2017 | Rhys Vineyards | Horseshoe Vineyard Chardonnay

A compelling combination of citrus, struck flint and expertly integrated fine oak aromas invite the nose into this bottling, where wafts of sea salt, lemongrass and lemon preserves on toast arise. The palate is grippy in texture, combining white peach crème brûlée flavors, with smashed stone and bright lemon zest.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: The 2017 Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard has toast, smoke and gunflint notions to begin, giving way to lemon pith, cream and stony scents with a restrained core of white peach with citrus blossom and honey in the background. It's medium-bodied and minerally in the mouth, with tangy acidity and a long, precise finish. This will need plenty of time in bottle to flesh out.

• Jeb Dunnuck: One of the standouts in the lineup, the 2017 Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard has stunning complexity paired with richness, depth, and precision. Fabulous notes of white peach, tart pineapple, salty minerality, and white flowers all flow to a medium to full-bodied, racy Chardonnay with terrific concentration, high yet integrated acidity, and a great finish.

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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