Keplinger, 'Vine Hill Ranch Vineyard' Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2019

Overview of the Wine
In 2004, I moved to the Priorat region in Spain to start the winery for a group of partners who had purchased a vineyard there. Over the next three years of living there full-time and then traveling back and forth from Napa Valley, I became steeped in the culture, lifestyle, food and wines.

Great wine is only possible from great vineyards – we select vineyards, farm grapes, and make wine by this mantra. At our core, we are wine lovers, and we thoroughly enjoy the process of seeking out exceptional vineyards ideal for a specific varietal, and farming for the highest quality. We sweat the details with pleasure – focusing on small quantities made from small wine lots, respecting and responding to the uniqueness of each site and year. Working hard but with finesse, we believe in gentle winemaking to create wines of balance and complexity that are true to their varietal and speak of their terroir and provenance.

In 2014, we began working with the gorgeous mountain fruit of Oakville Ranch Vineyard, which is high up on the Vaca range above Dalla Valle, tucked just below the southern edge of Pritchard Hill. Farmed organically with great heart and attention to every leaf and bug by the brilliant Phil Coturri, the soils are comprised of gorgeous Aiken and Hambright series red volcanics and the hills, swails, and aspects mean many little microclimates for layers and complexity. We coax fine texture from the tannin-building rocky soils, which also give a distinct note of minerality that is an unmistakable hallmark of this vineyard. Cool air spills and drains through this geomorphic bowl of vine rows daily, retaining acidity and freshness of flavors in the berries. Phil's canopies are the perfect balance between health and stress, spread open at the top for ideal holy grail dappled light, giving greater nuance to the red fruit notes that are a signature of this sun-bathed ranch. Working with Phil and his dedicated team really feels like a true collaboration to make something special, which is essential when making world-class wines with a soul.

91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petite Verdot. The vibrant nose sings with notes of cassis, black cherry, boysenberry, violets, raspberry flower, aromatic herbs, red licorice, pink peppercorn, darjeering tea, iron. The silky entry opens to intense flavors of red and black fruits, black tea, anise, bittersweet chocolate, and terra cotta with exotic Indian spices underpinned by powder fine, textural, mouth-coating tannins through to the long finish.

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Grape / Blend
Cabernet Sauvignon

Origin
Oakville Ranch Vineyard, Napa Valley, California

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
The vibrant nose sings with notes of cassis, black cherry, boysenberry, violets, raspberry flower, aromatic herbs, red licorice, pink peppercorn, darjeering tea, iron. The silky entry opens to intense flavors of red and black fruits, black tea, anise, bittersweet chocolate, and terra cotta with exotic Indian spices underpinned by powder fine, textural, mouth-coating tannins through to the long finish.

98 Points - James Suckling
This shows so much blackcurrant, mint and black earth, together with black-mushroom and bark undertones. Asphalt, too. Full, yet so polished, with a thick, silky texture and an everlasting finish. Needs at least four or five years.

97 Points - Jeb Dunnuck
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch Vineyard showed beautifully. All Cabernet from two blocks in this great vineyard, it has a deep purple hue to go with gorgeous black and blue fruits as well as tobacco, baking spices, incense, and lead pencil nuances. It's full-bodied and has silky tannins, a gorgeous core of dark fruits, and a great finish.

96 Points - Vinous
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch is fabulous. Rich and deep to the core, the 2019 is one of most sensual wines I have tasted off the ranch. Soft, plush contours and silky tannins wrap around a core of red/purplish fruit, rose petal, spice and lavender. Pretty floral top notes extend the finish effortlessly. What a gorgeous wine this is.

96 Points - Wine Spectator
A nice dark, winey style, with waves of crushed black currant, steeped plum and blackberry fruit flavors inlaid with ample warm loam, sweet bay leaf and singed juniper. Everything knits well on the lengthy finish, while a violet echo lends a note of purity.

Product size: 750ml