[list][*]2017 Rhys Alesia Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (9/2/2020)
Every time I open a blended Rhys/Alesia Santa Cruz or San Mateo Pinot Noir I am blown away. The fruit is vibrant, there is ample structure, and I can taste the earthy underpinnings much sooner than in the flagship Rhys single vineyard wines. This 2017 repeats the same pattern. It's a wonderful reminder of what's really going on in the vineyards, and that patience is going to be rewarded with these bottles, as well as the wines in the single vineyard program. I could probably drink all twelve half bottles I bought of this over the course of the next month. The wine is offering a great deal of pleasure right now. It also has the depth, structure and nuance to age for several years. I will use it as a guidepost - watching for developing maturity before I dip significantly into the single vineyard wines.