Winemaker Notes
The 2020 Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon is dark, highly structured, and wonderfully expressive. Blackberry fruit, gravel, spice, menthol, licorice, and cedar provide layers of breadth and texture. The vintage’s expansive and lush mouthfeel is framed by fine-grain tannins, dark ripe fruit, and vibrant acidity. Elegant and complex, possessed of a signature depth and exquisite balance, the 2020 VHR Cabernet Sauvignon perfectly captures the unique terroir of their family’s vineyard in Oakville.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Great concentration is the hallmark of this structured, dark and ageworthy estate-grown wine from a vineyard long sought after by other producers. From a dense aroma of tightly packed fruit, oak and espresso it moves to powerful dark chocolate, dried black cherry and dark mineral flavors wrapped in burly tannins. Best 2027–2040.
Cellar Selection -
Decanter
The 2020 VHR achieves a dramatic balance of opulence and structure. Leading with plump dark fruit, fragrant brown spices, capsicum and bay laurel. Full-bodied with satiny black fruit framed by firm, present tannins that build on the finish. There’s a suede-like swagger about this one, downright muscular and deserving of a good decanting—a nice showing for the vintage. Harvested from Blocks 1, 3, 4, and 6, and all before September 25. Vine Hill Ranch in Oakville is owned by the Philips family, who have been growers since 1959 and is a source for such producers as Harlan’s BOND Estate, TOR Wines, Dadlla Valle’s DVO, and Colgin, among other esteemed Napa producers. The vineyard manager is Mike Wolf, and winemaker Françoise Peschon produces the VHR wine.
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Jeb Dunnuck
A rock-solid wine in the vintage, the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon VHR was harvested from the 24th of August to the 4th of September. Despite these early dates, it has good ripeness in its darker currants, chocolate, violets, and graphite-driven aromatics, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, ripe, polished tannins, solid overall balance, and a great finish. It seems completely smoke free and has lots to love, even if it lacks the sparkle of a truly great vintage here.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Derived from grapes picked between August 24 and September 25, there are limited quantities of VHR's 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon. It's a bit minty and herbal, with hints of crushed stone accenting mixed red and black cherries. It's medium to full-bodied but comes across as taut and firm, even a touch austere. It's an excellent effort, although I do wonder if the tannins will ever truly relax. Rating: 93+
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Wine Spectator
Delivers warmed cassis and plum reduction notes that hold sway, but not without help from warm loam, bay leaf and tobacco accents. Reveals pretty floral hints in the background, too. The broad, earth-tinged finish is very Oakville. Best from 2024 through 2038. 600 cases made.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Home to some of the most sought-after Cabernet Sauvignon in America, Napa Valley’s Oakville district stretches across the center of Napa's valley floor and foothills between the Vaca and Mayacamas Mountains. This AVA is home to the legendary To Kalon Vineyard and Martha's Vineyard, as well as many powerhouse wineries including Screaming Eagle, Silver Oak, Robert Mondavi, Opus One, Far Niente and Groth.
The climate is generally warm and agreeable, resulting in year after year of favorable vintages. Summer days see a gentle tug of war between warmer inland air and the cool air coming in from the San Pablo Bay, creating an ideal environment to grow red varieties. Oakville's diverse soils, namely ancient sea bedrock, clay and gravel, are well-drained, and perfect for high-caliber viticulture.
Cabernet here is often bottled varietally but is also popular in Bordeaux Blends. Oakville wines are known for their silky, sensual textures, structured tannins, dark and brooding fruit and lovely aromatics. These age-worthy and prestigious wines are favored by collectors throughout the world.