Rhys Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains Horseshoe Vineyard 2012

95 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): " Rich, oily and viscous on the palate, the 2014 Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard is all about texture. Orange blossoms, mint, honey, apricot jam, butter and spices meld into the racy, voluptuous finish as the 2012 shows off its class and exuberant personality. A slight element of Burgundian-inflected reduction lingers on the close. If opened young, the 2012 needs a lot of air, but ideally readers should be prepared to cellar this gem for at least a few years. Drink: 2017-2024. (Jul 2015)"

94 points Josh Raynolds (International Wine Cellar): "Bright greenish yellow. Intensely perfumed bouquet of fresh orchard and citrus fruits, with complex iodine, mineral and jasmine qualities building with air. Concentrated but lithe and precise, offering slow-to-unfold bitter pear skin and quinine flavors that pick up sweetness and a hint of gingery spices with air. The mineral element dominates the finish, which shows excellent clarity and lingering florality. (May/Jun 2014)"

93 points Jeb Dunnuck (Wine Advocate): "Like the 2012 Alpine Vineyard, the 2011 Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard is darker in color than its 2011 counterpart, with slightly more honeyed notes of ripe golden apple, caramelized citrus, honeysuckle and crushed rock all emerging from the glass. Fresh and lively on the palate, with bright acidity, it has solid mid-palate concentration, beautiful tension and vibrancy, and a great finish. I suspect this will age like a top-flight Chablis and have 15 years or more of longevity. Drink: 2015-2026. (4/29/15)"

92+ points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The 2012 Horseshoe chardonnay from Rhys is a touch less ripe than the 2013 version, coming in listed at 13.1 percent alcohol in this vintage. The wine is drinking beautifully today, offering up a very floral nose of apple, white peach, a touch of citrus zest, complex soil tones, bergamot, vanillin oak, a touch of macadamia nut, candied lemon peel and a beautiful floral topnote redolent of white lilies. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a good core, fine mineral undertow, zesty acids and a long, fully mature and well-balanced finish. This bottle is fully mature, albeit, with a fine spine of acidity and backend mineral lift that suggests it may still have plenty of life ahead of it. I should note that my cork on this bottle crumbled a bit (though it was still moist and pliable), so maybe there are even better examples out there? But, I had no difficulties drinking this bottle as it was! 2022-2030. (Nov/Dec 2022)"