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Rhys Vineyards Chardonnay Alesia Santa Cruz Mountains 2016  - First Bottle

Reviews

94 Jeb Dunnuck -
The 2016 Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountain is in the same ballpark yet has a more serious, chiseled, mineral-laced style, with is classic Santa Cruz Mountains. White flowers, white peach, tangerine, and subtle honeysuckle notes all emerge from this beauty, which has vibrant acidity and notable concentration. It’s another winner to drink over the coming 5-7 years.
92 Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate -
The 2016 Alesia Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains is superb, unfurling in the glass with notes of fresh pear, preserved citrus, lemon oil and a light framing of smoky reduction. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, concentrated and tensile, built around a racy line of acidity and concluding with a saline finish that`s almost searingly stony. This represents a notable change of pace after the more rounded, giving Anderson Valley Alesia bottling and marks this out as one of the keenest values in the Rhys portfolio. Follow it for a decade, perhaps more.

Technical Details

  • BlendChardonnay
  • WinemakerJeff Brinkman
  • CountryUS
  • RegionCalifornia Central Coast
  • AppellationSanta Cruz Mountains
  • Alcohol12.30%%

Rhys Vineyards Chardonnay Alesia Santa Cruz Mountains 2016

Chardonnay  |  US
WA92

Too late, we are SOLD OUT!
Modeled after Burgundy, this wine is for those who like acid, tension, and racy minerality. 94 points and a wine to cellar, as well. This is a great primer to the amazing work that is being done by Rhys, one of the hottest producers in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

About the Producer

Located in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Rhys Vineyards' owner Kevin Harvey and winemaker Jeff Brinkman fashion a bevy of brilliant pinot noirs, Chardonnays and syrahs from a diverse set of mostly estate vineyards. While Kevin made wine in his garage starting around 1995, it wasn't until 2001 that he decided to create Rhys Vineyards. He set out with the goal to find hillside sites in California that were similar to those in Burgundy. All of his new sites favor high-density plantings (in some cases upwards of 17,000 vines per acres) of suitcase pinot noir clones, and they're all farmed biodynamically by the team at Rhys. Where they can, they utilize dry farming, but the driest, rockiest sites (Skyline) still require moderate irrigation. Rhys is on fire right now in restaurant lists and in geeky wine cirlces arcoss the country. Try throwing one of these pinot's or Chardonnay's into a blind tasting of Burgundy and prepare to be blown away.