2022 - Alesia (Rhys Vineyards)

Posted on 21 September 2022

Anderson Valley

vs.

Santa Cruz Mountains

Two of California's greatest wine appellations go Head-to-Head!

If you have been curious about how Anderson Valley Pinot Noirs & Chardonnays compare to those of Santa Cruz Mountains... This week's showcase flight flight is perfect for you!

We've designed a carefully curated lineup from Alesia by Rhys Vineyards that will showcase:

The Deep End of Anderson Valley (the extreme northwest corner of the AVA) known for their steep vineyard covered hills that rise above the redwoods.
The Santa Cruz Mountains, California's first appellation defined by its high altitude vineyards and unique location at the convergence of the coastal Bay Area mountains and the Pacific Ocean.

Both varietal representations are similar in style to the classic examples out of Burgundy, but uniquely different given their New World roots. It was very difficult for us to find a favorite among the four, so I invite you to visit us at either Tasting Room this week to enjoy the flight. Perhaps you'll be equally baffled by how well both appellations express these magnificent varieties!

Read on for further details on both regions and a brief description of each wine. This is a great opportunity to continue down your wine journey, while getting to know Rhys Vineyards, an allocated producer making distinctive, higher-end, terroir-driven wines.

See you soon!

Cheers,

Mark

See Below for our Calendar of Events

FALL HARVEST Open House in the Myers Park Tasting Room

featuring a NINE wine all Italian line-up and we're now filing up, so act soon if you wish to join us!

Thursday, September 29th at 6:00PM
Purchase your tickets online HERE

MASTER SOMM Dinner with Des Echavarrie

featuring a line-up of Cult Napa producers & reception dinner

Friday, October 7th
Email us for details, mark your calendar

Click Here to Browse & Purchase Directly Online, and We Will Have Your Order Ready for Pick-up

Stay up to date with our latest offerings on Instagram and Facebook!

Join us Wednesday through Saturday for a flight of two Chardonnays & two Pinot Noirs from Anderson Valley & the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Rhys Vineyards "Alesia" Chardonnay 2019 - $50 btl/retail

Santa Cruz Mountains, California

Rhys Vineyards "Alesia" Chardonnay 2019 - $50 btl/retail

Anderson Valley, California

Rhys Vineyards "Alesia" Pinot Noir 2017 - $57 btl/retail

Santa Cruz Mountains, California

Rhys Vineyards "Alesia" Pinot Noir 2017 - $50 btl/retail

Anderson Valley, California

Full Flight of 4 - $28 (2.5oz pours)

4:00 - 6:30pm Wednesday

4:00 - 7:30pm Thursday - Friday

1:00 - 7:30pm Saturday

Primer on Featured Wine Regions:

Santa Cruz Mountains

One of the wine world’s best kept secrets, the Santa Cruz Mountains have long produced some of the New World’s very finest wines. For decades, inspirational wines like Ridge Monte Bello and Mount Eden Chardonnay have thrilled serious wine enthusiasts. In addition, there have been many legendary Pinot Noirs from producers like Mount Eden, David Bruce and Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyards. At their best, Santa Cruz Mountain wines offer all the key ingredients for truly fine wine – breathtaking balance, terrific concentration, uncommon minerality, thrilling complexity and Old World age worthiness. With approximately 600 acres planted to Pinot Noir in the entire appellation, Santa Cruz Mountain Pinots are also quite rare.

Santa Cruz Mountain Pinot Noir derives its quality from a very unique confluence of climate and geology. The appellation is bordered by two bodies of water – the Pacific Ocean on the west and the San Francisco Bay on the east. This situation creates a cool climate that moderates California’s late season heat spikes, producing intense wines with beautiful balance.

Rhys Vineyards winery has carefully selected sites to highlight the unique conditions found in these geologically diverse mountains. Each of their six sites is located on a unique and completely different geology. It is fascinating to taste how these conditions produce such distinctive and different Pinot Noir.

Anderson Valley

Located over 100 miles north of San Francisco, the wine producing reputation of this beautiful, remote valley has been steadily climbing for decades. The 16 mile long, transverse valley extends from the southeast to the northwest and becomes increasingly cool as it nears the Pacific Ocean. The geology in the valley is quite diverse but includes a band of rocky southwest facing hillsides that produce intense, mineral driven wines of great elegance.

Here, Rhys Vineyards selected a site known as Bearwallow vineyard, in the coolest northwest corner or “Deep End” of the valley where they planted 31 acres to vines on very rocky slopes.

Rhys Vineyards "Alesia"

Chardonnay 2019

Santa Cruz Mountain, California

$50.00 (purchase it online here)

Alesia wines are from the same estate as the Rhys wines- they share the same purity, complexity & elegance. To make this more apparent in '19, Alesia wines are now under the Rhys label. This appellation level Chardonnay has tons of class and overachieves.

Varietal: 100% Chardonnay

Taste: Lovely young nose of pear, green apple, lemon, salty soil tones, dried white flowers, lemon peel and a hint of oak. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and tightly-knit out of the blocks, with a good core, superb mineral drive and focus, zesty acids and a long complex and very promising finish.

Rhys Vineyards "Alesia"

Chardonnay 2019

Anderson Valley, California

$50.00 (purchase it online here)

The most accesible Chardonnay in the Alesia line-up. All estate fruit from Bearwallow Vineyard that gives off a more rounded medium-bodied profile than its Santa Cruz Mountains counterpart. Still displays good vitality with bouquet of green orchard fruit

Varietal: 100% Chardonnay from Wente, Hyde and Mt. Eden clones. Fermented in barrel for about a year, 6 months in stainless steel. 20% new French oak.

Taste: Lemon confit, white flowers and marzipan flesh out the mid-palate nicely. Light tropical notes add exotic flair, but without dominating the balance, while bright saline accents perk up the finish.

Rhys Vineyards "Alesia"

Pinot Noir 2017

Santa Cruz Mountains, California

$57.00 (purchase it online here)

The wine bottled under Alesia is drinking deliciously early in its youth, but still offers the complex character & balance that is expected from Rhys Vineyards. The 2017 has stellar aromatics that soar from the glass in a very expressive & complex nature.

Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir.

Taste: Medium to deep ruby in the glass, the 2017 Alesia Pinot Noir from Santa Cruz Mountains has a spicy nose of pipe tobacco, Earl Grey tea leaves and dried rose petals with dried herbs. Also aromas of wood smoke, prosciutto and licorice play off notes of warm cranberries and blackberries. Light to medium-bodied, it has a good core of earthy fruit with a soft frame and juicy acidity that finishes long and spicy.

Rhys Vineyards "Alesia"

Pinot Noir 2017

Anderson Valley, California

$50.00 (purchase it online here)

At Rhys Vineyards the pursuit of CA's most unique vineyards has led a search for exciting rocky soils that exist within the mountainous, cool, Coastal zones. Bearwallow Vineyard in the "Deep End" of Anderson Valley produces elegant, mineral-driven Pinot Noir.

Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir from 8-12 year old vines that grow at 300-600' in elevation.

Taste: Pale to medium ruby-purple with a pretty nose of autumn leaves, bark and cinnamon stick with mulled black cherries, blackberries, crushed flowers and woodsmoke. The palate is medium-bodied, delicate and earthy with juicy acidity and a soft frame, fleshing out to sweet berry flavors on the long finish.

In Case You Missed it...

Last week we announced the opening of our

new Petit Philippe location in the

Design District of South End!

Hours:

Wed - Sat 11am-9pm

Sundays 1pm-6pm

Link to the announcement in the

Charlotte Observer HERE!