"91Points Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com
The 2019 Chardonnay Alesia (Santa Cruz Mountains) is gorgeous. Bright, floral and translucent, the 2019 is impeccably polished from start to finish. Lemon peel, white flowers and crushed rocks give this appellation level Chardonnay tons of class. It is one of the overachievers in this range. Drinking Window 2022 - 2029"
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com
Proprietor Kevin Harvey and winemaker Jeff Brinkman continue to up their game at Rhys. The growing season was as a bit rainier than normal. Heat spikes in August helped move ripening along while a cool September allowed for a leisurely harvest. In tasting, the 2019s are a bit light next to some recent vintages, like 2018, but have terrific freshness and energy that will serve them well over time. As readers will see, the 2019s are positively stellar across the board. Some of the most impressive wines in this year’s lineup are from Mt. Pajaro, a relatively new development in the southern part of the Santa Cruz Mountains where the wines have improved dramatically in a very short period of time.
For the Chardonnays, Rhys follows a pretty classic Burgundian aging regime of 12 months in barrel followed by six months in steel. As a reminder, the Alesia wines are now the appellation bottlings in the Rhys range. Last, but certainly not least, Rhys fans won’t want to miss the new Syrah from Bearwallow, the latest addition in what is a growing and consistently outstanding range.
