WTN: 2006 Rhys Alpine Pinot Noir

[David M. Bueker]

2006 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (2/14/2016)
Well happy hallmark Holiday to me. I thought I did not have any more of this wine, but while I was looking for something else I found another bottle. A couple of years ago it was starting to develop, and now it's in a really good place that starts to reveal some of the promise of the Rhys endeavor. The fruit is still prominent, but the secondary elements are in full force, adding a full ration of complexity before it has reached anything that feels like a plateau. I wish I had 3 or 4 more bottles, as there is a very interesting path emerging. So I will just let my other Alpine Pinots age for a while, and see where things go. There is a lot of promise based on this wine, and perhaps the beginning of the end of the uncertainty.

[Jenise]

What a nice to have happen. Interesting to me too, as my very few California 06's--nearly all Arcadian (multiple vineyards), but a few others too such that I concluded it's a vintage thing--have all shown signs of early death. They've all turned thin and screechy as of about two years ago and I don't have any hope of them coming back, though I'm hanging on just in case.

Do you have any other 06's?

[David M. Bueker]

Only a couple more bottles of Rhys. My real purchasing of California Pinot did not get going until 2008.

Rhys's other label, Alesia, held up pretty well re their 2006 PN's, none left....The 2006 Sojourn PN's did well for me as well as did all my old Loring 2006 PN's,, regrettably no 2006's left. I tend not to hold on to my Cal PN's overly long, oldest ones currently in cellar are the 2007's from Sojourn...Most of my Arcadians were purchased during a visit sometime prior to 2006,(Jill's, Pisoni, Sleepy Hollow) the only 2006 I bought was the Sleepy Hollow PN..All my Arcadians were consumed within 4-5 years of vintage so no experience with extending aging of Arcadian..

[Jenise]

Rhys's other label, Alesia, held up pretty well re their 2006 PN's, none left....The 2006 Sojourn PN's did well for me as well as did all my old Loring 2006 PN's,, regrettably no 2006's left. I tend not to hold on to my Cal PN's overly long, oldest ones currently in cellar are the 2007's from Sojourn...Most of my Arcadians were purchased during a visit sometime prior to 2006,(Jill's, Pisoni, Sleepy Hollow) the only 2006 I bought was the Sleepy Hollow PN..All my Arcadians were consumed within 4-5 years of vintage so no experience with extending aging of Arcadian..

My first vintages of Arcadian were 02 - 04, various vineyards and even a syrah or two, and all just got more interesting at 10 years out. Several we drank beyond 10. An 01 Pisoni consumed about 3 years ago was a particular highlight and perhaps the most immortal. So I didn't even blink about buying 06's when the opportunity to backfill came around. Other 06's from the same region have also been disappointing--Hitching Post, Fiddlestix, and a few others I can't think of off the top of my head. So, all fingers point to the vintage more than producer. Must have been very cool; the wines are quite lean.