Pinot Noir 'Horseshoe Hillside'

Score

98

"The 2019 Pinot Noir Horseshoe Hillside takes all of the structure of this site and fills out the layers with striking fruit. An absolute stunner, the Hillside has so much of everything. Dark red/purplish fruit, rose petal, spice, blood orange and mint are some of the many notes that build in the glass. High-density blocks on the upper rim of Horseshoe vineyard form the core of the Hillside bottling."

Score

98

"Following the regular Horseshoe bottling, the 2019 Pinot Noir Horseshoe Hillside Vineyard is similarly eager and immediate on the nose. In this vintage, it feels like the volume was turned up from the regular bottling, with particular emphasis on exotic spices, nori and the signature charcuterie note. The palate is perfectly silky and elegant, bordering on the weightlessness of the Ungrafted Vines bottling but with a more broad-shouldered presence and tensile strength. The finish is somehow equally mouthwatering and powdery, both extremes weaving in and out of the palate with amazing dexterity. The Hillside duo at Rhys continues to deliver an exceptional drinking experience that is simply incomparable in California Pinot Noir."

Score

97+

"A tiny production, parcel selection from the Horseshoe Vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the 2019 Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard Hillside is one of the more backward, structured, serious wines in the lineup. Notes of darker currants, sour cherries, crushed stone, iodine, forest floor, and roasted herb-like nuances all develop with time in the glass, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a rich, layered mid-palate, building tannins, and a brilliantly focused finish. It needs a good hour in a decanter if drinking any time soon and will be best with 2-4 years of bottle age. It should have 15+ years of prime drinking."