Viticultural Record2018 Farming Practices

2018 The seventh in a series of truly exceptional Napa Valley growing seasons, 2018 presented a remarkable confluence of climatic conditions, resulting in a Cabernet Sauvignon crop widely recognized for its complexity, depth of fruit character, and abundance.

Ample rainfall in February provided sufficient soil moisture to fuel vineyard canopy growth at Vine Hill Ranch. Warm temperatures welcomed the onset of budbreak with endless days of sunshine, supporting uniform flowering and even cluster development. The month of July delivered high temperatures, followed by remarkably temperate conditions throughout the extended 2018 growing season.

A very even bloom period was followed by rapid veraison, extended maturation, and the development of singular phenolic characteristics throughout our vineyard.

We finished harvest on October 12. The long 21-day harvest season gave us flexibility regarding ways to optimize varietal expression across Vine Hill Ranch’s seven blocks.

2018 provided ideal conditions for the redeveloped portion of our hillside Block 6L to develop structurally through its third leaf. We continued to remove virus-affected vines to ensure the sustainability of the older vineyard blocks, and composting throughout the vineyard supported the vibrancy of Vine Hill Ranch’s rich gravel loam soils.