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2017 Rhys Alpine Vineyard Pinot Noir

Lightly depressed cork

Removed from a professional wine storage facility; Purchased direct from winery

Ends Sunday, 7pm Pacific

RATINGS

94Jeb Dunnuck

...a complex, nuanced style that carries lots of spiced red fruits, forest floor, smoked earth, potpourri, and a touch of sassafras and sagebrush. Complex, medium-bodied, silky, and beautifully balanced on the palate...a beautiful, elegant, seamless Pinot Noir...

93Burghound.com

...requires aggressive swirling to liberate the elegant and pure aromas of essence of red raspberry and beautifully spice and floral-scented nose...the dusty, focused and serious finish delivers excellent persistence.

92The Wine Advocate

...scented of woodsmoke, dried herbs, moss-covered bark, peppered meats, black cherries and blackberries with potpourri, nutmeg and blue fruit hints. The palate is light to medium-bodied with a silky texture and earthy fruits, supported with finely grained tannins and juicy acidity, finishing long and spicy.

92Vinous / IWC

...soft, open-knit and absolutely delicious. Crushed flowers, mint, blood orange, crushed red berries, chalk and white pepper are all very nicely lifted. The 2017 is airy and gracious, with lovely aromatic lift and tons of personality. The 2017 is especially suave.

REGION

United States, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

Santa Cruz Mountains AVA includes high elevation territory in the counties of Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and San Mateo. The AVA follows the coast line from San Francisco to Monterey with elevations from 400 feet to 3,000 feet above sea level. There are 1,500 vineyard acres and the AVA was established in 1981. Despite the challenging terrain in these rugged mountains and hills, highly esteemed wineries have been located here since the early 20th century, when Paul Masson, a Frenchman by birth, started making sparkling wine in the area. By the 1970s vineyards were growing Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Numerous microclimates within the AVA offer viticulturists diverse growing conditions, and many varietals are grown successfully.

TYPE

Red Wine, Pinot Noir

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.