2021 Rhys Vineyards Pinot Noir Family Farm San Mateo County Central Coast 750 ml

• Pinot Noir
• 2021
• California
• Central Coast

• The Story

  Antonio Galloni of Vinous spends his life evaluating the world’s greatest wines. And last December, with a year’s worth of tasting in the books, he revealed his Winery of the Year.  It was Rhys Vineyards in California’s Santa Cruz Mountains. And the honor came on the strength of their 2021s. “I tasted many memorable wines this year,” he wrote, “but one range stands out.” Calling Rhys’s ‘21s “off the charts,” he revealed a bevy of stratospheric scores and glowing reviews.  The 2021 Family Farm Pinot Noir is a special rarity that’s near-impossible to find. Grown on a prized terroir near their Santa Cruz mountains home, typically sold only to the Rhys mailing list and visitors to their members-only tasting room, it’s more immediately accessible than some of Rhys’s other bottles: “Immediately captivating,” and “a wine of pure and total sensuality,” in Galloni’s words. 

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• Wine Facts
  • Fruit Intensity
  • Oak Intensity
  • Body
  • Acidity
  • Tannin

  • ABV 14.10%
  • 30 mins
  • Now - 2035
  • % Pinot Noir
  • Serving temperature - 58°
  • Cork
• Wine Access Tasting Note

  Cherry red, with a garnet edge. Aromas of ripe red raspberry and wild strawberries weave with delicate notes of rose petals, cinnamon, and earthy, damp forest floor, creating a richly layered bouquet. On the palate, a medium-bodied elegance, where juicy cherry and pomegranate flavors mingle with orange peel, clove, and subtle minerality. The texture is silky and refined, supported by lively acidity and well-integrated tannins. The finish is strikingly long, leaving a lasting impression of red fruit and an intriguing earthy nuance. Drink now–2035.

• Food Pairings
  • Soft Cheese
  • White Meat
  • Cured Meat
  • Red Meat
• Critic Reviews

  96 pts

  Jeb Dunnuck

  Pouring a saturated red color, the 2021 Pinot Noir Family Farm Vineyard comes from a lower altitude vineyard that produces a more plush and approachable style of wine. Lush and inviting, this wine is ripe with dark berried fruit, purple flowers, sappy earth, and herbs. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the palate with generous fruit with a clean lift and ripe tannins. It’s long on the palate, with a great finish, and it’s hard to resist now. Drink 2025-2040.

  96 pts

  Vinous

  The 2021 Pinot Noir Family Farm is a wine of pure and total sensuality. Silky, aromatic and elegant, the 2021 is immediately captivating. Crushed rose petal, succulent red berry fruit, cinnamon, dried leaves and pipe tobacco soar out of the glass. This is another Pinot where the fruit is quite buried today, but all the elements are so well put together, making the Family Farm one of the more approachable wines in the range. Deeper, clay soils yield a Pinot with super-elegant tannins.