Alesia, Santa Cruz Mountains, Chardonnay, 2016
Pure, delicate and detailed, the 2019 Alesia Chardonnay is comprised of a blend of Mt. Pajara and Horseshoe fruit aged for 12 months in barrique, most of which was old. Refined and detailed, with not a hair out of place, this is a translucent and very pure mountain Chardonnay from the Rhys team, citrus flecked with touches of smoke and salt, finishing with a cool note of butter.
critic reviews
The 2016 Chardonnay (Santa Cruz Mountains) is a classy, elegant wine. Expressive aromatics add to the wine's finessed personality and overall feel. Citrus peel, white flowers, mint and white pepper add complexity throughout. There is plenty to like in this chiseled, nuanced Chardonnay from Rhys.
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.