Rhys, Horseshoe Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains

As delicious as the last bottle!

2016 vintage

Similar notes as before. The nose alone is intoxicating. Just delicious.

2016 vintage

PnP, 55F: ruby, tart berry notes, hint of earth notes; smooth edged mid palate dominated by cranberry, bramble, nice lasting finish

2018 vintage

Fantastic 375.

2016 vintage

Pop and pour. Grassl Cru stem. Dark purple garnet color. Interesting nose with black fruits and blackberries with spiceaccents and hint of black forest cake. Spice notes on the intro opening up to floral enhanced mix of dark and red berries. Sufficient acidity to give the wine vibrancy and energy. Well done. 13.3% abv.

2018 vintage

This is outstanding! Jumps out of the glass with aromas of red fruits and a touch of wood. So elegant in the mouth with a lovely finish. Acidity is there but I wouldn’t think it will hold another 5-10 years. IMHO. Drink now and love it.

2016 vintage

From a 500. Maybe a bit fleshy still with a slightly subdued mouth, but a spectacular nose and an excellent length:

2016 vintage

Silky, fruity and packs a punch (in a good way) for a 12.5% ABV Pinot noir. Yumm!

2016 vintage

Clearly a California Pinot by flavor profile, but loved the low ABV(12.5%) and restrained fruits. Lots of red berries and some forest floor. Minimal wood. IMH, this is as good as pinot gets in California.

2016 vintage

Excellent wine. Smelled and then tasted almost like burgundy. Red raspberry

2018 vintage

Holy smokes is this good. The nose is beautiful and fragrant (most Rhys wines are). Has an orange, citrus note on the palette. An amazing wine that should get even better.

2016 vintage

Drinking beautifully! Delicious slightly sour red cherries, spice, and forest floor notes on the nose and layered palate with refreshing acidity on the long finish.

2016 vintage

seems more open and juicy than last year; nice nose and complexity; liked it better on day two when there was less baby fat; gonna hold these

2018 vintage

wine tasting... other liked this a little more than I did... felt a little closed (even after 5 hours of decant)... needs time I think...

2016 vintage

Cork failure. Still had a little fruit surprisingly, but gone

2016 vintage

From 500 ml bottle, taken to a restaurant. Pretty typical Rhys Pinot. Fragrant nose. Plush texture but not flabby. Good acidity, nice fruit, modest oak influence, secondary earth and mineral notes as well as a rather long sweet spice influenced finish.

2016 vintage

Three years after the prior: This showed a pronounced, but not unwelcome, suggestion of stems. Essences of dark berry fruits with suggestions of black olives. Beautifully in balance, with fine acid backbone. Highly enjoyable over a week, gassed (Coravin Pivot) in between.

2016 vintage

-- decanted immediately before first taste -- -- tasted non-blind over a couple hours -- Warm and red-fruited, with medium to medium+ acidity. Not tannic. A bit loosely structured. Probably in the front end of its prime window. Drink or Hold.

2016 vintage

From a 375. Fleshy. Could have used an hour of air.

2016 vintage

Not quite as good as last bottle but I think that was my fault for not giving this a bit more time to warm up given it was in my white section of the wine fridge at 50 degrees. Last glasses were by best. Still shows that bright red fruit with a pomegranate pop. Really enjoyable wine.

2016 vintage

Popped and poured at cellar temp. Cork partially saturated, but wine is sound. Lovely translucent burgundy color. Great nose of strawberry, underbrush, black tea and asian spices. Palate is a bit more closed and the acid is really showing through and a little bit out of balance? Surprising for horseshoe? Maybe caught it in an awkward phase or an off bottle.

2016 vintage

Again, still too young, even from a 375. Dark and tight, almost smoky, lovely.

2018 vintage

evolving over three nights; red fruit, intermittent stemminess; nice balance

2018 vintage

Did not seem well integrated on night 1. Great aroma of red fruit and forest floor. But sharp edge. Just beautiful on night two - everything well integrated, ripe and rich with a long finish.

2018 vintage

Much, much better than the bottle I had about 18 months ago. Nice fruit, good tension. All good.

2018 vintage

Earthy mostly blue fruits, solid structure and acidity frame this very well made Pinot that is early in it's drinking window, with years to go, assuming proper storage. Very pure, and with a lengthy finish.

