2020 Vine Hill Ranch 'VHR' Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Napa Valley

Winemaker Notes:  Showcasing the distinctive attributes of those vineyard blocks, 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 our family’s vineyard in Oakville.

The 2020 growing season was among the most dramatic in memory, presenting myriad late-season challenges to growers and winemakers across Napa Valley. Among those challenges, wildfires were paramount, threatening personal safety and raising the possibility of smoke-tainted fruit. We were fortunate to have completed our harvest days before the Glass Fire started, ensuring that our wines would be free of any smoke-related character. The 2020 VHR Cabernet Sauvignon is a vintage of tremendous focus and structure—testament to our good fortune, as well as to the caliber and resilience of the Vine Hill Ranch vineyard and the dedication and expertise of vineyard manager Mike Wolf and winemaker Françoise Peschon.

CRITICAL ACCLAIM

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."


Vinous - "The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon is dense, powerful, and unyielding. Black cherry, chocolate, licorice, graphite, bay leaf, and dried herbs give the 2020 its decidedly somber, potent feel. The 2020 was harvested from August 24 to September 8, very early for the estate, with half of the fruit coming in between August 24 and 27. Because of that, the tannins are pretty imposing in their presence. The VHR Cabernet is a very, very good wine for the year, but understanding the natural ceiling imposed by the very challenging conditions of the year. Needless to say, it will be interesting to see how the 2020 develops in the coming years. "