Rhys, Horseshoe Vineyard Syrah, Santa Cruz Mountains

unusual acidity with blackberry fruit for a syrah, more like what occurs with pinot noir

2013 vintage

lovely balance; juicier on day two

2013 vintage

P&P; very good botlle, exhuberant yet elegant nose, very northern rhone like, deep. the palate is medium +, silky tannins, good freshness, long. Blind, I would have guessed Cote Rotie.

2013 vintage

Kevin's Cali Offline (Noize) : 12.6% Decanted an hour and a half ahead. Nose rich but mushroomy and slightly dead. Surely this is not correct in some way ? Not TCA, but some calls of brett. Anyway rather reserved and not beautiful right now. NR After some time, the palate improves substantially, showing a very classy and quite reserved wine. I heard "cashmere rather than silk", "Liberty not John Lewis". Sadly the nose never really came out to play. If …

2013 vintage

Kevins Californian Dinner (Noizé, London) : this is slightly darker and fuller than the Alpine vineyard alongside it and you can feel more structure here with a lot of very fine cashmere tannins, or like talcum powder, theres a good mouthful of ripe dark cherries, great to compare to the alpine but this wine has a way to go yet

2013 vintage

Part of a horizontal of three Rhys single vineyards Syrah - 2013 at 12 years old is simply as stunning, as Cornas with beautiful game,black olive and freshly ground tomato and tomato leaf aromas after a while.Very old world, with cooler climate features. On the palate: plenty of black pepper, grilled meat, black olive brine, smoke, tobacco, leather and with some vegetal tomato accents too. Black fruit and cassis are just a nice background. Wonderfully complex but finely balanced too. …

2013 vintage

Beatiful showing. Fully secondary, starting to whiff a couple tertairy tones. Elegant relaxed and together. I would drink this now. I think in a few years its gonna start getting that Lays bbq potato chip thing which I tend to preffer before that sets in. I think this bottle is at peak. Stunning.

2013 vintage

Last tasted 11/23. This has opened up slightly since then and easier to drink but otherwise the presentation is similar: very similar to a Cote Rôtie from a riper but not overripe year. Faint black pepper, olive, blackberry and rose with some cedar and tobacco. This still has room to improve and open but it is easy to drink today with an hour in the decanter and food. Impressive.

2013 vintage

Came here to write almost exactly what AJBURT wrote. This was best on Day 3. My bottles was pretty good on opening, but it really opened up over three days.

2013 vintage

Followed over 3 days. Best on the 3rd day. Nose was initially quite astringent. Reserved without much giving. Some black pepper and blackcurrant leaf. Most striking thing about this wine is its high acidity. Doesn’t quite have the fruit to stand up to it, perhaps another 5 years will soften it. Gravelly, blackcurrant lozenges, touch of roasted meat. Undeniably Syrah. Better with food. 91-92.

2013 vintage

best rhys pinot i've had - hands down. spice notes are subtle and complex, and the body has mellowed with age. this is what we were waiting for. so good.

2013 vintage

Decanted an hour. Aromas of tart cherry, cranberry, earth, forest floor and mushroom. Medium mouthfeel with flavors showing tart and black cherry, spice, earth, forest floor and plum. Excellent balance, depthand complexity. Soft tannins in the long finish. Years of life left.

2013 vintage

This needed quite a bit of air and started somewhat awkwardly. After a couple of hours, it turned out really pretty with lots of strawberry, cherry, red fruit, underwood, and baking spices on the nose. Good acidity on the palate with similar flavors and good tannic structure. Nice finish. Beautiful wine that is drinking well now with some air. It's generally a bit more integrated than the last time I had it in 2016, but perhaps lost a bit of …

2013 vintage

A bit fizzy upon pouring. Something was off with this, and I'm betting in-bottle secondary fermentation. Drank more like a Gamay than anything else. Bummer, because my first bottle of this wine many years ago was excellent.

2013 vintage

Worried after reading the blether on faulty corks so opened one. No cork issues, stained to 20%. Wine was delicious, black current, leather, pencil notes. For me very close to a cote rotie. Some tannin remaining so will keep my last bottle a couple more years. Well done Rhys.

2013 vintage

Savory aromas of white pepper, crushed stone, and a hint of blackberries in the background. The palate is medium to full with impressive fruit density, velvety texture, and livening and well integrated acidity. Very harmonious. There's still substantial tannic structure on the back end, but it's well buffered by the fruit extract. Good persistence. At 11 years from vintage, this is beginning to mature. While more time will surely bring a more relaxed and mellow expression, this can be drunk …

2013 vintage

The cork was mostly saturated similar to the last review, But the wine tasted good to me. Although I don’t have a lot of experience with this producer, and so maybe it was not up to normal standards? Anyways, it was a floral nose with pretty good depth and well integrated.

