Horseshoe Vineyard, Pinot Noir, 2019

Name: Horseshoe Vineyard, Pinot Noir
Brand: Rhys Vineyards
Price: 519.55 GBP

Available Vintages

all 2018 2019 2021 2022

justerini & brooks tasting note

A gorgeous, deep and complex Horseshoe Pinot that swaggers from the glass with dark fruits, crushed stone aromas and a wonderful note of fragrant forests. The friable Monterey shale is very low in vigour so the vines have taken some time to fully establish themselves, but now, as the vines approach the 20 year mark, quality seems to be ratcheting up year on year. Perhaps it’s psychosomatic but the easy to crumble stones seem to have given rise to a very fine crushed stone note on the palate, a talc like minerality that holds wonderful savoury nuances as well as dark, fine berry fruit. Fully destemmed, this is both more savoury and a touch finer than Alpine – and it may take a little longer to fully express itself. Wonderful Pinot Noir.

critic reviews

96/100Matthew Luczy,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2019 Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard is unusually wide open from the first pour, offering an immediately dazzling nose of perfectly ripe red fruits, cherry blossoms, cured meat, river rocks and petrichor. The palate is silky, suave and precise with less weight than usual, seemingly sacrificing none of the power, complexity and refreshing momentum generated with aeration. Echoing the palate, the finish is initially more subtle than explosive, nevertheless ending up at the same amazingly complex, expansive destination. As always, this does nothing but morph and gain dimension with time, as I have no doubt it will do over the next two decades.

DRINKING WINDOW 2024 - 2044

date of review 04/2024

96/100Antonio Galloni,Vinous

The 2019 Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard is one of the most powerful, structured wines in this lineup. It has so much to offer, but very clearly needs quiet a bit of time. Strong mineral and savory accents drive the balance today. Crushed rocks, tobacco, cedar and earthy notes are very much in the foreground, while the fruit appears quite reticent at this stage. The Horseshoe was done with fully destemmed fruit and yet it is quite closed. I can hardly wait to taste it with some time in bottle.

DRINKING WINDOW 2027 - 2029

date of review 05/2022