2023 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
From a steep site divided into multiple small blocks in chalky, clay soils, the 2023 Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard tastes of pure sea air, pomegranate, and forest. Fleshy, spicy, and complex, it's light to medium-bodied, with the underlying richness and structure to go another 20 years, a true reflection of the cool vintage and cold site. Drink best 2028-2038.
Critic scores
Average Score
Decanter
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
The 2023 Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard is a grand expression of these 23-year-old vines in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It melds concentration and power with a weightless sense of grace. The 2023 is strikingly aromatic, delivering notes of black tea, pomegranate, orange peel and crushed flowers interwoven with veins of saline minerality. Driven and lifted yet remarkably poised, the 2023 carries an effortless sense of balance that leads to a long, refined finish. There’s an understated authority here that I find absolutely beguiling.
The 2023 Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard was wide open from the first pour with a distinct, compelling bouquet of fresh herbs and dried flowers, immediately evoking its name with a mountainous freshness, further lifted by citrus rind aromas and a menthol-like energy. The palate is silky, graceful and elastic, combining weightless intensity with a delicious, succulent and mouthwatering acidity that carries through the fine-boned, savory and delicate finish. I found this is a particularly understated expression of this site, especially relevant to the ever-more-impressive Mt. Pajaro bottling and the stalwart Horseshoe.