The 2012 Horseshoe Vineyard Pinot is a prime example of why Rhys has become one of California’s benchmark Pinot producers. Sourced from their high-elevation, limestone-rich site in the Santa Cruz Mountains, this bottling delivers precision, texture, and age-worthy complexity.
Now more than a decade on, the wine is showing beautifully: red cherry, dried rose, mushroom, and forest floor, layered with subtle spice, crushed rock, and savory herbal notes. The 2012 vintage brought balance—not overly ripe, with fresh acidity and a fine-grained structure that has aged gracefully.
Rhys’s style leans more Côte de Nuits than Sonoma Coast: whole-cluster fermentation, native yeasts, low new oak, and gentle extraction all result in a wine that’s focused, detailed, and built to evolve. Horseshoe is often the most mineral and brooding of their vineyard sites, and that signature tension is still here—but softened with time into elegance.
Drink now with a decant, or hold a few more years if you want more forest and spice. Perfect with duck, mushroom dishes, or anything that calls for Pinot with depth and clarity.
