Porcupine Hill, Pinot Noir, 2019

Name: Porcupine Hill, Pinot Noir
Brand: Rhys Vineyards
Price: 736.73 GBP

Available Vintages

all 2016 2018 2019 2022

justerini & brooks tasting note

From the only section of the Bearwallow vineyard planted to high density, and on its own little ridge, comes Porcupine Hill. Again, this majors in red fruits, a touch of orange peel and underlying earthiness, but here the focus, structure and drive are turned up to 11. At first glance this is all vivid, mouth filling fruit over paper fine tannins but spend a little time and notes of black tea and umeboshi plums melt into a driving minerality, then notes of red wild strawberry and flowers on the finish. Structured, generous, expansive… this is seriously good.

critic reviews

96+/100Matthew Luczy,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2019 Pinot Noir Porcupine Hill takes this bottling's signature elusiveness and injects it with a lovely, fragrant dose of floral depth. A gorgeous nose laden with purple flowers and deftly concentrated dark fruits evolves leisurely but constantly. The palate is ethereal and fresh, with the fantastic delineation between its vibrant yet subtle core of acidity and fine, powdery tannins on the finish. This strikes me as a midpoint between the structured, upright 2018 and the more forward and generous 2020, and it could prove the most multidimensional with proper bottle age. While certainly the most approachable of the three, it is years away from revealing its true colors, and I eagerly look forward to tracking its progress.

DRINKING WINDOW 2028 - 2045

date of review 04/2024

97/100Antonio Galloni,Vinous

The 2019 Pinot Noir Porcupine Hill is a beautifully translucent, nuanced Pinot that shows the heights of finesse that are possible in Anderson Valley. A wine of unreal subtlety and nuance, the Porcupine Hill hits so many high notes. Crushed red berry, mint, spice, tobacco, cedar, rose petal and espresso build over time. As always, the Porcupine Hill Pinot is sourced from high-density blocks on the property and is done with minimal whole clusters.

DRINKING WINDOW 2027 - 2039

date of review 05/2022