VHR Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 Vintage
VHR 2010 This was a year when our efforts in the vineyard had a profound impact on winegrape quality. The 2010 growing season was marked by a cool, wet spring that ended a three-year period of relatively dry conditions in the Napa Valley, delaying budbreak by two weeks. Summer brought cooler than normal temperatures, prompting us to thin fruit and canopies later in the season to promote desired maturation. High temperatures at the end of August reduced what was already a small crop. Scrupulous sorting both in the field prior to harvest, and upon receipt at the winery ensured use of only our finest fruit.
The 2010 VHR, Vine Hill Ranch exhibits all the characteristics of a classic Oakville Cabernet, and is a true expression of our family’s vineyard—deeply intense, saturated color perfumed with spicy notes of roasted herbs, peat, underbrush, and burnt embers. Floral notes, in time, give way to rich black cassis and ripe blackberries with a signature vein of minerality and crushed stone.
The mouth feel is silky smooth and well-proportioned with elegant, fine-grained tannins. A firm acidity lends a distinct vibrancy to the wine. At first taste, this vintage is restrained, yet possesses an alluring quality that draws you in and continues to excite the palate.
2010 harvest began in the early morning of October 8th, ending October 19th. Grapes were scrupulously hand sorted and aged in French Oak for 15 months, then blended and returned to barrel for an additional six months. 435 cases were bottled on June 21, 2012.
