Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
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.
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James Suckling
Charming in aromas and quite firm on the palate, this wine overachieves in terms of fruit, good acidity and savory accents. Cedar and baking spices on the nose, then a rather firm, chewy palate that is tannic, powerful and full-bodied. Flavors of black cherries, black olives, raspberries and orange zest. Best after 2030.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
According to Managing Partner Bruce Phillips, the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon from Vine Hill Ranch includes only fruit that was picked prior to the Labor Day heat spike. Gentle vanilla shadings accent an attractive mix of red and black cherries on the nose, while the full-bodied palate is concentrated and silky. This really seems to have it all, with a touch of warmth and some chocolaty notes on the lingering finish. It's a really solid effort.
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Wine Spectator
There’s a clear edge of the vintage’s warmth, but it’s warm rather than sheer heat. This leaves the plum, boysenberry and blackberry compote notes with noticeable energy in the form of lively flecks of anise, violet and iris. This red pulses instead of just moves along, and a graphite spine delivers cut and drive as the fruit actually takes an encore -- all rare aspects in this vintage. Bravo.
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.