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WTN: Strike a Match

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David M. Bueker

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WTN: Strike a Match

by David M. Bueker » Wed Apr 15, 2020 7:40 pm

  • 2014 Rhys Chardonnay Bearwallow Vineyard - USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley (4/15/2020)
    Almost two years since my last bottle, and this has turned a strange and delightful corner. The wine has filled out, while still being youthful. It has a good balance of fruit and spice. What’s strange and delightful is the extra complexity surrounding the fruit and spice. Salty minerality comes through at first, and then, out of nowhere, a flash of struck match. I was completely surprised that it was such a clear note of matchstick. It stayed with the wine through the entire half bottle. The entire package was fascinating...a bit of reductive flair.
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Paul Winalski

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Re: WTN: Strike a Match

by Paul Winalski » Thu Apr 16, 2020 12:59 pm

The struck match aroma is sulphur dioxide (SO2),

-Paul W.
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Re: WTN: Strike a Match

by David M. Bueker » Thu Apr 16, 2020 7:00 pm

Paul Winalski wrote:The struck match aroma is sulphur dioxide (SO2),

-Paul W.


Yeah, but where was it in the other three bottles of this I previously opened. Excess SO2 is not a Rhys thing.
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Re: WTN: Strike a Match

by David M. Bueker » Fri Apr 17, 2020 9:11 am

On a Zoom call with Kevin Harvey (owner) and Jeff Brinkman (winemaker) of Rhys last night, I had the chance to ask about the struck match in this wine. Jeff said that they did not add any SO2 at bottling, but the wine did spend a lengthy spell in small stainless tanks. He thinks it's reduction, not sulfur. Kevin was really happy about it, as he's a big Coche-Dury fan.
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