Alpine Vineyard, Hillside, Pinot Noir, 2022

Name: Alpine Vineyard, Hillside, Pinot Noir
Brand: Rhys Vineyards
Price: 975 GBP

Available Vintages

all 2017 2022

justerini & brooks tasting note

The Hillside bottlings (generally no more than 150-200 cases each) are the pinnacle of the Rhys range – and typically require the most patience. But give them time, and the rewards are ample. Alpine’s Hillside block is the steepest and lowest yielding section of the vineyard, home to the massale mother block, and in 2022 it really is a wine to spend your time with. Dark, complex and mysterious at first, with intense minerals and taut shards of fruit, it initially captivates with the mile long red fruit and floral scented finish. You can feel it waiting to bloom, like an early rose bud amongst crushed rocks – and as it does, the hairs on your neck stand on end. The sweet fruit at the core draws you in, releasing more with each approach. This will most likely need a decade to blossom fully – we can’t wait to be there when it does. Majestic.

critic reviews

98/100Matthew Luczy,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2022 Pinot Noir Alpine Hillside Vineyard is a quintessential combination of sumptuous, composed and refined. It feels like a different wine entirely, rather than a more intense iteration of the regular Alpine Vineyard bottling. As always, this wine is a moving target in the glass, combining all manner of pure, fragrant, herbal aromas and deep, savory bass notes wrapped in a core of perfectly ripe, revolving door of red fruits. The palate perfectly marries luscious, multidimensional richness while remaining trim, fit and focused. It concludes with a lush, staining, ethereal and expansive finish, showing off weightlessly swelling tannins and a haunting, floating quality that is simply captivating. While this wine's tannin structure is always some degree of persistent, this vintage is less relentlessly grippy relative to recent iterations, allowing for a slightly earlier drinking window.

DRINKING WINDOW 2027 - 2046

date of review 08/2024

96/100Antonio Galloni,Vinous

The 2022 Pinot Noir Alpine Hillside is a dark, brooding wine that is going to take a number of years to be at its best. Inky dark fruit, graphite, incense, leather, licorice and espresso infuse the 2022 with tremendous complexity. This big, strapping Pinot offers tons of virile intensity and plenty of resonance to match. I would not plan on opening a bottle anytime soon.

DRINKING WINDOW 2027 - 2037

date of review 11/2023