2016 Vine Hill Ranch (VHR) Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

Every once in a while, a wine will move me. It will remind me of what made me want to live in the Napa Valley by bringing everything about this unique place—the world-class Cabernet, the history, the singular terroir—into one perfect and profound bottle. 

That’s why I’m reaching out to our top collectors personally about the 100-point 2016 Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, which Antonio Galloni of Vinous called “flat-out epic.” This is as good as Napa Valley gets, a stirring, age-worthy masterpiece sourced from an iconic site and crafted by reigning San Francisco Chronicle Winemaker of the Year Françoise Peschon. Showing beautifully now—it’s got “overt deliciousness,” in the words of Chronicle critic Esther Mobley—the VHR Cabernet also has the pedigree and structure to be a cellar showpiece for decades. 

Vine Hill Ranch stands with To Kalon, Eisele, and Dr. Crane as one of the defining Cabernet Sauvignon sites in all of Napa Valley. It was founded by Marin County rancher Bruce Kelham, who in 1959 purchased more than 1000 acres on the varied terrain where the Mayacamas Mountains meet the valley floor. The site already had seven decades of agricultural history, having grown grapes, plums, pears, and other crops since 1884. 

In 1978, Bruce’s daughter Alexandra and her husband Bob Phillips moved to the western Oakville property, took over the farming, and refocused on the vineyards, which now cover 70 acres. In the 1980s, they worked with UC Davis and famed vintner Tony Soter, researching the terroir and dividing the property into seven unique vineyard blocks. They then subdivided those blocks and chose their clones, rootstock, and planting density based on what would thrive on each plot. 

This replanting coincided with a movement toward site-specific wines in Napa, and Vine Hill Ranch became a prized site, supplying grapes to Araujo, Cakebread (which makes a vineyard-designate bottling), Lail, Robert Mondavi, and other Cabernet icons. Just over a decade ago, Vine Hill Ranch started producing their own wine. And with longtime Araujo winemaker Peschon at the helm, the results have been spectacular.

This wine is, by far, Peschon’s crowning achievement from Vine Hill Ranch, as she has captured the one-of-a-kind Oakville site, the family’s impeccable farming, and the flawless vintage in one perfect bottle. This is the greatest wine ever from one of Napa Valley’s defining sites, and I’m thrilled to be able to bring it to you today. It’s the kind of wine that makes me proud to live in Napa Valley, and a bottle you’ll be proud of for decades.