The 2017 vintage brought a more textured, forward and fruit-expressive character to Rhys’s estate wines compared to the restrained and nuanced 2016, reflecting a warmer and more giving growing season in the Anderson Valley. Kevin Harvey has noted that the Bearwallow site’s deep fractured shale and the Anderson Valley’s maritime influence tend to preserve natural acidity even in warmer years, giving the wine more amplitude than might be expected without sacrificing the structural precision that defines the Rhys house philosophy.

The 2017 Bearwallow was produced using the same methods that govern all Rhys single-vineyard wines: biodynamic farming, foot-trodden fermentations with native yeasts, and extended lees ageing in a very small proportion of new French oak. At 5% new wood across 18 months of barrel time, the contribution of oak is deliberately peripheral, allowing the ancient marine sediment of the Bearwallow shale to speak without competition. Vinous’s Antonio Galloni described the 2017 as “forward and luscious” with “terrific nuance” and “the structure to support many years of fine drinking.”

Both the Wine Advocate and Vinous awarded the 2017 Bearwallow 94 points, a notable step up from the 92 points awarded in 2016 and a reflection of the vintage’s generous but well-structured character. The magnum format ensures particularly even evolution and represents the ideal presentation for a wine of this structure and ageing ambition. Rhys magnums are produced in very small quantities and rarely reach the secondary market, making them a prized format for serious collectors of California Pinot Noir.

Deep ruby with aromas of black cherry, plum, leather, spice and menthol, with earthy undertones of dried herbs and dark soil. The palate is rich and textural, built on a foundation of supple, resonant tannins and excellent natural acidity. More mouthfilling and immediately expressive than the 2016, but with the structure for long ageing. Best from 2024 through 2035.

Black cherry, plum, spice, leather and menthol meld together in a deep Anderson Valley Pinot built on textural resonance. The 2017 is forward and luscious, but it also offers terrific nuance, considerable complexity and the structure to support many years of fine drinking.  — Vinous