Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir 2013, Rhys Vineyards

The Santa Cruz Mountains AVA covers a vast area of 322,000 acres but wineries have so far planted less than 2,000 acres of vineyards. This AVA is just south of the San Francisco / Bay Area which has resulted in lots of cash from (successful) tech entrpreneurs being ploughed into vineyards. This pinot noir from Rhys Vineyards has a rich cherry colour and it is cloudy suggesting it hasn't been filtered. Generally I consider cloudy wines to be flawed. The nose is heavy and syrupy. It is medicinal, and mentholated with a dose of cherry coke. Finishes on French cherry sirop. Imbibed this has a rich cherry flavour, cloying texture and slightly bitter tannins. Reflective of trying to grow pinot noir in a climate which is unsuitable for a grape which favours cooler climates. Could work well with a black cherry and chocolate cake or for palates more attuned to sugar. Scores 67/100.