Grape Escapes: Rhys Opens to the Public for Tasting By Appointment

May 10, 2024 – The wine industry has an oversupply problem. One could argue that much of that supply is plonk. But there is also a generous cache of really good to great wine and some of it is aging nicely in local cellars. Apologies to all the naysayers about how bad alcohol is for you and how the wine industry—and alcohol in general— is doomed, but now is a good time to be an opportunistic wine drinker.  

This is especially true when you have the opportunity to taste a brand like Rhys Vineyards, which has operated on a mailing list only model since its inception. Located on Skyline Boulevard, just 2 miles north of the intersection of Highway 35 and Highway 9, Rhys is now open for tastings by appointment. Three tasting slots are offered, at 10am, 1pm and 3pm, Tuesdays through Saturdays. Reservations are by appointment only, for parties up to 8. Tastings are $95/per person. Book here: RhysVisit

Started by Woodside resident Kevin Harvey in 2004, Rhys Vineyards was named “Winery of the Year” for 2023, by Antonio Galloni and the Vinous team. The name Rhys means ardor or passion in Old Welsh and, along with the distinctive Celtic knot on the foil and on the label, it pays homage to Harvey’s heritage. 

An engineer turned venture capitalist, Harvey first planted vines at his Woodside home in 1995, calling it Home Vineyard. He made some home wine that got encouraging reviews from friends. Later he planted Family Farm, nearby. Convinced that the world’s best winegrowing regions are in a “Goldilocks zone,” where the soil, ideally sand and limestone or weathered clay, is just thin enough to prevent too much vigor, yet deep enough to sustain vines, Harvey began to scout out such sites throughout California. He found them largely on mountaintops and steep hillsides. 

The first such property he planted was Skyline Vineyard, a steep spot at 2,360 feet, where the spindly must-be-farmed-by-hand vines look like tiny dwarves. It is also where the winery facility was built by excavating a 30,000 square foot cave deep into the mountain. All production at Rhys occurs underground and is carried out by winemaker Jeff Brinkman, and a very small team. They shepherd grapes from Rhys’s other “Goldilocks” local vineyards, including Alpine and Horseshoe, into distinctive vineyard designates that have earned the winery a well-deserved reputation for powerful yet graceful wines. All the fruit is picked fastidiously to deliver incredible flavor at lower alcohol levels. 

You won’t, however, be tasting in the cave. Instead, you will be upstairs on the second floor of the magnificent home on the property, seated at the dining room table, with views of the steep brush-covered canyons to the east. From the living room window, as well as from the parking lot below, you can clearly see Monte Bello Ridge, where the vineyards of Ridge Winery stand out against the amber soil. A bit further east and south, you can spy Mount Eden. Sadly, there’s no tram between them, although that’s the running joke. Brinkman says a couple of interns tried to hike over to Monte Bello one summer, but didn’t make it even half way down the hill. Instead, they got poison oak.  

The estate director who will lead your tastings is Rose Lacey, who lives in Watsonville and used to work at Bargetto Winery before the pandemic. In the Goldilocks Portfolio assembled by Rhys, there are a total of eight vineyards, all organically farmed, from as far south as Watsonville (Mt. Pajaro Vineyard, near Windy Oaks in Corralitos) and as far north as the “Deep End” of the Anderson Valley, where the Bearwallow Vineyard sits at the edge of the Navarro Forest. 

The seated tasting currently includes six single vineyard wines, all from the stunning 2021 vintage. Chardonnays come from Mt. Pajaro and Horseshoe and Pinot Noirs from Bearwallow, Home Ranch, Mt. Pajaro and Horseshoe Vineyards. 

If time permits, you can take a quick tour of the top part of the Skyline Vineyard and peek into the cave.

You may be welcomed with a splash of Perpetual Reserve, the multi vintage sparkling from Mt. Pajaro, where Chenin Blanc and Riesling are planted along with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It’s a fine-bubbled rendition of apple crisp with a squeeze of lemon, touching down on your tongue like little fingers of fog. It tastes like nothing else I’ve had lately, and is well worth the $59 investment. 

Next up is the 2021 Mt. Pajaro Chardonnay, with its inviting white floral nose and a mélange of sweet apple and lemon curd, layered with toasted almond, kiwi and lime peel. This vineyard was planted in 2013 and is really coming into its own.  

The 2021 Horseshoe Chardonnay from a vineyard north of Rhys on Skyline Blvd. is bold and bright, beautifully constructed, with exciting flavors of lemon bars, limestone and lemon citron shortbread, and a touch of peach skin. 

Next comes the 2021 Bearwallow Pinot Noir, screaming of Anderson Valley, with red cherry, cranberry and strawberry fruit dominating, underlain by sweet marjoram and wild thyme, a prevalent ground cover in these parts. A hint of brambleberries and warm dusty earth add to the perception of lush depth. 

The 2021 Family Farm Pinot Noir from one of the two vineyards near Harvey’s Woodside home, is packed with ripe berry fruit, tasting of dark cherry compote and blackberry pie, warm with baking spices and loaded with melty tannins. This is definitely not mountain fruit!