Rhys Vineyards
Overview
Rhys Vineyards is one of the benchmark producers in all of the United States, crafting terrain-driven, Burgundian-style wines from organically and biodynamically farmed estate vineyards. Founded by Kevin Harvey in 2004, though vines were first planted at the Home Vineyard in 1995. The director of winemaking, Jeff Brinkman, has been on the winemaking team since April 2006. The estate farms seven vineyards: four in the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA (Alpine, Horseshoe, Skyline, Mount Pajaro), two in San Mateo County just outside the AVA (Home, Family Farm), and one in Anderson Valley, Mendocino (Bearwallow). For many wine lovers Rhys has become the gold standard of California Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. John Gilman devoted a 32-page historical feature to the estate in VFTC #117 (May-June 2025), describing it as “trailblazing brilliance” and noting that the Horseshoe Vineyard Syrah 2010 “would easily hold its own in a flight of the very best bottlings from Hermitage or Côte-Rôtie.”
Appellations
- Santa Cruz Mountains — Alpine, Horseshoe, Skyline, Mount Pajaro vineyards
- San Mateo County — Home Vineyard, Family Farm Vineyard (shared Santa Cruz Mountains terroir; lower elevation excluded from AVA)
- Anderson Valley — Bearwallow Vineyard (largest vineyard, 14+ ha; also cornerstone of sparkling program)
Key Wines
Pinot Noir
- Alpine Vineyard — mother block for all other Rhys plantings; south-facing; 1200–1490 ft elevation; 30% new oak; oldest vines planted 2004. Swan Terrace (east-facing sub-parcel) and Hillside (steepest, lowest-yielding blocks) bottled separately in top vintages.
- Horseshoe Vineyard — 400 yards from Alpine; Monterey Formation limestone-infused shale and volcanic soils; rust-hued; 30% new oak. Hillside and Ungrafted (franc de pied, from 2018) bottlings in select vintages.
- Skyline Vineyard — highest elevation (2360 ft); above fogline; purely Pinot Noir (syrah budded over after 2013); most densely planted in California at 2x3 ft spacing; 100% whole cluster.
- Home Vineyard — San Mateo; 100% whole cluster; 25% new oak; 15 PN clones; gravelly Whiskey Hill Formation soils.
- Family Farm Vineyard — San Mateo; no new oak, no stems; alluvial loam and clay; deeper soils than Home.
- Bearwallow Vineyard — Anderson Valley; Porcupine Hill single-plot cuvée (17,000 vines/ha, from 2013).
Chardonnay
- Alpine, Horseshoe, Mount Pajaro, Bearwallow — all barrel-fermented; 15% new oak universally; aged 1 year in cask + 6–8 months in tank; unfined and unfiltered. Among the most age-worthy whites produced in California today; Gilman notes they will “have little difficulty going twenty or twenty-five years in bottle.”
Chenin Blanc
- Mount Pajaro Vineyard — Gilman calls it “probably one of the two best produced in California today, alongside the Beau Rivage wines made by William Kelley”; Sec style; aged like Chardonnay; as age-worthy as the chard cuvées. As of 2023, a new Horseshoe Vineyard Chenin Blanc has also been released.
Syrah
- Horseshoe Vineyard — 100% whole cluster; 10 months in used Burgundy barrels + 1 year in neutral 25,000L foudres; unfined/unfiltered. Clones: JL Chave selection and Alban Vineyard’s Côte-Rôtie selection (originally from Guigal). Gilman: “clearly among the greatest wines produced at Rhys.”
- Skyline Vineyard — produced only 2007–2013 (4 vintages); budded over to PN due to demand.
- Bearwallow Vineyard — planted 2015; 50% whole cluster (vs. 100% for Horseshoe, reflecting younger vines).
Sparkling Wines (Rhys Sparkling program)
Consulting partner: Rodolphe Péters (Champagne Pierre Péters, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger). Chardonnay clones 76 and 96 (classic Champagne clones) planted at Bearwallow (2013/2014) and Mount Pajaro. Extra Brut dosages (2–4 g/L). All aged minimum 2 years sur latte under crown caps.
- Perpetual Reserve NV — solera-based; predominantly Bearwallow
- Bearwallow Vineyard Vintage Extra Brut — Chard + PN blend
- Mount Pajaro Blanc de Blancs — 2017 debut; Gilman: “stellar and my favorite”
- Estate Rosé Vintage Extra Brut — saignée method; 4 years sur latte; pale salmon
Italian Grape Variety Project (Aeris / Centennial Mountain)
A newer project centered on the Centennial Mountain Vineyard in Sonoma County, focusing on Carricante (white), Nerello Mascalese, Barbera, Nebbiolo, Carignan and Primitivo. Also some wines from Mount Etna. Previously labeled Aeris; 2022/2023 releases now labeled Centennial Mountain.
