2021 Cabernet Sauvignon

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.

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.

I can’t think of too many other wines that so clearly articulate the differences between the 2020 and 2021 vintages than the VHR Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2020, made from an historically early harvest, is about as good as it gets for this very challenging vintage, while the 2021 has all the makings of a truly epic wine. As always, I am struck by the passion and conviction behind VHR driven by proprietors Bruce and Heather Phillips, along with vineyard manager Mike Wolf and winemaker Françoise Peschon.