- Lot Description
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Bid on this 3-bottle lot of 2012-2014 Rhys "Swan Terrace" Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir Vertical, including 1-bottle of 2012 Rhys "Swan Terrace" Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir (95JG, 95RP, 94ST, 93BH, 93VN), 1-bottle of 2013 Rhys "Swan Terrace" Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir (96RP, 95VN, 94JG), and 1-bottle of 2014 Rhys "Swan Terrace" Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir (96RP, 94JG, 93VN). Of the 2013 Rhys "Swan Terrace" Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir,Robert Parker's Wine Advocate writes: "Coming from a small, east-facing parcel in the Alpine Vineyard, the sensational 2013 Pinot Noir Swan Terrace has a searing, gunpowder-like minerality to go with more subtle peppery spice, rose petal, liquid rock and perfumed red fruits. One of the most structured and firm 2013s, its defined by its tight tannic structure on the palate and needs 2-3 years of cellaring. It's another terrific 2013 that will see its 15th birthday in fine form. (JD)" (10/2016)
This lot contains the following items:
2012 Rhys "Swan Terrace" Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir (qty: 1)
2013 Rhys "Swan Terrace" Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir (qty: 1)
2014 Rhys "Swan Terrace" Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir (qty: 1)
- Lot Items
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2012 Rhys "Swan Terrace" Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir (750 ml)Quantity: 1Provenance: Purchased directly from the winery and stored in a temperature-controlled home cellar until hand-delivered to K&L.Tasting Notes:- Professional Reviews
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John Gilman
95
The Swan Terrace, from an easterly-facing section of Alpine Vineyard, is utterly stunning in 2012. The wine is one of the lowest octane of the Rhys pinots this year, coming in at a cool 12.6 percent (most of the range are in the thirteen percent range this year), and the wine is magical. The nose is a pure and utterly superb mélange of black cherries, dark berries, black minerality, coffee bean, a potpourri of complex botanicals, woodsmoke, a touch of gamebird, cola and a gentle base of cedary wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and marvelously soil-driven, with a fine core of fruit, moderate tannins and a very, very long, complex and tangy finish. Beautiful wine.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
95
From a steep slope located between 1,210 and 1,300 feet above sea level, the 2012 Pinot Noir Swan Terrace shows lots of whole-cluster influence in its ground pepper, black cherry, wood smoke and forest floor/autumn leaf-driven personality. Hitting the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, bright acidity and plenty of concentration and tannic grip, this is a serious, structured and Burgundian Pinot Noir from this team that has the depth and class to evolve nicely for another decade or more. (JD) 95+
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Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
94
Brilliant ruby. Heady, mineral-accented aromas of black raspberry, cherry and potpourri, with a spicy quality gaining volume with air. Shows a darker fruit character on the palate, displaying intense cherry and blackberry flavors and a sexy floral pastille nuance. Chewy and tightly focused, finishing with superb clarity and power and smooth, slow-mounting tannins that fade into the lush, sappy fruit. (ST)
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Allen Meadows - Burghound
93
This is perhaps the most aromatically reserved wine in the range with mostly floral aromas of tea, black raspberry and subtle anise nuances. There is good volume and concentration to the muscular yet relatively refined medium-bodied flavors that possess plenty of dry extract that coats the palate on the dusty, intense and hugely long finish. This is arguably the biggest and most powerful though not the most elegant wine in the range that will also need plenty of patience. *Outstanding*
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Vinous
93
Dark red and plum notes meld into spice and floral notes in the 2012 Pinot Noir Swan Terrace. One of the more supple, accessible wines in the range, the 2012 is pure sensuality in the glass. The 100% whole clusters are practically buried by the intensity and radiance of the fruit. This is the only 2012 at Rhys that showed better from barrel than it does today from bottle. (AG)
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Jancis Robinson
Special section with different orientation. 100% stems. Some floral aspect. Introvert and tight. A bit dry on the end. But it does open out in the glass. 17++/20 points. (JR)
Ratings: JG: 95 RP: 95 ST: 94 BH: 93 VN: 93 JR -
2013 Rhys "Swan Terrace" Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir (750 ml)Quantity: 1Provenance: Purchased directly from the winery and stored in a temperature-controlled home cellar until hand-delivered to K&L.Tasting Notes:- Professional Reviews
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
96
Coming from a small, east-facing parcel in the Alpine Vineyard, the sensational 2013 Pinot Noir Swan Terrace has a searing, gunpowder-like minerality to go with more subtle peppery spice, rose petal, liquid rock and perfumed red fruits. One of the most structured and firm 2013s, its defined by its tight tannic structure on the palate and needs 2-3 years of cellaring. It's another terrific 2013 that will see its 15th birthday in fine form. (JD)
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Vinous
95
A dark, mysterious wine, the 2013 Pinot Noir Swan Terrace stands out for its ample texture and body. Dark red cherry, plum, cloves, new leather and menthol blossom in a ripe, overt wine. Here, too, readers can expect a wine that will drink well with minimal cellaring. Today, the Swan Terrace comes across as much more open than it did from barrel. It will be interesting to see if the 2013 shuts down in bottle. (AG)
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John Gilman
94
As I noted last year, the Swan Terrace bottling hails from an easterly-facing section of Alpine Vineyard that merits a bottling on its own for its own unique voice of terroir. The 2013 version is a marvelously elegant and complex wine on both the nose and palate, offering up a cool fruit mélange of dark berries, bing cherries, beautiful botanicals, a touch of gamebird, lovely minerality, vinesmoke and a gentle topnote of cardamom. On the palate the wine is medium-full, tangy and very intensely flavored, with a fine core, moderate tannins and great transparency on the very long, youthful and oh, so promising finish. This is the lowest octane bottling of Pinot Noir from the Rhys lineup in 2013, coming in at a svelte 12.2 percent alcohol, but there is no shortage of stuffing or intensity and all this lovely wine needs is time in the cellar to fully blossom. 94+
Ratings: RP: 96 VN: 95 JG: 94 -
2014 Rhys "Swan Terrace" Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir (750 ml)Quantity: 1Provenance: Purchased directly from the winery and stored in a temperature-controlled home cellar until hand-delivered to K&L.Tasting Notes:- Professional Reviews
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
96
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)
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John Gilman
94
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!
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Vinous
93
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)
Ratings: RP: 96 JG: 94 VN: 93
