Rhys Perpetual Reserve

[April 2024 disgorge] pale gold colour. white roses and fresh herbs weave thru the moderately expressive aromas and flavours of white pear, green and yellow apple, lemon zest and brioche gently accented with almonds, ginger and wet stones. dry, with plus acidity and delicate mousse that emphasise the understated, silky, diaphanous mouthfeel. elegantly layered and with complexity and clarity; finishes long. …one to savour and enjoy; drinks very well now, and likely to gain additional depth. 12.5% AbV; dosage 4.7 …

From magnum. Medium yellow color, abundant medium-fine bead. Apple, lemon curd, and slight pastry note on the nose. Palate has filled in with good orchard fruit, tarte tatin, and a hint of ginger that carries into a medium-long finish. Much more breadth than the earlier efforts from Rhys. 2021 disgorgement. Drink.

Drank over time

Green Apple with a mineral finish

Delightful.

Improved with time, enjoyed over three hours.

6/3/2021 disgorgement, as I believe all five prior bottles that I drank were. Notes after following for 3 hours/3 glasses. Light gold color with a fast and persistent fizz from the apex of my Lehman Reference Jamesse stem. Generous aroma, featuring pralines and honeydew melon but the longer its open, the more brioche and autolysis emerge in the bouquet and particularly on the palate. The finish stays vibrant and lingers with all the lovely flavors that I had hoped for. …

Solera style. Some complexity. Crisp green apple. Lemon lime zest.

Very solid. Worth the price? Who knows. Doesn't really matter. This is great everyday sparkler and as the professional notes point out, it is perpetual so the base will only age and get better. Bright fruits and acide. A lot of citrus.

PnP. last bottle opened 2 years ago. It has gained some weight and complexity. Apple, pear, lemon, lime, brioche and herbs on the nose. Apple, pear, lemon, lime, brioche, herbal flavors. Medium body with a short finish. Nice balance. While it has improved, it still lacks the depth and complexity of other sparklers at this price. Last bottle, won't be buying more. If it were half the price, would be an easy purchase.

I was cooking so by the time I got to enjoy it, the bottle has been opened for a while. Overall it seemed very pleasant and balanced but closer to 91 rather than the 92 I gave it before.

Opened by Blue Oval. A blend of the 2016, 2017 and 2018 grapes from both the Bearwallow and Mt. Pajaro vineyards. Disgorged April 2023. 75% Chardonnay and 25% Pinot Noir. Made in collaboration with Rodolphe Peters from Piere Peters. Clear white color. Fine bead. Much fruitier and different in style that the 2008 Champagnes at the dinner. A rather upfront wine. I previously had a couple of the Bearwallow Sparklers from this estate which I liked slightly better. 91 points.

CWM Holiday Dinner - 2008 Champagnes (Pa Lian Burmese, Wheaton) : A blend of the 2016, 2017 and 2018, disgorged in April 2023. Opens with a nice richness with orchard fruit, toasted nuts and marshmallow qualities. There's plenty of fruit on the palate as well. Very nice. (BO)

Sunday hangout at Domaine (Chicago, IL) : Disgorged June 2022. By the no-arbitrage principle, this wine shouldn't exist. But of course, we all know markets aren't efficient. Anyway, gotta think the reason this exists is that someone at Rhys thought it was cool the way Morty thought Gwendolyn looked pretty cool. Hollow and insipid.

A nice sparkling wine. Clean and crisp with citrus notes. Perhaps lacking the depth and complexity, certainly fruitier than comparably priced champagnes.

It’s just the best.

Very classy. What you’d expect from a high quality champagne style sparkling wine. Light, airy, elegant. A nice foil to richer foods like fried chicken and biscuits. Some lemon, spring flowers, and a springy mouthfeel reminiscent of a light early summer rain.

Who knew Rhys had a sparkling wine? Say whhhaaaat? Ok, so I'm sure most of you knew this, but this was new on me. Medium bubbles. Moderate density mouthfeel. A multivintage wine about 75% chardonnay and about 25% Pinot, this wine is right down the middle between oxidative and reductive styles. Honeycrisp apples, lemon tart, limes, and brioche are all present here. This wine had a moderate density to it so it was good all by itself or would have …

2019 disgorgement. Light flavor profile. Not very yeasty. More floral and herbal. Soft easy finish.

The “crisp and acidic” notes here are right now, this is a lively and fresh bubbly. Everyone is also correct when they there isn’t much complexity or layers here. But it’s solid for what it is.

Third bottle is a lot like the first - fresh and simple. Citrus, stone fruit, vanilla and bread / yeast notes dominate. Interesting cherry finish. Better with air but ultimately kind of boring.

Floral, crisp

Monprivato dinner at Osteria Langhe (Chicago, IL) : Disgorged June 3, 2021. The deficit in this wine is abundantly clear next to the basic Bereche Brut Reserve (in magnum). This has some tropical notes, with pineapple seeming to play a role, but otherwise has an angular, disjoint palate and a pretty thin texture. For the money, it's a no-brainer to stick with champagne; and I'm not even sure this is adding to the conversation in terms of new world sparkling …

I feel like this is a completely different wine that the last bottle. Aroma is more stone fruit (peach) and pear. Flavor is mostly lemon skins and vanilla with a citrusy finish. Aggressive bubbles - reminds me of Perrier. Well balanced and well integrated, and much more complex with air. Kind of simple and first so give this plenty of time to open up. Pretty tasty.

I believe this was the second Rhys sparkler I've tried, and after the mixed reception to their debut 2015 Bearwallow BdB (which I found to be underwhelming but not as bad as some), I wasn't sure what to expect. Like the '15 BdB, this had a fairly coarse and aggressive mousse, which was tamed somewhat by pouring into a larger Grassl Liberté glass rather than a traditional flute. It starts with a lot of citrus notes, including lemon and kaffir …

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Rhys Perpetual Reserve

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