2014 Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard Hillside

Proprietor Kevin Harvey calls 2015 the most concentrated vintage he has seen yet at Rhys because of the small berries and low yields that are such a signature of a growing season in which the typically paltry Santa Cruz Mountains yields were reduced even further by poor weather during flowering. As a result, Rhys did not bottle their Pinot Noir Swan Terrace or Pinot Noir Skyline Vineyard. Not surprisingly, I found the 2015 Pinots to be quite dark in flavor profile and densely packed. Silky tannins give the wines a certain degree of approachability, especially among the appellation level Pinots, but I expect the top wines in this range will need a number of years to unwind and be at their true best. Stylistically, the Chardonnays are all a bit riper in style and seem to reflect the challenges of the year more than the Pinots, something I saw at other estates as well. I also tasted a handful of 2016 Pinots that will be offered as futures. I found more aromatic lift and less overt concentration than in either 2015 and 2014. The sampIes I tasted suggest 2016 will turn out to be another brilliant vintage at Rhys. Lastly, while Rhys has received notable acclaim for their Pinots and Chardonnays, the lone Syrah remains one of the very finest wines being made in California today. Readers should not miss it!

According to Kevin Harvey, the key to 2014 and 2013 is that while both vintages, were warmer than historical averages, temperatures cooled down during August and September to the point that conditions were not excessively hot during harvest, which is, of course, the most critical time of the year. That said, yields in 2014 were the lowest of the three drought vintages of 2012-2014, with a bit more overall stress in the vineyards given the length of the cycle. The conditions resulted in a set of powerful, intense wines. Harvey adds that acids were generally higher than 2013, but not as high as 2012. The Pinots are brooding, while the Chardonnays are bold and very-ripe. The Chardonnays are notoriously slow agers. I will be surprised if they are not even better with a few years' time. The other big news at Rhys is Kevin Harvey's new Carricante project on Sicily's Mount Etna. Harvey told me he thinks Carricante is the world's third most pedigreed white variety after Chardonnay and Riesling. As much as I admire Carricante, there doesn't seem to be enough data to support that view, as good as Benanti's older Pietra Marina bottlings can be. The first Carricante from Harvey's new Aeris label is attractive, but it is also a work in progress. Still, given Harvey's track record at Rhys, I have little doubt he and partner/winemaker Salvo Foti will soon be making distinguished whites in Sicily as well.