2010 Rhys Pinot Noir Swan Terrace
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Tasting notes
This is a distinctly ripe vintage for this wine with menthol, spice, lavender and violet aromas introducing rich, round and large-scaled flavors that possess a very mild tanginess on the broad, intense and impressively long finish. This is a robust effort that is mildly awkward today as the tang doesn't fit in with the rest of the wine. Given how well this wine has performed over the years however my score offers the benefit of the doubt that it will harmonize in time as the underlying material certainly appears to be present.
Critic scores
Average Score
Allen Meadows, Burghound
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2010 Pinot Noir Swan Terrace is impeccable. Dark black cherries, plums, exotic spices and orange peel are some of the many notes that take shape in this deeply expressive, layered Pinot. The Swan Terrace is differentiated from some of the other wines in the lineup for its distinctly dark red/black tonalities. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2024. Proprietor Kevin Harvey and his team, led by winemaker Jeff Brinkman, have received quite a bit of attention of late. They deserve every bit of it, if not more. Harvey has spared no expense in building a state of the art facility, which includes 100 one-ton fermenters that allow for multiple small lot fermentations. In the vineyard, Harvey has taken the type of risks only someone with a background in early stage technology investing could stomach. The result is a series of breathtaking wines, Pinots especially, that are among the finest being made in the United States. I am quite sure Harvey’s goals are much more ambitious than that, though. It will be interesting to see how things play out at Rhys over the coming years, but there is no question these are exciting, compelling wines of the highest level. My experience with the Rhys Pinots is that they develop very slowly in bottle, so readers need to exercise a bit more patience than is typically required with California Pinot Noir. Like most estates in 2010, Rhys grappled with the September heat spikes, which took place during the harvest. The Home and Family Farm were brought in before the spikes, as was 80% of Alpine, Horseshoe and Bearwallow. Rhys had a harder time with Skyline, which came in after the spikes. Ultimately, only 25% of that fruit made it into the fermentation tanks. Tel. (866) 511-1520; www.rhysvineyards.com
Vivid ruby. Exotic, floral bouquet evokes potpourri, raspberry preserves, star anise, cola and minerals. Stains the palate with intense, seamless red fruit and floral pastille flavors. Bright and racy on the extremely persistent finish, leaving notes of candied rose, lavender and spicecake behind. This strikingly elegant, precise pinot was among the highlights of my spring trip. (ST)