2016 | Rhys Vineyards | Bearwallow Vineyard Chardonnay

It offers the verve and balance that Rhys' Chardonnay customers expect with delicious, early charm and a spicy finish reminiscent of the Bearwallow Pinot.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: The 2016 Chardonnay Bearwallow Vineyard is lovely, exhibiting youthful but expressive notes of apple, white peach and a touch of green herbs, subtly framed by a judicious application of new oak. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, with bright acids that lend the wine focus and delineation, with good concentration and a chalky, mouthwatering finish. The additional tension and intensity that this possesses over the Alesia Anderson Valley bottling—also derived from Bearwallow Vineyard—reflects how selective, both at the press and in the cellar, the Rhys team is in determining what makes the cut. Follow it for the coming decade or more.

• Jeb Dunnuck: Starting with the Chardonnays, the 2016 Chardonnay Bearwallow Vineyard comes from Anderson Valley and offers a medium-bodied, fresh, elegant, almost feminine profile as well as classy citrus zest, crushed rocks, and white flowers. With beautiful purity of fruit and a great texture, it’s already delicious yet should keep for 7-8 years.

Producer Information

Rhys Vineyards is a well-regarded wine producer based in the Santa Cruz Mountains and sourcing fruit from mountain vineyards both in the Santa Cruz Mountain AVA and the Anderson Valley AVA, some 150 miles (240km) north. The Californian estate, which established its first vineyards in the mid-1990s, focuses on three grape varieties: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. Six of the estate's vineyards are based in the Santa Cruz Mountains to the south of San Francisco. These vineyards all differ slightly in terms of terroir, particularly when it comes to soil and aspect. The soil types range from clay loam to shallow, rocky soils – all giving distinct characters in the final wines. The individual vineyards' mesoclimates are largely dependent on their aspects and degrees of slope, as each has a different exposure to sunlight and breezes from the nearby Pacific. One of the vineyards, Skyline, is one of California's highest vineyards, at an altitude of 2360ft (720m) above sea level. Rhys Vineyards make a range of single-vineyard Pinot Noirs, as well as several Chardonnay and Syrah wines. The company also has a 14-hectare (35-acre) site in Anderson Valley planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In the winery, grapes are vinified by block in small, one-ton fermentation tanks. The grapes are treaded by foot, instead of using mechanical punchdowns or pumpovers. Rhys Vineyards uses natural yeasts for fermentation, and the wines are aged in French oak.

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