2013 vintage

Continuing to drink through my 2013’s to see if there are cork issues. Popped and poured at cellar temp. This cork was saturated almost all the way through and I believe the wine is showing the impact. Muted nose of menthol and blackberry fruit. Horseshoe Syrah usually has a meaty, peppery note to it that just seems flat in this bottle. On the palate, all acid and some black fruit, but seems out of balance. Not oxidized, but not correct …

2013 vintage

Delicious blackberry, floral, and pepper notes on the nose and silky palate with juicy tannins on the long finish.

2013 vintage

Tried this prompted by some recent negative whisperings about 2013 Rhys. Perfect cork. The wine was superb, like no other Rhys I've had. Red berries and a strong note of mint, mixed with notes reminiscent of cinnamon and brown sugar. Not quite lush -- it was a bit too taut for that--, but in that ballpark, with a silkiness that caressed the tongue. Stunningly good. The best Rhys I've ever had.

2013 vintage

Leaking cork, but tasted delicious with blackberry, floral, and pepper notes on the nose and silky palate with juicy tannins on the long finish.

2013 vintage

Very minerally and shows definite age, I figured 2010 at best. Apparently they had substandard corks this vintage and the wines are aging fast. I love the producer but this bottle--not so much.

2013 vintage

Dinner with visiting Rhys guests : Similar to my previous impression. Northern Rhone-like with savoury blue fruit but rather muted, agreed with someone who suspected this to be mildly corked.

2013 vintage

This bottle was quite tight and reserved compared with the bottle last year.

2013 vintage

Very delicate, balanced wine. Never would've guessed it was syrah.

2013 vintage

Pop and pour. Seems to have lost a step from the last showing. Cork showing penetration almost 2/3 of the way through. On the nose: classic blackberry, bacon fat, lavender cola. On the palate: acidity seems a touch attenuated and comes off somewhat thin. Soft tannin on the finish. This btl showed somewhat on the downslope.

2013 vintage

Really good. Still tannic, but in a way that adds rather than detracts, nicely balanced, tasting of meat and black pepper, very structured and long. This was drinkable from the moment we pulled the cork, but the lingering tannin suggests that it will last quite a while longer.

2013 vintage

This is truly remarkable and lovely. If you didn’t know this was California Syrah you would guess a riper year in Cote Rôtie. Which doesn’t mean this shows ripe. It doesn’t. Blackberry, rose, black olive, earth, black pepper and faint tobacco. Intoxicating aromatics. This is still young, but opening up and very drinkable now. I expect this will improve more. Impressive. I remember having this at the Rhys pickup party way back when and being so impressed I bought as …

2013 vintage

French and American Wine Tasting Dinner (USA) : Double decanted in late morning and brought to a tasting dinner. Dark garnet color. Huge expressive nose out of the gate with a melange of dark berries and ripe black plum, as well as olive and earthy notes galore. Bright acidity and plenty of black pepper and olive as well as boysenberry, floral and light chocolate hints. Finish is amazingly long, Just doesn’t quit. Wonderful New World Syrah with an Old World …

2013 vintage

Drinking great. Dark fruit, pepper, intensity without being overwhelming.

2013 vintage

Cherry and earth. Some secondary notes as well. Everything is well-integrated and it’s quite nice. Drink.

2013 vintage

Popped and poured. This is stunningly good. Cool nose of cherry, orange rind flowers and spice. After 15 minutes the palate puts on weight. Medium bodied, transparent, red cherry, strawberry, tea and herbs. Impeccable balance and depth.

2013 vintage

First time with this pretty well known producer and I’m impressed. Dead ringer for northern Syrah here. Blueberries, bacon, olives and some florals on the nose. Really silky across the mid palate, tannins soft, acid noticeable. A pleasant “bite” on the finish that builds and builds, then comes down gently. Great stuff

2013 vintage

Delicious blackberry, floral, and pepper notes on the nose and silky palate with juicy tannins on the long finish.

2013 vintage

Fruits noirs, un peu viandeux. L’air lui a fait du bien, pas mauvais mais un peu évolué, presque fatigué, ma moins belle bouteille de Rhys. 88-89 Dark fruit, slightly meaty, some air did it some good, not bad but a tad too tired.

2013 vintage

Strong aromatics of black olive, black pepper, and wild blueberries. It is rich and dense, and has enough acidity to keep it from feeling heavy. Herbaceous and meaty, with olive brine and black plums. The surprising taste of whiskey on the long finish. A Northern Rhône ringer, and quite good with our Hungarian goulash.

