NV Rhys Perpetual Reserve
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Produced from reserve lots from the estate back to 2016, the NV Perpetual Reserve is an exquisite sparkling wine disgorged in April 2025. Aged two years on the lees, the wine is full of energy and tension, complex yet generous, with a medium-bodied creaminess adorned in citrus, pear, and brioche, balanced perfectly across a lengthy thread of acidity and salinity. Drink now through 2043.
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Jancis Robinson MW
Jeb Dunnuck
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The NV Perpetual Reserve (base 2022) is a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, 60% from vintage 2022 and 40% from a perpetual reserve going back to 2016. It opens with rich aromas of toasty brioche, golden apple and baking spices, amplified by the character of the very warm growing season. The build is deceptively light, lilting delicately across the palate before gentle coaxing begins to ramp up the intensity and fill in the gaps. A bright, lifted finish wraps things up in style. Dosage is 4 grams per liter. Disgorged: April 2025.
Made of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir with a 4.7 grams per liter dosage, the NV Perpetual Reserve Sparkling (2022 Base) opens with an elegant aroma of green orchard fruits, pomegranates, dried jasmine and pastry dough. On the palate, it features a contained richness from the 50% reserve wine that forms its core, combined with a crisp, lively energy before finishing on a tangy, saline-driven note.
Having spent two years on the lees, the NV Sparkling Wine Perpetual Reserve is made from 75% Chardonnay and 25% Pinot Noir, with the bulk of the fruit coming from Anderson Valley and the producer's estate Bearwallow Vineyard, the rest from Corralitos. At 3 grams per liter dosage, most of its base comes from the 2021 vintage, and it shows that aged complexity while maintaining the freshness of the current vintage. The texture and finesse of the bubbles are important to winemaker Jeff Brinkman, and this sparkling wine excels at both. Enjoy now and for another decade. Rhys has two estates in California, one in Anderson Valley called Bearwallow and an estate winery and six estate vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Its Santa Cruz winery, where organic and dry farming are typical, is set across the fault line from Ridge Monte Bello and Mount Eden. The first commercial release was 2004. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah and sparkling wines are all made by winemaker Jeff Brinkman and sold direct, with these ocean-influenced wines considered among the finest in the state.