2023 Rhys - Pinot Noir Mt Pajaro Vineyard
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Tasting notes
One of the more generous, medium-bodied reds of the vintage, the 2023 Pinot Noir Mt. Pajaro Vineyard is lovely and layered, with fresh acidity that speaks to the long hangtime of the year. There's fig and forest in equal measure layered around firm tannins and subtle oak, a wine well worth cellaring through 2038 that's nonetheless deliciously enjoyable now.
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Matthew Luczy, Wine Advocate
Virginie Boone, jebdunnuck.com
More reviews and scores
The 2023 Pinot Noir Mt. Pajaro Vineyard is an exuberant, forward wine that wears its heart on its sleeve. Vinified with fully destemmed fruit and aged in 20% new French Oak, the Pajaro bursts from the glass with kirsch, exotic spice and dark cherry tones, accented by an unmistakable saline edge. There’s lovely mid-palate richness and seamless balance here. Silky yet upright, the 2023 is a wine without corners. Fantastic.
It has been fascinating to watch Mt. Pajaro come into its own alongside the more established Horseshoe and Alpine bottlings, and the 2023 Pinot Noir Mt. Pajaro Vineyard is a beautifully multidimensional iteration of this site. It opens with a beaming nose that melds herbal, spice-driven and floral notes with a red- and black-fruited core and distinctly oceanic overtones. The palate is fine-boned and deftly concentrated, releasing into an intense, searingly focused and deliciously rich finish propelled by vibrant acidity, pronounced salinity and refined tannic intensity.