2013 vintage

Decanted an hour. Very aromatic with tart cherry, cranberry, earth, forest floor, mushroom. Great mouthfeel, depth, complexity of flavors showing tart and black cherry, spice, earth, forest floor and plum. Excellent balance, soft tannins in the long finish. Entering its drinking window. No hurry to open the last bottle.

2013 vintage

Impressive and powerful nose of bay leaf wrapped plums. Really that’s my favorite part, could just keep smelling forever. Enough acid to keep it from feeling heavy and a moderately long finish with more intense herbs. Would never not think this was from Cali but has a clear thru line to the Rhône. Unique.

2013 vintage

This was just gorgeous. This is the kind of bottle that brings me back to Rhys time after time. The highest highs of Rhys make up for the bad corks and OTH whites. (cork was borderline btw, but ultimately fine). We came to this after a couple of spicy dumplings so I'm not going to say my palate was pristine but we drank over some 2 hours and it just kept getting better and better. There was a savory earthiness, …

2013 vintage

The most savory/mineral Rhys I have had so far. Sadly it had a touch of VA which prevented it from being a great wine.

2013 vintage

I was forced to open this early because the wine was starting to leak a bit as the cork was completely soaked. This is probably 2-3 years before the start of the optimal drinking window. Nose is explosive and very burgundian, dark red fruits, roses, forest floor, wild mushrooms, the finish goes on for 40+ seconds with perfect balance. Initially there was some iodine on the finish which was a bit off-putting, but this blew off in an hour. I’d …

2013 vintage

PNP. Beautiful nose of black cherry, spice from the stems, orange peel and funk. Deep palate, velvety and rich with a mouth coating texture that is almost too heavy but ultimately in balance. For my money the Skyline is the best domestic Pinot and one of the few wines that is not out of place in a lineup of Burgundy.

2013 vintage

12.6% abv. Medium burgundy red, very aromatic. Raspberry, black and red cherry, blue fruit and a touch of mint. Has an intriguing savory element. Excellent mouthfeel, depth, complexity and length. Good to see what this unique vineyard can do with a little age.

2013 vintage

Fabulous bottle starting to open and reveal its true potential. The more I have from Rhys, I have realized the top bottlings don't even begin to strut their stuff for at least 7-10 years. Still somewhat bitter red fruits (think: sour cherry, cranberry) but developing secondary notes of herbs, darker fruits and some earth. Sadly only one of these beauties left which I won't consume before 2025.

2013 vintage

12.8% abv. Medium burgundy red, moderately intense aromatics. On the palate, raspberry, sage, cranberry and tart cherry element. Excellent depth and length. Enjoyable now, but needs time to resolve a still apparent tannic structure. I have one remaining, which I've give another 2-3 years.

2013 vintage

Medium garnet. The earthy/soil component of this wine's profile was more of a wet earth / barnyard / grilled mushroom sort than that of dry dirt or piney forest floor - perhaps what was compared in a note below to a Cayuse Syrah, although I'm going to guess that the Cayuse funk is about a proprietary yeast, and this wine's more mild funk reflects the terroir somehow (only my 2nd Skyline Pinot as I don't buy it every year), or …

2013 vintage

Tasted over 3 hrs -med red faint violet minimal clearing -expressive wet stone stems spice -med acidity, med/med- weight gentle spiced red fruit splashes on the mid-palate rhubarb beetroot elements, a bit of bitter and sweet oak make the med+ tannins slightly dried out -lovely nose great complexity drinking well now, not sure this will be as long-lived as some predict as it's not clear there is enough stuffing to integrate the residual oak and tannins

2013 vintage

this is ready to drink with a little air.

2013 vintage

-- cork pulled and a very small sample poured off approx. 17 - 18 hours before tasting on Day 2; decanted a couple hours before tasting -- -- tasted non-blind over a couple hours on Day 2 -- This benefited *greatly* from air exposure. Lovely-but-tight red-fruited aromatics set against an earthy backdrop upon opening. By the time we got around to tasting it the next evening, it had opened considerably, showing expressive dark red fruit aromatics along with notes of …

2013 vintage

Beautiful dark fruit berry fruit, clean and neat, but also soaring. This is a compelling wine that seems to revolve around its gorgeous black fruit. It has a neat subtle cologne aroma, crunchy earth and soil that seems to almost be keeping the fruit in check. I get the sense that this baby at maturity will blow the drinker away with its pure and amazing dark fruit.

2013 vintage

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Rhys, Horseshoe Vineyard Syrah, Santa Cruz Mountains

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