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Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard 2018 750ml

size
750ml
country
United States
region
California
appellation
Santa Cruz County
subappellation
Santa Cruz Mountains
WA
96
VM
95
JD
94
Additional vintages
2019 2018 2012
WA
96
Rated 96 by Wine Advocate
The 2018 Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard is darker in color and more aromatically dazzling out of the gate than its Horseshoe counterpart. It offers a captivating, herbal nose of black fruits, garrigue, tree bark and sweet tobacco. The palate is powerful and assertive, springing off the tongue and coating the mouth with elegant dark fruits, fine, persistent tannins and perfectly balanced acidity. The finish is intense yet full of finesse, providing a wonderful juxtaposition to the upfront attack of the palate and intensity of the nose. It is an endlessly fascinating wine on its own, and even more so with the Horseshoe next to it. Given the energy and textural vivacity on display, this should remain in the cellar for another few years to capitalize on this immense potential. ... More details
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Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard 2018 750ml

SKU 898113
Case Only Purchase
Long-term Pre-Arrival
$1021.62
/case
$170.27
/750ml bottle
Quantity
min order 6 bottles
* This is a Long-term Pre-arrival item and is available for online ordering only. This item will ship on a future date after a 4-8 months transfer time. For additional details about Pre-arrival Items please visit our FAQ page.
Professional Ratings
WA
96
VM
95
JD
94
WA
96
Rated 96 by Wine Advocate
The 2018 Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard is darker in color and more aromatically dazzling out of the gate than its Horseshoe counterpart. It offers a captivating, herbal nose of black fruits, garrigue, tree bark and sweet tobacco. The palate is powerful and assertive, springing off the tongue and coating the mouth with elegant dark fruits, fine, persistent tannins and perfectly balanced acidity. The finish is intense yet full of finesse, providing a wonderful juxtaposition to the upfront attack of the palate and intensity of the nose. It is an endlessly fascinating wine on its own, and even more so with the Horseshoe next to it. Given the energy and textural vivacity on display, this should remain in the cellar for another few years to capitalize on this immense potential.
VM
95
Rated 95 by Vinous Media
The 2018 Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard opens with striking, floral-infused aromatics that give the wine presence and structure. Savory and finely cut, with superb delineation, and tons of depth, the Alpine is positively stellar today. Layers of fruit enshroud the tannins, making them barely perceptible. The 2018 is a stunning Pinot from Alpine, a site originally planted with 17 heritage clones.
JD
94
Rated 94 by Jeb Dunnuck
Redcurrants, flowers, chalky minerality, spice, and loamy soil notes all emerge from the 2018 Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard, which is medium-bodied and has a supple, elegant texture, no hard edges, and a great finish. It shows more and more minerality with time in the glass and is a classic expression of this steep, southwest-facing vineyard. It has plenty of upfront charm and accessibility yet still has ample underlying tannins. My money is on it benefiting from 2-3 years of bottle age and evolving nicely for a solid decade.
Product Details
size
750ml
country
United States
region
California
appellation
Santa Cruz County
subappellation
Santa Cruz Mountains
Additional vintages
2019 2018 2012
Overview
The 2018 Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard is darker in color and more aromatically dazzling out of the gate than its Horseshoe counterpart. It offers a captivating, herbal nose of black fruits, garrigue, tree bark and sweet tobacco. The palate is powerful and assertive, springing off the tongue and coating the mouth with elegant dark fruits, fine, persistent tannins and perfectly balanced acidity. The finish is intense yet full of finesse, providing a wonderful juxtaposition to the upfront attack of the palate and intensity of the nose. It is an endlessly fascinating wine on its own, and even more so with the Horseshoe next to it. Given the energy and textural vivacity on display, this should remain in the cellar for another few years to capitalize on this immense potential.
green grapes

