Isaac Pirolo

9.5

When I come across Kevin Harvey's Rhys Vineyards I always think about this excerpt from a piece Jon Bonne wrote for the San Francisco Chronicle back in 2011: "The depleted soils of Harvey’s Skyline vineyard, planted at the winery, are so densely planted and demandingly farmed, at about 7,000 vines per acre, that its 14,000 vines yielded just 660 bottles of wine in 2009. Which explains a revealing harvest moment that stuck in Harvey’s head: “One guy comes out of the vineyard and says, ‘Why do you hate money?'”"

This is strawberry at its perfect ripeness. Exotic, perfumed, pure, and wild. A Pinot Noir like this probably makes Cali Pinot producers wish they were in Burgundy and Burgundy producers awkwardly self-conscious. It's cerebral hedonism. — 8 years ago

Andrew Lampasone

Owner Wine Watch Selections

9.2

A bit of rain in September gave us a little bit of mold they triple sorted the fruit with cassis and currant berry fruit cigar box spice fresh earth and a nice freshness to the finish some fresh black earth with dar bitter coco notes through the finish 800 foot elevation in their estate vineyard they had a bad set giving them one ton per acre. The 2010 has more richness and 3000 cases is the normal production the 2011 is only 900 cases. They make 15,000 cases total under the Merryvale moniker. The 2010 has more richness more tannins and a long finish. Most excellent. — 10 years ago

Andrew Lampasone

Owner Wine Watch Selections

9.6

This is a single vineyard wine las piedras vineyard only 100 cases one ton per acre 20 months in new French oak — 11 years ago