Wine Reviews 2023 VHR Cabernet Sauvignon
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com <span>Dec. 2025</span>
Made by Françoise Peschon, the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon VHR is a perfect wine based on 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Vine Hill Ranch Vineyard in the southern part of Oakville and was raised 22 months in 65% new French oak. Cassis, graphite, smoky tobacco, and spicy wood define the bouquet, and it is medium to full-bodied with ultra-pure fruit, a seamless profile, fine tannins, and flawless balance. There are no hard edges, and this has a remarkable sense of class and depth from start to finish. It deserves 5–7 years of bottle age and will be incredibly long-lived. Drink 2030–2055. 100 pts.
Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media, vinous.com <span>Nov. 2025</span>
The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon is a showstopper. Aromatic and silky, with finesse to burn, the 2023 is immediately captivating right out of the gate. It is a wine that is going to require at least a few years to open up. Brisk acids and beams of supporting tannin extend a sublime and wonderfully polished finish punctuated by graphite, dried herbs and floral overtones. The 2023 is one of the most elegant, refined wines I have tasted here. 100 pts.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Palate, thewinepalate.com <span>Oct. 2025</span>
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon slips easily from the glass with impactful notes of black cherries, warm cassis, and red currant jelly, leading to a perfumed undercurrent of red roses, violets, crushed rocks, and forest floor. The full-bodied palate delivers tightly wound floral, black fruit, and red berry flavors with firm, fine-grained tannins and lovely freshness, finishing long and fragrant. Gorgeous! 99 pts.
Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media, vinous.com <span>Dec. 2024</span>
My recent tasting at Vine Hill Ranch was incredibly instructive, as it spanned three very different and distinct vintages. Revisiting the 2021s was a reminder of how gorgeous those wines are. In recent years, VHR has experimented with an Extended Age bottling. While that wine is quite interesting, in 2021, I slightly prefer the regular bottling because of its greater freshness. The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon turned out well. Harvest took place from August 30 to September 5. Judging by the wine’s tannin profile, I suspect that was a touch earlier than would have otherwise been optimal, but these are the kinds of decisions owners and winemakers had to make in 2022. The young 2023, tasted from barrel, is quite simply one of the most refined, finessed wines I have ever tasted here. Kudos to proprietors Bruce and Heather Phillips, and their team led by vineyard manager Mike Wolf, winemaker Françoise Peschon and her daughter Isabelle, the latest addition to the team.
2023 VHR, Vine Hill Ranch
The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon is a very delicate, elegant wine. Bright, floral and very primary, the 2023 is an infant. At this stage, it is a decidedly mid-weight Cabernet Sauvignon built more on finesse rather than power. Brisk acids lend notable energy throughout. This is simply exquisite. 95–98 pts.