Wine Reviews 2022 VHR Cabernet Sauvignon
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com <span>Jan. 2025</span>
Looking at the Grand Vin from this terrific estate, the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon VHR sports a dense purple hue as well as a Bordeaux-like perfume of darker currants, smoke tobacco, sappy flowers, and foresty, earthy nuances. These carry to a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon that has beautiful mid-palate density, a pure, layered, elegant mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. There’s clearly a Bordeaux-like vibe in this beauty (I suspect it was harvested quite early), but it has everything in the right place. Give it 3-4 years if you can and enjoy it over the following two decades. 97 pts.
Jancis Robinson, JancisRobinson.com <span>Aug. 7, 2024</span>
2022 VHR, Vine Hill Ranch cask sample
Owner Bruce Phillips: ‘A punishingly hot vintage, with four days at 110 °F. Even the nights were hot in early September.’ They needed to pick early and they picked 80–90% before the heat spike leaving only Block 4. Vineyard manager Mike Wolf: ‘I’d never seen before that the fruit and vines just stopped ripening after a heat spike. Some others picked at the end of October, but at 22 Brix. It was a tale of two vintages.’ Winemakers learnt in 2017 and even more so in 2020, that they needed to pick relatively early because they knew it would be garbage later. They learnt that early picking can yield good wine. Françoise Peschon’s daughter Isabelle concurred: ‘2020 gave lots of winemakers the confidence to pick early. The fire was positive in that respect. They’re no longer waiting for X Brix (which encourages over-irrigation). So there needs to be a trust element that you’re all on the same page at the beginning.’ Cask sample.
Polished shiny purple. Very lively and energetic with great drive as well as lusciousness. Mineral. Long and vibrant. Pretty smart considering the vintage. 18 of 20 pts.
Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media, vinous.com <span>Dec. 2023</span>
My tasting at Vine Hill Ranch was one of the highlights of the time I spent in Napa Valley this fall. The wines were just sublime. Longtime winemaker Françoise Peschon crafts one of the most classically elegant Cabernets in Napa Valley, as evidenced by her superb 2021. I find the VHR Cabernet really needs a few years in the cellar to be at its very best. Recent bottles of the 2016 and 2018 were just extraordinary. Yields are down about 20% in 2021, but that is not terrible given the fate other properties suffered. I was even more impressed with the 2022 given the challenges of the year. Harvest took place between August 30 and September 5, an especially condensed period. A lot can happen between now and when a wine is bottle, but the 2022 is shaping up to be one of my favorites in this vintage.
2022 VHR, Vine Hill Ranch
The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon is fabulous. Rich, ample and explosive, the 2022 possesses tremendous energy and textural opulence. Dark red/purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal, spice and blood orange all saturate the palate. There’s plenty of tannin, but also more than enough fruit to balance things out. Today the 2022 is seriously impressive. 94–97 pts.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent, thewineindependent.com <span>Nov. 8, 2023</span>
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon bursts from the glass with bombastic notions of creme de cassis, blueberry compote, lilacs, and star anise with touches of garrigue and cast-iron pan. The full-bodied palate is jam packed with black and blue fruit preserves, framed by firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing long and opulent. This is richer and more structured than the 2021. 97–99+ pts.