About Rhys Vineyards
Rhys Vineyards did not start with vineyards - it started with questions. Where in California could Pinot Noir and Chardonnay reach their highest potential in finesse, aromatic detail, and mineral precision? The answer came from digging: hundreds of soil pits across the steep, remote hillsides of the Santa Cruz Mountains and Anderson Valley, mapping elevations, logging temperatures, and studying bedrock until a few sites revealed the magic combination - fractured sedimentary rock, shallow topsoils, cool marine air, and natural drainage.
Each of the eight small estate vineyards was planted from scratch, most on rugged hillsides never farmed before: Alpine, Horseshoe, Family Farm, Home, Skyline, Mt. Pajaro, and Clarke Ranch in and around the Santa Cruz Mountains, with Bearwallow in Anderson Valley. The winemaking honors the digging - a 30,000-square-foot cave completed in 2010 runs on gravity, with hand-picked fruit chilled to 40 degrees in a bin cave, sorted at roughly one ton per hour, and fed gently into one-ton fermenters. No imposed style; the goal is transparency, letting each rare site speak. A sparkling program and the Centennial Mountain Vineyard project extend the family.
Long a mailing-list allocation house with a cult following among Pinot devotees, Rhys now welcomes visitors: private, by-appointment tastings at the beautiful Skyline Vineyard estate high in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Book through the winery's members site, and join the email list for access to future offerings.
Hundreds of soil pits, eight mountain vineyards planted from scratch, one 30,000-square-foot cave - California Pinot's great terroir experiment.
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Terroir by Excavation
The sites were chosen by digging soil pits and reading bedrock - geology-first viticulture, decades in the making.
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Eight Estate Mountains
Alpine, Horseshoe, Skyline, Mt. Pajaro and more - never-farmed hillsides turned singular vineyards.
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The Cave
30,000 square feet of gravity-flow winemaking, with fruit chilled to 40 degrees and sorted a ton per hour.
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Now Visitable
After years as an allocation-only cult name, private Skyline Vineyard tastings are open by appointment.
The pilgrimage is finally bookable - one of California's most obsessive Pinot projects, poured at the source.
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Featured Wines
Current Releases
Wines change with each vintage
For an accurate list of current-release wines and library bottlings from Rhys Vineyards, please check the winery's official website or contact the tasting room directly.
Tasting Experiences
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Skyline Estate Tasting
Private, by-appointment tastings at the Skyline Vineyard high in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
See booking site
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Allocation List
Join the email list for access to the wines and future offerings - the traditional way into Rhys.
Free to join
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