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: 2014 Rhys "Swan Terrace" Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir

2014 Rhys "Swan Terrace" Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir

SKU #1296590 96 points Wine Advocate

Outer quote mark Coming from a small, east-facing section of the Alpine Vineyard and very chalky soils, the 2014 Pinot Noir Swan Terrace is an impeccably balanced, complete Pinot Noir that has everything you could want from the grape. Gorgeous red and black fruits, roasted herbs, smoked earth and spice all jump from the glass of this seamless red that has polished tannin (and plenty of them), a layered, balanced profile and no shortage of length. Like all of these 2014s, it needs short-term cellaring and will have two decades of overall longevity. (JD) Inner quote mark (10/2016)

94 points John Gilman

Outer quote mark The 2014 Swan Terrace is very classically low octane, as is customary with this bottling from Rhys. I had not tasted it since its release and was very happy to cross paths with it recently. The wine is still quite youthful, as one would expect from this cuvée at age five, but it is starting to show some signs of secondary development and is certainly not shut down. The bouquet offers up a lovely and smoky constellation of sweet dark berries, a touch of plum, gamebird, dark soil tones, bitter chocolate, woodsmoke, cedar and a lovely, gently blossoming topnote of botanicals. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, focused and suavely tannic, with a lovely core, good soil signature, tangy acids and lovely balance and grip on the long and complex finish. This is not into its apogee of peak maturity by any stretch of the imagination, but even in its adolescence, it is drinking with great style! Inner quote mark (8/2019)

93 points Vinous

Outer quote mark The 2014 Pinot Noir Swan Terrace brings together the richness of the vintage with good aromatic complexity and nuance. The flavors are bold and intense throughout, with plenty of supporting structure to match. Dark red cherry, menthol, dark spices and leather fill out the wine's ample frame nicely. The 2014 is another wine in the range that is going to require considerable time to come together. This is a decidedly dark and intense Pinot. The 100% whole clusters are nearly buried by the intensity of the fruit. The Swan Terrace is a decidedly dark, brooding wine that shows the more virile side of Pinot. (AG) Inner quote mark (7/2016)

Burghound

Outer quote mark Once again the aromatics are stunningly pretty with distinct floral and spice elements adding breadth to the violet, plum and dark currant scented nose. The succulent, round and delicious medium-bodied flavors possess both good volume but also good delineation before culminating in a powerful, focused and lingering if mildly dry and markedly firm finish where a hint of bitter cherry appears. Inner quote mark (6/2017)

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2014 Rhys "Swan Terrace" Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir

Price: $119.99

Quantity:

RP: 96

JG: 94

VN: 93

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Varietal:

Pinot Noir

- One of France's most legendary grapes and the grape that earned Burgundy its reputation. The parent of varietals like Pinot Gris/Grigio and Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir is blue to violet to indigo in color with relatively thin skins, and it is said to have been cultivated in France for more than 2,000 years. At its best, Pinot Noir creates elegant wines that are filled with primary red fruit aromas and flavors while young, revealing with an array of secondary characteristics like earth, smoke, violet, truffle and game with age. The varietal is also known, perhaps better than any, for its ability to translate terroir, or a sense of place. While the best Pinot Noir still comes from Burgundy, it is being produced with increasing success in cooler climates around the world. In France, it is part of the trifecta of grapes that can go into Champagne, and it is also grown in Alsace, Irancy, Jura, Savoie, Lorraine and Sancerre. Outside of France it is produced under the names Pinot Nero and Blauburgunder in Italy's mountainous regions, as Spätburgunder in Germany and as Blauburgunder in Austria. In the US, Pinot Noir has found suitable growing conditions in the cooler parts of California, including Carneros, the Russian River Valley, the Anderson Valley, the Sonoma Coast, Monterey County, the Santa Lucia Highlands and Santa Barbara County, as well as in Oregon's Willamette Valley. In recent years, New Zealand has demonstrated its ability to interpret this hard-to-grow varietal, with successful bottlings coming from careful and attentive growers in Central Otago, Martinborough and Canterbury. Chile is also an up-and-coming region for Pinot Noir, creating fresh, fruit-forward, early-drinking and affordable Pinots from the coastal Casablanca Valley and the Limari Valley.

Country:

United States

- When people consider domestic wine, they normally think about the state of California. The fine viticultural Region within California, including the Napa Valley, Sonoma, Santa Cruz Mountains, Mendocino and Santa Barbara, are capable of growing grapes of world-class quality. But there's plenty of fabulous wine coming from other states, too. Oregon, Washington and New York are also causing eyebrows (and glassware) to be raised around the world.

Sub-Region:

California

- With the explosive growth that California's wine industry has seen the past several years, it's easy to view winemaking and grape growing in the Golden State as a recent phenomenon. And while it's true that California's viticultural history is brief compared to several European countries, this state's roots date back well over 200 years. Due to the enormous response to California wine within the United States and worldwide, there are thousands of excellent and diverse wines being produced within the state each year.

Specific Appellation:

Santa Cruz Mountains

- Vineyards dot the valleys and ridges of this coastal AVA just south of San Francisco. Microclimates make it difficult to generalize, and vineyards are frequently separated by acres of forests and meadowlands (not to mention entire towns!), but this is nonetheless known as a cooler-climate zone ideal for pinot noir. Ridge is doubtless the most famous local producer, with its cabernet blend, Monte Bello, named after a Santa Cruz mountain peak. High-quality, low-production chardonnay and some Rhône varietals prosper as well.