Style Notes
The core philosophy: plant the same material and make wines the same way—down to fermenter type and barrel type—so that differences in the wines derive solely from site expression. Each vineyard has a unique, non-repeating geologic profile driven by the collision of the Pacific and North American tectonic plates ~30 million years ago, which exposed ancient marine sedimentary soils at the surface. All vineyards on the western edge of the San Andreas Fault (except Home, which is 200 ft east). All wines fermented with indigenous yeasts. All grapes foot-trodden. All wines bottled unfined and unfiltered. Red wines receive 5-day cold soaks (Henri Jayer style). Oak staves air-dried fully 4 years before fashioning into barrels. New oak percentages correlate with vineyard altitude as proxy for soil depth: Skyline/Alpine/Horseshoe ~30%, Mount Pajaro/Swan Terrace ~25%, Family Farm/Bearwallow essentially 0%. The style is resolutely anti-hedonistic: cool-climate, low-alcohol (12–13.5% typically), structured for long aging. Even the “lighter” cuvées need 8–10 years; the top reds should be cellared 20–30+ years.
Winery: 30,000 sq ft “cave” tunneled into the hillside next to Alpine Vineyard; completed 2010; fully gravity-fed. 100+ one-ton stainless steel fermenters plus 10 two-ton oak fermenters.
Gilman Scores (VFTC #117, May-June 2025)
Chardonnay:
| Wine | Vintage | Score | Drink |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horseshoe Vineyard | 2011 | 95 | 2025–2040 |
| Alpine Vineyard | 2011 | 94 | 2025–2045+ |
| Alpine Vineyard | 2012 | 94+ | 2022–2045+ |
| Alpine Vineyard | 2017 | 94 | 2025–2050 |
| Bearwallow Vineyard | 2017 | 94 | 2025–2050 |
| Horseshoe Vineyard | 2015 | 93 | 2022–2035 |
| Alpine Vineyard | 2014 | 93 | 2024–2040 |
| Horseshoe Vineyard | 2014 | 93 | 2024–2040 |
| Horseshoe Vineyard | 2013 | 93 | 2022–2035+ |
| Anderson Valley | 2014 | 93 | 2025–2040+ |
| Mount Pajaro | 2017 | 92+ | 2025–2045+ |
Chenin Blanc:
| Wine | Vintage | Score | Drink |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Pajaro | 2017 | 93 | 2025–2045+ |
| Mount Pajaro | 2016 | 93 | 2028–2050+ |
Pinot Noir:
| Wine | Vintage | Score | Drink |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horseshoe “Hillside” | 2014 | 96 | 2035–2085 |
| Swan Terrace | 2013 | 95 | 2025–2075+ |
| Skyline | 2013 | 95 | 2032–2075+ |
| Bearwallow | 2011 | 94 | 2030–2080 |
| Alpine | 2009 | 94 | 2025–2075 |
| Alpine | 2012 | 94 | 2030–2080 |
| Alpine | 2013 | 94 | 2029–2075+ |
| Horseshoe | 2012 | 94 | 2031–2080 |
| Horseshoe | 2014 (375ml) | 94 | 2026–2060 |
| Horseshoe | 2011 | 94 | 2023–2045+ |
| Skyline | 2011 | 94 | 2025–2075 |
| Skyline | 2012 | 94+ | 2029–2080 |
| Swan Terrace | 2012 | 94+ | 2031–2080 |
| Home | 2011 | 93 | 2025–2075 |
| Alpine | 2011 | 93+ | 2031–2075 |
| Horseshoe | 2013 | 93+ | 2032–2075+ |
Syrah:
| Wine | Vintage | Score | Drink |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horseshoe | 2010 | 95+ | 2030–2080 |
| Skyline | 2013 | 95+ | 2030–2080 |
| Horseshoe | 2013 | 94 | 2031–2080 |
| Horseshoe | 2009 | 93 | 2033–2080 |
Sparkling:
| Wine | Vintage | Score | Drink |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mt. Pajaro Blanc de Blancs | 2017 | 94 | 2022–2050 |
| Bearwallow Blanc de Blancs | 2018 | 92 | 2027–2050 |
| Mt. Pajaro Blanc de Blancs | 2018 | 94 | 2024–2050 |
| Estate Rosé | 2018 | 93 | 2025–2050 |
| Bearwallow Extra Brut | 2018 | 93+ | 2025–2050+ |
| Estate Rosé | 2019 | 93+ | 2026–2050 |
| Perpetual Reserve NV | (2019 base) | 93 | 2022–2040+ |
| Perpetual Reserve NV | (2017 base) | 93 | 2024–2050 |
| Perpetual Reserve NV | (2016–2020 base) | 92 | 2024–2045+ |
My Tastings
(none yet)
Sources
- VFTC #117 (John Gilman, May-June 2025), pages 1–32 — full estate profile with vineyard sketches, winemaking philosophy, and tasting notes from 2006–2017 vintages