Meet the Napa Valley Vineyard That Grows Some of the Region’s Best Grapes
Several elements combine to make a great wine, but the two most consistent factors are vineyard sourcing and winemaking talent. Although we regularly cover superstar winemakers, we often only give casual nods to the incredible vineyards that turn out the wine world’s best fruit vintage after vintage. One such spot is Napa Valley’s Vine Hill Ranch Vineyard, which was first planted with grapes in 1859 and is now managed by the third generation of the Phillips family, who acquired it in 1959. Planted with mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and a bit of Petit Verdot, it has been the backbone of many of Napa Valley’s finest pours for as long as the valley has been known to wine lovers. Once the source for Robert Mondavi’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Vine Hill Ranch Vineyard is now the origin of single vineyard designate wines from renowned producers such as Memento Mori, Tor, Kinsman Eades, Arrow & Branch, Annulus, and Bond, whose Vecina bottling is from the property. Other top Napa Valley producers who source from Vine Hill Ranch for Napa Valley cuvées include Colgin, Accendo Cellars, Lail Vineyards, and Simon Family Estates.
Vine Hill Ranch Vineyard’s 72 acres of grapes are planted among a 600-acre property tucked into the wooded hills of the Mayacamas Mountain Range in the southwest portion of the Oakville appellation. Although 72 acres sounds like a large holding, vineyard manager Mike Wolf explains that he farms the vineyard “on a block-to-block level, since there is variability across the 72 acres. We have different vine density, training and trellis systems, and a selection of rootstocks and clones.” The proprietor of Michael Wolf Vineyard Services, Wolf is only the second person to manage the vineyard in the 65 years since its acquisition by the Phillips family. He employs a variety of canopy management styles, irrigation levels, and ground treatment regimens to bring out the best in the ranch’s grapes. “We don’t try to push the vines in a certain direction, either in terms of cropping levels or desired fruit maturity,” he says. “Rather, we pay attention to uniformity within the canopies and let each part of the remarkable site express itself at the highest level.”
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The folks who buy fruit from the Phillips family are impressed with their ongoing collaboration with Wolf and with the geographic imprint of the site itself. Sam Kaplan, winemaker for Memento Mori, has been working with the vineyard for nine years. “Incredible sites would not exist without an amazing team,” he says. “The attention to detail of the farming team and collaboration of the winemakers is what makes the site shine year in and out.” Tor Kenward, proprietor of the winery that bears his name, says that the vineyard’s soil and climate form the foundation for a great wine, crediting the excellent drainage of its gravelly loam soils and cool western Napa location for the quality of its fruit. He believes wine made from the site has more of an Old World character rather than a modern overripe Napa Valley style. “I love its very distinctive character, which reminds me of the greatest Napa Valley wines from the last century,” Kenward says.
Luke Evnin, proprietor of Annulus, credits the grapes’ quality to the soil as well as the “microclimate of cool nights and morning fog, which tempers the intense Napa Valley heat, ensuring the fruit achieves full ripeness while retaining balance.”
In addition to the 85 percent of their grapes that are sold to outside producers, the Phillips family has made an incredible wine of their own for the past 17 years, VHR Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon. Family member and managing partner Bruce Phillips tells Robb Report that he and his family “have never envisioned the wine business to be large in scale, in favor of producing something remarkable that we could share with an appreciative group of collectors on an annual basis.” Most of the wine is purchased directly via the VHR Registry, with small amounts sold to a handful of boutique retailers and restaurants such as the French Laundry, Bouchon Bistro, and Press in Napa Valley, as well as Pappas Brothers Steakhouse in Houston.
VHR Vine Hill Ranch 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon has aromas of blackberry, dark chocolate, and star anise with a touch of violet. Opulent tannins and just the right level of acidity wrap around flavors of purple plum, licorice, and baking spices that culminate in a long, satisfying finish. “Clearly the 2021 vintage was exceptional for so many reasons—small berries, small canopies, and low yields due to prolonged drought—that gave way to highly concentrated wines,” says winemaker Françoise Peschon. “The even paced and relatively early harvest allowed us to retain the wine’s signature freshness and energy.” We also got a sneak peek at the 2022 and can assure you it is nothing short of delectable.
The team has also released the first vintage of a more accessible estate wine, Baker & Hamilton 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon. Named for a mining and ranch tool and provision company founded by Phillips’ great-great-grandfather R.M. Hamilton and business partner L.L. Baker, the wine’s label pays tribute to B&H’s catalog pages. With a retail price of $125 (as opposed to VHR’s $300), Baker & Hamilton is currently available at select restaurants and retailers in a handful of states. “The opportunity to introduce a wine that is pleasurable at a more youthful stage while still having the ability to develop in cellar presented itself largely due to the singular expression of the benchland blocks at Vine Hill Ranch,” Phillips says. While we think that VHR is a wine to cellar for savoring in 15 or more years and that the B&H Cab will mature gracefully for up to eight years, the latter is ready to be opened and enjoyed the next time you throw a juicy steak on the grill.
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