2008 Vine Hill Ranch VHR Cabernet Sauvignon
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Tasting notes
The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon is elegant, delicate and wonderfully nuanced. Now in its first plateau of maturity, the 2008 has shed some of the richness it had as a young wine. Sweet tobacco, cedar, mint and worn-in leather are all signatures of a wine that is approaching its peak. In this tasting, the 2008 comes across as a bit light. The debut vintage was made at Failla with pretty rudimentary means compared to what became the norm in the following years. "We did shorter macerations and temperatures were cooler than today," Peschon explained. "All the tanks were outside. There was no heating or cooling. At one point, we had to cover the tanks because it started to rain," she added.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Full bottle 1,525 g. Cool, challenging season which winemaker Françoise Peschon is on record as saying she much enjoyed making. Luscious deep crimson. A gorgeous, fully mature wine with notes of spice and dried herbs. Lifted and long. Not sweet and thick. Lovely freshness on the end. Round with super-ripe tannins. (JR)
(14.6% alcohol): Saturated medium ruby. Inviting, musky aromas of blackberry, cassis, espresso and graphite minerality. At once dense and juicy, displaying superb clarity of flavor and sexy spicy complexity to its dark berry, aromatic herb and licorice flavors. Very suave, fine-grained and subtly long, with the smooth tannins arriving late and saturating the palate without obscuring the wine's mineral lift. This classically dry Cabernet is fully ripe and harmonious now but has significant further aging potential. I liked this wine at the outset but it's even better today, offering impeccable balance and a solid structural underpinning.
Vine Hill Ranch is nestled between Harlan Estate and Dominus. Not bad for neighbors. The Phillips family has owned Vine Hill Ranch since 1959, but records show the land has been cultivated as far back as 1884. With their inaugural 2008 release, the Phillips family is making the move from grape growers to winemakers. The Vine Hill Ranch team includes vineyard manager Mike Wolf and winemaker Francoise Peschon. The three vintages I tasted were all super-impressive. This has to be one of the most exciting debuts in Napa Valley. The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon is a deep, powerful wine laced with dark plums, spices, licorice and tar, all of which come together gracefully in this powerful, intense Cabernet Sauvignon. A long, long finish adds to an impression of great balance and sheer pedigree.