Skyline Vineyard sits at an elevation of approximately 2,360 feet in the Santa Cruz Mountains, making it one of the highest commercially producing Pinot Noir vineyards in California. At this altitude, the Santa Cruz Mountains’ maritime influence combines with extreme diurnal temperature variation and ancient Purisima sandstone soils to produce Pinot Noir of remarkable intensity, translucency and structural complexity. Skyline is one of the most structurally demanding sites in the Rhys portfolio and its wines require several years of bottle age before their full complexity reveals itself.

The 2017 vintage at Skyline produced a wine of real power and structure despite the warmer conditions of the season, reflecting the moderating influence of the site’s extreme altitude and the cooling sea breezes that reach even this elevated plateau. The wine is fermented using 100% whole clusters, a technique that integrates seamlessly into the vine material at Skyline, adding complexity and tension without the green character that whole cluster can sometimes impart in less precise hands. It was aged in neutral French oak for 18 months with minimal intervention.

Within the Rhys portfolio, Skyline is characterised by the most exotic and translucent aromatic profile of the estate’s Pinot Noirs, a wine that rewards patience and rewards careful decanting when drunk young. Both the Wine Advocate and Vinous awarded the 2017 Skyline 93 points, acknowledging its completeness, fine underlying tannin structure and the distinctive blood orange and red berry character that defines this site. Jeb Dunnuck, reviewing it for his independent publication, awarded 96 points, placing it among the finest in the 2017 Rhys lineup.

Translucent ruby with an exotic and lifted nose of blood orange, wild strawberry, white pepper, potpourri and red berries, with a beautiful underlying mineral thread. The palate is medium-bodied and linear, with crystalline tannins and nervy acidity building to a long, saline and fragrant finish. Needs five or more years; best from 2026 through 2038.