Varietal: Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir grapes have been cultivated in and around the Burgundy region of France for centuries, where they have long been favored by vintners for their wide range of flavors, their thin skins and for producing wines which have light, smooth tannins, and a beautiful garnet red color Whilst they remain one of the flagship varietals of this special region, their wide popularity and recent status as a fashionable 'romantic' varietal has led to them being planted in almost every wine producing country in the world. However, the Pinot Noir demands a huge amount of care and attention from the wineries that wish to grow it, as this varietal is particularly susceptible to various forms of mildew and rot. Despite this, the grape is otherwise a favorite with wineries for the fact that it requires little extra effort once it begins fermentation. Pinot Noir is also widely known for producing some of the world's most famous sparkling wines, being one of two key grapes for the production of Champagne, and several other sparkling varieties.
barrel

Region: California

California as a wine producing region has grown in size and importance considerably over the past couple of centuries, and today is the proud producer of more than ninety percent of the United States' wines. Indeed, if California was a country, it would be the fourth largest producer of wine in the world, with a vast range of vineyards covering almost half a million acres. The secret to California's success as a wine region has a lot to do with the high quality of its soils, and the fact that it has an extensive Pacific coastline which perfectly tempers the blazing sunshine it experiences all year round. The winds coming off the ocean cool the vines, and the natural valleys and mountainsides which make up most of the state's wine regions make for ideal areas in which to cultivate a variety of high quality grapes.
fields

Country: United States

The first European settlers to consider growing grapevines in the United States must have been delighted when they discovered the now famous wine regions within California, Oregon and elsewhere. Not even in the Old World are there such fertile valleys, made ideal for vine cultivation by the blazing sunshine, long, hot summers and oceanic breezes. As such, it comes as little surprise that today more than eighty-nine percent of United States wines are grown in the valleys and on the mountainsides of California, where arguably some of the finest produce in the world is found. However, American wine does not begin and end with California, and due to the vast size of the country and the incredible range of terrains and climates found within the United States, there is probably no other country on earth which produces such a massive diversity of wines. From ice wines in the northern states, to sparkling wines, aromatized wines, fortified wines, reds, whites, rosés and more, the United States has endless surprises in store for lovers of New World wines.
Customer Reviews
Customer Reviews

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More Details
Winery Rhys
green grapes

Varietal: Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir grapes have been cultivated in and around the Burgundy region of France for centuries, where they have long been favored by vintners for their wide range of flavors, their thin skins and for producing wines which have light, smooth tannins, and a beautiful garnet red color Whilst they remain one of the flagship varietals of this special region, their wide popularity and recent status as a fashionable 'romantic' varietal has led to them being planted in almost every wine producing country in the world. However, the Pinot Noir demands a huge amount of care and attention from the wineries that wish to grow it, as this varietal is particularly susceptible to various forms of mildew and rot. Despite this, the grape is otherwise a favorite with wineries for the fact that it requires little extra effort once it begins fermentation. Pinot Noir is also widely known for producing some of the world's most famous sparkling wines, being one of two key grapes for the production of Champagne, and several other sparkling varieties.
barrel

Region: California

California as a wine producing region has grown in size and importance considerably over the past couple of centuries, and today is the proud producer of more than ninety percent of the United States' wines. Indeed, if California was a country, it would be the fourth largest producer of wine in the world, with a vast range of vineyards covering almost half a million acres. The secret to California's success as a wine region has a lot to do with the high quality of its soils, and the fact that it has an extensive Pacific coastline which perfectly tempers the blazing sunshine it experiences all year round. The winds coming off the ocean cool the vines, and the natural valleys and mountainsides which make up most of the state's wine regions make for ideal areas in which to cultivate a variety of high quality grapes.
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Country: United States

The first European settlers to consider growing grapevines in the United States must have been delighted when they discovered the now famous wine regions within California, Oregon and elsewhere. Not even in the Old World are there such fertile valleys, made ideal for vine cultivation by the blazing sunshine, long, hot summers and oceanic breezes. As such, it comes as little surprise that today more than eighty-nine percent of United States wines are grown in the valleys and on the mountainsides of California, where arguably some of the finest produce in the world is found. However, American wine does not begin and end with California, and due to the vast size of the country and the incredible range of terrains and climates found within the United States, there is probably no other country on earth which produces such a massive diversity of wines. From ice wines in the northern states, to sparkling wines, aromatized wines, fortified wines, reds, whites, rosés and more, the United States has endless surprises in store for lovers of New World wines.