2008 Rhys Vineyards Horseshoe Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains 1x750ml

Vinous 93

(12.8% alcohol) Glass-staining ruby. Assertive, smoky aromas of musky cherry, Indian spices, cocoa powder, rose and licorice, plus a whiff of cured meat. Compellingly velvety and sweet on entry, then brilliantly vibrant and mineral-driven in the mid-palate, with an explosive floral pastille quality lifting the flavors of crushed dark berries and baking spices. The wine’s pungent minerality lingers on the long, gently chewy finish. This plays Richebourg to the Swan Terrace’s Romanee Saint-Vivant. The crop here was 0.7 tons per acre in 2008. [Stephen Tanzer, 05/01/2010]