For Kevin Harvey, bedrock is beautiful. Following his intuition that the greatest vineyards in Burgundy all conform to an ideal topsoil/bedrock ratio, Kevin’s hunt for vineyard locations in the Santa Cruz mountains has been focused on sites that force his vines’ roots deep into the mother rock. With the San Andreas fault literally on (or under) their doorstep, the variety of soils in this part of the world is startling – a geologist’s dream. When you combine this diversity with altitude, the cooling influence of the Pacific Ocean and low summer rainfall it’s easy to appreciate why this is such an interesting region for making Pinot Noirs of terroir.
From the moment of planting - almost all the Rhys vineyards were designed and planted themselves - the single vineyard cuvees have been very carefully considered. Utilising highly selective clone and rootstock material, planting to very high density and selecting blocks based on a close and careful reading of the underlying vineyard geology, the very DNA of these Rhys wines designed to speak of place. They are grown to highlight those descriptors that are hardest to pin down; the non-fruit, the mineral, the savoury, the emotive, as much as the irresistible beauty of luminous and supple Pinot Noir’s fruity/floral character. They sashay and slide across the palate, gently intense and full of quiet complexity.
Read MoreFor the most part, these are elevated vineyards, protected from too much wind, though cooled by marine influences. Yields are naturally low and further reduced by high-density planting. The aim is full physiological ripeness and great intensity at refreshingly low alcoholic levels. With great fruit, winemaking is as low impact as possible; the grapes are sorted then gravity fed into small one-ton fermenters, foot trodden and then gravity drained. Fermentations are only ever done with each vineyard’s natural yeasts. The finest light toast French oak is employed, only a small proportion of which is new each year. The effects are almost invisible. Whole bunch inclusion is just about only decision that varies depending on the cuvee; Alesia and Alpine tend to see around 25% whole bunch inclusion, while Horseshoe and Bearwallow are fully destemmed.
These 2018s, from a generally untroubled vintage, are textbook Rhys. They deserve a little patience, but already display a gorgeous interplay between fruit, spice, and minerality, with transparent fruit delivery, textures that caress, and plenty of inner tension. With no hard edges these are Pinots of great seduction and beguiling interest – a range that that shows off the Rhys style beautifully. For a PDF of the full offer, complete with vineyard information, tasting notes and critics’ scores, please click here.
Please note that we anticipate high demand for these and as such, some wines may need allocating. The prices listed below exclude duty and VAT. These wines are set to arrive in the UK in September 2021. Please contact your account manager or follow the link below to place your order. Orders over £300.00 inc. VAT qualify for free delivery, otherwise charged at £18.00.