Jancis Robinson and Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com Nov. 11, 2021
Napa Comes to London: VHR, Vine Hill Ranch
Jancis writes: The tasting notes below were taken, from old to young, at a meeting in London with Bruce and Heather Phillips of Vine Hill Ranch in the offices of their new UK importer Justerini & Brooks. I will be writing in more detail about them on Saturday. Note that the wines are usually about 14.8% but don’t taste aggressively alcoholic. In fact they taste pretty beautifully balanced. They are made by Françoise Peschon in the underground cellars of the Arkenstone facility at the top of Howell Mountain. (You have to take an elevator down to the production facility apparently.)
The 13 vintners who buy the great majority of the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes they grow sometimes make vineyard-designated wines from them and usually buy specific blocks on the ranch. (There are 12 of them.) But the Phillipses are determined that their own wine should be a blend of fruit from several blocks that best expresses the combination of the estate and the year.
Bruce has designed incredibly detailed labels which reflect the ancient ledgers of what was grown on Vine Hill Ranch long before it was acquired by his maternal grandfather. The labels chart exactly which blocks went into the blend, how many vines there are in each block, and when each block was picked. Oh and the exact yield, in tons per acre.
The debut vintage of ‘VHR, Vine Hill Ranch’ (sic) was 2008 and only 300 cases were made. The 2016 vintage yielded 925 cases and of the 2018, the vintage recently launched in the UK by Justerini & Brooks, there were a total of 1,100 cases. Justerinis have also been allotted a few cases of older vintages.
2008 VHR, Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon
Full bottle 1,525 g. Cool, challenging season which winemaker Françoise Peschon is on record as saying she much enjoyed making. Luscious deep crimson. A gorgeous, fully mature wine with notes of spice and dried herbs. Lifted and long. Not sweet and thick. Lovely freshness on the end. Round with super-ripe tannins. 18.5 pts.
Drinking window: 2012–2027
2010 VHR, Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon
Cool season punctuated by heat spikes. The Cabernet was slow to ripen and there had to be a lot of leaf removal to encourage ripening. There was also sunburn so the vintage is apparently known for angularity. ‘But we like dappled light’, according to Bruce Phillips.Still quite a tight nose. There was a note of creosote that was to surface in other vintages on the nose. Deep and plush. Very flattering and really quite ripe. And still quite youthful. Firmer than the 2008. Still muscular. 18 pts.
Drinking window: 2015–2032
2012 VHR, Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon
Very warm, easy year. No frost or heat spikes. High yields. Another wine with that high tone of something mineral. Really transparent. Lifted and somehow very fluid (which may seem a strange tasting note but seems a good indication of the wine’s beautiful texture). The little bit of dry tannin on the end suggests this wine still has quite a bit of potential. 18.5 pts.
Drinking window: 2015–2030
2014 VHR, Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon
Very bright, healthy, deep crimson. Very pure nose with an undertow of blackberries. Still quite a bit of tannin and acidity on the finish. Fresh inkiness. Graphite and a dry finish. Vibrant with energy. Light, dry, fine tannins. Really very luxurious and pleasing already. 18.5 pts.
Drinking window: 2018–2035
2016 VHR, Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon
This was the first blend in which Block 7 played no part. And fruit from the steep, replanted-in-2012 Block 1 was included for the first time. Deep purplish, blackish crimson. Impenetrable colour. Quite rich and concentrated on the nose with yeast extract plus that graphite/creosote note too. Dense and still pretty dry on the end. Bit tarry on the finish but the overall impression is somehow, amazingly, very pretty. 18+ pts.
Drinking window: 2022–2040
2018 VHR, Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon
Deep purplish crimson. Rich fruit but still grainy-textured with very marked tannins. Clearly this wine is still developing. Dry not sweet. Very muscular and grown up! But still a baby. 18++ pts.
Drinking window: 2024–2045