Skyline Vineyard, Pinot Noir, 2023
Skyline was the only cuvee that utilised whole bunch fermentations in 2023 (60%). Typically tightly grained on the nose, with perfect balance on the palate. This feels complex already although it will clearly benefit from a good few years in bottle. It opens with notes of garrigue and roasted meats, dried seed pod, mulberry leaf, cracked spices and sweet, salty plums. Such great energy and symmetry. This is clearly destined for greatness. Complex, tightly wound, extremely rocky and savoury, leading to a minute long finish that boats notes of cranberry, licorice, dried flowers, earth and black tea. Superb.
critic reviews
The 2023 Pinot Noir Skyline Vineyard vibrates with energy and verve. So much acid, so much juiciness—this is the wine in the range that palpably hums with tension. Sixty percent whole clusters bring lift and fine texture to layers of cranberry, pomegranate and a bitter tincture of orange peel. Floral and spicy, with an exotic undercurrent of clove, rosewater and sandalwood, the 2023 possesses a complex, Old-World sensibility framed by a refined structure that drapes elegantly across the palate and grips tightly. Another standout in this remarkably strong lineup.
The 2023 Pinot Noir Skyline Vineyard wonderfully exudes its perennially compelling and complex profile in this superb vintage. The nose brings together dried spice, fresh herbs and myriad floral notes with a distinctly earthy, meaty core and exotic, roasted undertones that lend it dizzying complexity, adding dried flower, black licorice and blood sauce aromas with aeration. The palate similarly straddles a tensile, rich, dense, buoyant, intense profile, releasing into a cascading finish with fruit intensity, perfectly polished tannins and a gentle, integrated framing of high-quality oak with an intoxicating perfume. This is a perfect encapsulation of the vintage, as well as the class, craft and precision on display throughout the Rhys portfolio.