Skip to main content

Buy any 6 Bottles and get Free Ground Shipping

Rhys Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard 2016  - First Bottle

Reviews

97 Vinous -
Even better than it was from barrel, the 2016 Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard is a flat-out stunner. Crazy, beautiful, deeply spiced aromatics literally explode from the glass. Broad and ample on the palate, with tremendous intensity, the Horseshoe has a lot to offer. Orange peel, mint and spice overtones add an exotic flair. This is an utterly captivating Pinot Noir from Rhys.
96 Jeb Dunnuck -
The 2016 Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard offers a more savory, mineral style as well as terrific depth of fruit. Lots of currant and black cherry fruits, ample rocky, earthy minerality, medium to full body, and a seamless texture all emerge from the glass. This classic Horseshoe Vineyard release has building structure that’s going to benefit from a few years in the cellar.
94 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate -
The 2016 Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard takes some time to unwind in the glass, unfurling to reveal notes of strawberries, red cherries, rich spices, forest floor and subtle grilled meat. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, taut and youthfully firm, its bright core of concentrated fruit framed by chalky, fine-grained tannins. This is one of the most tightly coiled wines in the range and will require 5 or 6 years of patience. But when it shows all its cards, its precision and energy will be striking.

Technical Details

  • BlendPinot Noir
  • WinemakerJeff Brinkman
  • CountryUS
  • RegionCalifornia Central Coast
  • AppellationSanta Cruz Mountains
  • VineyardHorseshoe Vineyard
  • Alcohol12.5%

Rhys Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard 2016

Pinot Noir  |  US
VN97, JD96, WA94

Too late, we are SOLD OUT!
We are consistently blown away by the wines of this benchmark producer in the Santa Cruz Mountains. They continue to hone their craft, from the vineyard to the cellar, these wines are the real deal...wines that can rival the very best in the world. The 2016 Horseshoe pinot noir is a wine that Galloni nearly lost his cool over in his 97-point review calling it, "a flat-out stunner. Crazy, beautiful, deeply spiced aromatics literally explode from the glass...This is an utterly captivating Pinot Noir from Rhys." We couldn't agree more with his enthusiasm, this is a beguiling wine full of energy and crunch and packed with an unmistakable minerality and tension that speaks to this wines longs future. But don't get us wrong, this isn't just a wine for the cellar, it is irresistible RIGHT NOW! Trust your wine merchant, this is one of the best pinot noirs on our site right now.

About the Producer

Located in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Rhys Vineyards' owner Kevin Harvey and winemaker Jeff Brinkman fashion a bevy of brilliant pinot noirs, Chardonnays and syrahs from a diverse set of mostly estate vineyards. While Kevin made wine in his garage starting around 1995, it wasn't until 2001 that he decided to create Rhys Vineyards. He set out with the goal to find hillside sites in California that were similar to those in Burgundy. All of his new sites favor high-density plantings (in some cases upwards of 17,000 vines per acres) of suitcase pinot noir clones, and they're all farmed biodynamically by the team at Rhys. Where they can, they utilize dry farming, but the driest, rockiest sites (Skyline) still require moderate irrigation. Rhys is on fire right now in restaurant lists and in geeky wine cirlces arcoss the country. Try throwing one of these pinot's or Chardonnay's into a blind tasting of Burgundy and prepare to be blown away.