2010 Rhys Vineyards Home Vineyard Pinot Noir San Mateo County 1x750ml

Vinous 95

Proprietor Kevin Harvey opened a bottle of the 2010 Pinot Noir Home Vineyard to show how the tannins integrate over time. Today, what comes through is a decidedly extroverted voice, with plenty of dark-fleshed stone fruit, game, violet and licorice all pushed forward. The tannins have softened, releasing the perfumed aromatics and layers of racy fruit. [Antonio Galloni, 07/01/2015]

Anticipated maturity: 2015-2022

Robert Parker 95

The more powerful side of the Santa Cruz Mountains comes through in the 2010 Pinot Noir Home Vineyard. Massive, incisive tannins frame black fruit, savory herbs and tar, in a sort of California version of Bonnes-Mares, with vertical tannins and great overall balance. I suppose the 2010 Home might lack just a touch of finesse, but it makes up for that with its compelling and deeply expressive personality. This is the first vintage that includes predominantly young vines from a recent replanting. It will be interesting to see how this site responds in future vintages, but I have to think the direction is pretty clear. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025. Proprietor Kevin Harvey and his team, led by winemaker Jeff Brinkman, have received quite a bit of attention of late. They deserve every bit of it, if not more. Harvey has spared no expense in building a state of the art facility, which includes 100 one-ton fermenters that allow for multiple small lot fermentations. In the vineyard, Harvey has taken the type of risks only someone with a background in early stage technology investing could stomach. The result is a series of breathtaking wines, Pinots especially, that are among the finest being made in the United States. I am quite sure Harvey’s goals are much more ambitious than that, though. It will be interesting to see how things play out at Rhys over the coming years, but there is no question these are exciting, compelling wines of the highest level. My experience with the Rhys Pinots is that they develop very slowly in bottle, so readers need to exercise a bit more patience than is typically required with California Pinot Noir. Like most estates in 2010, Rhys grappled with the September heat spikes, which took place during the harvest. The Home and Family Farm were brought in before the spikes, as was 80% of Alpine, Horseshoe and Bearwallow. Rhys had a harder time with Skyline, which came in after the spikes. Ultimately, only 25% of that fruit made it into the fermentation tanks. Tel. (866) 511-1520; www.rhysvineyards.com [Antonio Galloni, 31/08/2012]

Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025