James Molesworth, Wine Spectator, winespectator.com Dec. 31, 2024
#97: 2021 VHR, Vine Hill Ranch
Top Cabernet names Accendo, Kinsman Eades, Lail, DVO and Keplinger all source fruit from Bruce and Heather Phillips’ Vine Hill Ranch. This is their own wine, from a tiny selection of the 70-acre vineyard. Phillips’ grandfather purchased the 2,500-acre property in 1956; the site has a history of grapegrowing dating to the late 19th century. After bolstering both BV’s Georges de Latour and the Robert Mondavi Reserve bottlings in the ’60s and ’70s, the site was replanted in the 1980s by Tony Soter. Today, with Mike Wolf farming and Françoise Peschon handling winemaking, the VHR bottling earns its highest rating yet with the ’21 vintage. 946 cases made.