2021 Nebbiolo

Vinous

“Centennial Mountain is a new range from Rhys that takes the place of Aeris. In short, all the Aeris wines have now been folded into Centennial Mountain, while the Italian Aeris wines have been discontinued. In my view, that greater focus is going to be a positive. The 2021s are seriously impressive across the board.”

2021 Centennial Mountain Nebbiolo

“The 2021 Nebbiolo is possibly the single greatest Nebbiolo I have tasted from the United States. Translucent but powerful, the 2021 is captivating. Large-scaled yet polished tannins wrap around a core of dark-fleshed fruit. Floral and spice overtones open with a bit of coaxing. As good as the 2021 is, there is room for improvement, especially with a softer oak imprint. I can’t wait to see how this ages. The Nebbiolo has come a very long way since I started tasting it with the 2017 vintage some years ago. The 2021 spent 14-28 days in tank. Malolactic fermentation was done in neutral barrels, where the wine spent 4- 6 months before being racked into 25HL casks for aging.”

96 Points: Exceptional. A profound and emotionally moving wine that exemplifies the very best attributes of its kind. These are the world’s great, iconic wines

-Antonio Galloni, January 2025

Vinography

“This week included the new incarnation of one of California’s most ambitious vineyard projects. Formerly called Aeris, this project from the folks at Rhys Vineyards has now reverted to the name of the site: Centennial Mountain Vineyard. Planted in the volcanic soils high above Lake Sonoma, this site holds California’s first plantings of Carricante, as well as Nerello Mascalese and Nebbiolo.”

2021 Centennial Mountain Nebbiolo

“Medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of strawberry jam, chopped herbs, and earth. In the mouth, powdery tannins coat the mouth and stiffen as bright strawberry and dried herb notes linger with a hint of licorice root, citrus peel, and root beer in the finish. Excellent acidity, with a nice stony, earthy underbelly.” 8.5 to 9 Points out of 10

-Alder Yarrow, April 2025

The Baltimore Sun, South Florida Reporter, Capital Gazette

“Centennial Mountain”

“The founders of Rhys Vineyards have created a new line of wines focused on Italian grape varieties hard to find in California. The wines, made from grapes rarely grown in California, have the same stroke of excellence that accompanies the fabulous terroir-driven Rhys wines. The team worked with Italian agronomists and winemakers before planting vines in 2013 atop a ridgeline on Centennial Mountain in northern Sonoma County. The team found the modest diurnal temperature swing is best for these grapes because cool days preserve freshness and complexity while warm nights balance acidity and sugar. This is particularly important to the health of carricante, nerello mascalese and nebbiolo grapes.

The vineyard contains 42 small blocks farmed organically.

In last week’s column, we raved about the Centennial Mountain Carricante. But we also were intrigued by the 2021 Centennial Mountain Nerello Mascalese that reminds us of a pinot noir or syrah. A little nerello cappuccio joins the nerello mascalese to create a softly textured, hedonistic wine with red fruit character and fine tannins.

The 2021 Centennial Mountain Nebbiolo had firmer tannins than we expected, making it a great match to beef and stews. A grape variety indigenous to Piedmont, it has found a new home in Sonoma County. It has floral, cherry aromas with concentrated dark cherry and dried herbal flavors. Excellent balance. This is better than many Italian nebbiolos.

As some grapes struggle to adopt to warmer temperatures, it is intriguing to watch how emerging projects like this perform. So far, these new wines are incredible.”

-Tom Marquardt and Patrick Darr, May 2025

Piedmont Post

“After several years of making highly regarded Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Kevin was inspired to take on a second project – bringing Italian varietals to Northern California with the same attention to terroir. He chose Nebbiolo, the red grape best known for Barolo and Barbaresco, and two lesser known varietals from the slopes of Sicily’s Mount Etna – Nerello Mascalese and Carricante.

He found the optimal growing conditions for these varietals at Centennial Mountain. With vineyards at 2000’ elevation in the mountains of northern Sonoma County and 15 miles from the Pacific Ocean, Rhys’s sister winery is now blazing a trail for these Italian varietals.”

2021 Centennial Mountain Nebbiolo

“Growing Nebbiolo in California and making a wine that can hold a candle to a good Barolo, to our knowledge, has never been done. Centennial Mountain is well on its way to doing so. This wine opens with the aroma of roses, characteristic of the varietal, as well as a hint of tar. Lots of cherry fruit with soft tannins. Thoroughly enjoyable, and a harbinger of even better things to come. Try it with mushroom risotto.”

-Pierre DuMont and Frederic Vignobles, April 2025

Mercury News and East Bay Daily Times

“Los Gatos-based Rhys Vineyards stretches into Sonoma for new vintage Centennial Mountain releases wines made from Italian grapes”

“It began as Aeris and was inspired by a visit to Sicily, where Rhys owner Kevin Harvey fell in love with Carricante, a flowery yet lean white that thrives in the volcanic ash of Mount Etna. He likened it in complexity to a white Burgundy.

Similarly, he was taken by Nerello Mascalese, a popular medium-body, high-acid Sicilian red. Both have been grown in Sicily for millennia.

Soon, Harvey was importing and planting the first of these varieties in the U.S., on a special spot 2,000 feet up on Sonoma Mountain. Beginning in 2013, the Rhys team also planted Nebbiolo and Barbera there and for a time produced a red blend under the Aeris label. But the name changed in 2021 to the place where these vines are grown in the Alberello tradition—that’s Italian for ‘small trees.’

The vineyard is organically and mostly dry-farmed, and director of winemaking Jeff Brinkman uses large casks and native yeasts to preserve the unique personalities of these varieties. With the 2021 release of Centennial Mountain, they are getting their arms around these vines in their new home. This is another side of Los Gatos-based Rhys that’s worth exploring. The 2021 Centennial Mountain Nerello Mascalese is truly a food wine thanks to its brazen acidity.”

-Laura Ness, May 2025

Billy Norris on Instagram

2021 Centennial Mountain Nebbiolo

“Director of Winemaking Jeff Brinkman and Winemaker Eric Prahl from Rhys Vineyards brought this stunner of a Nebbiolo from their Centennial Mountain project to Vinous Icons 2025. Hard to believe domestic Nebbiolo can be this good, but the proof is in the pudding.”

-Billy Norris (of Vinous), March 2025

Keith Beavers on Instagram

2021 Centennial Mountain Nebbiolo

“These Sicilian varieties are now part of California wine history thanks to Rhys Vineyards and they are delicious.”

-Keith Beavers, of VinePair, February 2025