

United States, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

Santa Cruz Mountains AVA includes high elevation territory in the counties of Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and San Mateo. The AVA follows the coast line from San Francisco to Monterey with elevations from 400 feet to 3,000 feet above sea level. There are 1,500 vineyard acres and the AVA was established in 1981. Despite the challenging terrain in these rugged mountains and hills, highly esteemed wineries have been located here since the early 20th century, when Paul Masson, a Frenchman by birth, started making sparkling wine in the area. By the 1970s vineyards were growing Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Numerous microclimates within the AVA offer viticulturists diverse growing conditions, and many varietals are grown successfully.

TYPE

Red Wine, Pinot Noir

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.