Rhys Vineyards tour 6/27/09

Paul Galli kindly invited a bunch of us to join his annual Rhys tour. Ken Zinns wrote up a very extensive report on his blog. Check it out: http://www.grape-nutz.com/kenz/09_June27.html
Also, Paul's notes: http://dat.erobertparker.com/bboard/showthread.php?t=205144&highlight=rhys+tour
My pics: http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/573331892ZyBVHr

After touring 4 vineyards and checking out the cave, we sat down for a flight of 12 wines.

Rhys '07 Chardonnay Alpine Vyd. (SCM)
Nose - chalky, intense lemon, saline, lemon verbena.
Intense, lemony, zesty, rich, garden herbs, tight, chalky. Excellent. Drink '11-'21. 95 pts

Alesia '07 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
Nose - bursting with purple fruit and bay, smoky, roasted plum, exotic wood spice, white flowers.
Intense roasted plum, smoky, with a good mineral structure, nice herbal stemminess. Drink '13-'23. 93 pts

Alesia '07 Pinot Noir Green Valley
Nose - mace, roasted plum, anise, herbs, green peppercorn.
A lot of green peppercorn, peppery, plummy fruit, hints of clove, nutmeg and mace. Peppery mouthfeel. Drink '12-'18. 92 pts

Alesia '07 Pinot Noir Falstaff Road Vyd. (Sonoma Coast)
Nose - shy,a touch of rustic stink, raosted plum and berry pie, minty spice, white wood.
Biting tannin, pert, roasted plum, some green stemminess, glyceriny feel. Drink '13-'20. 91 pts

Rhys '07 Pinot Noir Family Farm (San Francisco Bay)
Nose - light resin, roasted plum, tight.
Earthy, smoky, roasted plum, resin. Just packing, with zest and earth. Needs time to open up. Drink '15-'30. 94 pts

Rhys '07 Pinot Noir Home Vineyard (San Francisco Bay)
Nose - Very shy, black cherry, light oak, hint of blackberry.
Zesty, smoky, raosted plum, tarragon, intense black cherry, some char, white flowers, very firm, smooth/dusty tannin. Nothing like the neighboring Family Farm. Drink '17-'32. 96 pts

Rhys '07 Pinot Noir Skyline Vyd. (SCM)
Nose - intense, savory, iron, white flowers, light resin, shy minty red currants.
Savory, resiny, roasted plum, white floralness. Needs time. Drink '15-'25. 93 pts

Rhys '07 Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vyd. (SCM)
Nose - floral - white flowers, touch of resin, roasted plum.
Forward green tannin, green apple and black plum, grippy tannin, smoky, hints of char, raspberry and blue elderberry. Drink '16-'26. 93 pts

Rhys '07 Pinot Noir Alpine Vyd. (SCM)
Nose - heady, with wood spice, savory, tight, light resin, plum.
Smoky, irony, char and roasted plum, rosemary, strawberry, herbal stemminess, nasturtium. Lots going on. Drink '16-'32. 95 pts

Rhys '06 Pinot Noir Alpine Vyd. (SCM)
Nose - nice smooth fruit, some rustic stinkiness, red and black fruit, plum, graphite and iron, sweet pipe tobacco.
Aggressive and intense, smoky, resiny, red plum, green herbs, graphite. Drink '15-'30. 96 pts

Alesia '06 Syrah Fairview Ranch (Santa Lucia Highlands)
Nose - meaty, with white pepper, tar, sandalwood, red plum, sweet basil, mace.
Peppery saturated black fruit, smoky/roasty resin, a bit tart, very dense. Drink '14-'26. 94 pts

Rhys '07 Syrah Skyline Vyd. (SCM)
Nose - very dense and complex! Black plum, fig, mango, touch of boysenberry, frambois, sweet herbs, hint of creme de menthe.
Blackberry, blueberry freezer jam, nutmeg, resin, clove. Very complex. Spicy frambois on the finish. Drink '14-34. 95 pts