2018 vintage

브루고뉴 피노누아 느낌 딸기딸기함 맛있다

2018 vintage

a bit lush and primary out of the bottle; best glass was from the remains on day three--great mouthfeel, fruit density, balance, the works

2018 vintage

Really like this. Strawberry/cherry on the nose. Day 1 had a nice spice note which progressively increased to cinnamon. Red fruit, strawberries, cherry, earth, some savory. Day two had more pronounced weight, a bit of watermelon rind. Good structure. Solid to drink now but probably also great for more than a few years. Enjoyed.

2016 vintage

PNP. Nose is very airy showing elements of cherry, strawberry, orange rind and spice. Lithe, saline infused palate with red cherry and moderate extraction and sneaky length. Very good.

2016 vintage

Nice pinot with mushroom notes and still supportive acidity

2016 vintage

Been seeing more Rhys show up at retail and auction at around list price, so wanted to check in if everything is ok. Still seems great to me 🤷‍♂️. Strawberry, mushroom earthiness, rose petals, rosemary, savory finish. Some density, intense, great texture, tasty acidity. Super balanced and complex.

2018 vintage

This was one of the best Rhys Pinots I’ve had so far. It was a bit more about the terroir than the fruit, but both were wonderfully balanced. Classic earthy forest floor and mushroom scents on the nose, along with muted dark red fruit were followed by elegant and understated herbal, ripe fruit, and warm spice flavors. Truly special….

2016 vintage

Decant 45min: cherry, raspberry, some spice on the pour, still primary after 45min; ruby with faint rim; medium-bodied with light berries, vibrant mid-palate with fuissance, spice tinged finish; pairs nicely with pork loin

2016 vintage

13.3% abv. Deep burgundy red, very expressive aromas. On the palate, raspberry, mint, cinnamon, lots of asian spice. Very deep and long, this is superior pinot that will only improve over the next decade or more. Delicious!

2018 vintage

Very nice wine. A little 'hot", and perhaps not worth the price. Oak still evident as fruit begins to take a back seat. I preferred this wine in it's exuberantly fruity youth. California in style; I also prefer a red Burgundy in the same price range. Addendum: After a few hours, the fruit appears. Now probably 93.

2018 vintage

From 500ml. Good Rhys juice but muted overall. Everything I love about Horseshoe but just muffled a little bit. Hmm…

2016 vintage

From a 375. Still a bit tight. Fruit still very present but structure, acidity and tannins coming to fore. Improved with air time as the finish became silky. Good balance. Delish. Should continue to improve.

2016 vintage

From a 375. Might have been able to make use of a bit more air, or a few more years in order to come out of its shell a bit, but quite lovely with a very sweet feel.

2016 vintage

Not improving compared to earlier tastings. still red fruits w a touch pf oak. Acids are balanced out. Probably not going to improve.

2018 vintage

similar to my 1/23 note; delicious

2018 vintage

The texture on this has been gorgeous from day one and it's still pure silk. The fruit has mellowed out a little bit over the last few years and is now lighter and more restrained.

2018 vintage

Same as my 4/13/23 comments.

2018 vintage

Delicious!

2018 vintage

Not a bad bottle, but nothing particularly interesting. A bit tart upon opening and very muted fruit. Softened out after a while in the decanter. Just can't get too excited about Rhys Pinots.

2018 vintage

Definitely a Cali Pinot fruit wine. Nice cherry and raspberry but not the complexity I would like at this price point. Probably needs a few more years before trying the next bottle.

2018 vintage

well made pinot but not a compelling value

2018 vintage

Lots of really positive notes about this wine on CellarTracker, but I have to be a dissenting view. This was an extremely simple wine, with insufficient structure to carry its candied fruit. Sampled over four hours I never found a hook, something to latch onto and use as a touchstone/center. It was pleasant enough, but I could do a whole lot better for $80.

2018 vintage

Still too young, even from a 375. A little muted and dusty at the moment. But clear to see it’ll be delicious when it unfurls.

2018 vintage

Decanted for over two hours...wow! This isn't a wine that hides its California roots. The color, the nose and the first sip announce this as a powerful pinot noir from California. Tasted with several friends and even though they knew the general area where this wine is from it was still debated for a considerable time on its specific location, Sonoma Coast, Russian River, etc. A delicious wine that while I'm sure you'll be rewarded with some aging it's hard …

2018 vintage

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Rhys, Horseshoe Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains

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