Vine Hill Ranch is a truly iconic Cabernet: a modern cult wine, an estate-grown wine with a real sense of place, the culmination of the Phillips family’s evolution from grapegrowing to winemaking over three generations. They’ve earned a real understanding of terroir through years of traversing the vineyard rows and tending the seven blocks by hand.

Winemaker Françoise Peschon’s approach to winemaking is to proceed with a minimal, gentle touch. Harvested in late September at optimal ripeness, grapes are hand-sorted, cold-soaked, and fermented by native yeast by vineyard lot. Following extended maceration, the wine ages in new French oak for eight months before it is blended and returned to barrel for one year prior to release.

Strikingly perfumed, intense yet lifted, it showcases the elegance, balance, and maturity of fruit from this unique benchland vineyard in southwestern Oakville. Lifted by a vein of minerality and bright acidity, the opulent palate imparts a complexity and lasting purity through a remarkably long finish.

“Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon rolls out of the glass with expressive scents of freshly crushed black cherries, warm cassis, and juicy blackberries followed by hints of menthol, dark chocolate, licorice, and cinnamon stick plus a fragrant waft of violets. The full-bodied palate is densely laden with vibrant black fruits and loads of baking spice sparks, framed by exquisitely ripe tannins and well-knit freshness, finishing very long and achingly perfumy. 946 cases were made.”
100 points, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Independent, August 2023

“Scheduled to be released in February 2024, VHR’s 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is another fabulous wine from the Phillips family and winemaker Françoise Peschon. On the nose, it’s a bit restrained, with a subtle herbal perfume, hints of peppery spice and a concentrated mix of red and black cherries. In the mouth, the wine is similarly composed and polite, being medium to full-bodied, silky and taut in feel, balanced and elegant on the lingering finish.”
98 points, Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate, January 2024