Rhys Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay 2009
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Robert
Parker
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Winemaker Notes
In 2009 Rhys Vineyards chose only the most shallow soiled, rocky Chardonnay blocks for their Horseshoe Vineyard designate. This rigorous selection left many excellent barrels for their first Santa Cruz Appellation Chardonnay. In addition to the forward, rich fruit, this bottling offers tremendous minerality and complexity on the long, focused finish. This is a wonderful example of Rhys Chardonnay.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2009 Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains is made from declassified barrels from the Horseshoe and Alpine vineyards. It is a round, textured wine endowed with gorgeous aromatic complexity and fine balance. This is a rather soft, seamless style that emphasizes the accessibility of the fruit over the more prominent minerality that is found in some of the estate's other wines.
Other Vintages
2020-
James
Suckling
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Jeb
Dunnuck
At Rhys Vineyards we aspire to make great Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah from some of California’s most unique and expressive vineyards. This pursuit has led us to search the state for exciting rocky soils that exist within the mountainous, cool, Coastal climate zone. Over the last 15 years we have developed seven estate vineyards, six in the Santa Cruz Mountains and one in Anderson Valley, each of which is capable of producing uniquely compelling, distinctive, soil driven wine.
Their overriding belief that unique vineyard expression is the key to truly great wine leads them to an approach that includes: 1. A relentless, spare-no-expense, focus on producing the best possible fruit in the vineyard; 2. Carefully selected cool weather sites that offer interesting and expressive soil character; 3. Natural winemaking with minimal intervention. These core tenets help produce age-worthy wines that emphasize vineyard expression, balance, fresh fruit, and concentration.