7 Hours In Napa: VHR; Roy Piper; Spottswoode; & MACDONALD
Napa, CA
Tasted Tuesday, February 28, 2023 by JustBreathe680 with 277 views
Introduction
This is a continuation of The Great Escape; 3/8/22-3/9/22 Tasting Story with my dad last year. He enjoyed last year's trip so much, he wanted to do it again with my brother and brother-in-law but this time we only had a window of 1 day during our family vacation in Orange County, CA. I agreed to put the trip together, but I wanted the tastings with the wineries that I was unable to coordinate with last year and luckily everything fell into place on the calendar to make it happen but not without its obstacles.
On 2/24/23, Napa experienced a rare winter storm dumping up to 12 inches of snow in the mountains of wine country and leaving many without power.
On 2/27/23, I spent 7 hours in the ER for severe abdominal pain, ultimately determined to be from an adverse medication reaction coupled with possible food poisoning. At 1:00PM, was going to cancel the Napa trip but my wife was the voice of reason and told me not to do anything until I spoke with the doctor around 4:00PM. At the time of discharge from the ER, I was given the green light to go to Napa and even consume a few glasses of wine!
The morning of the trip, it was cold, raining and foggy in San Fransisco. Surprisingly, our 7:00AM flight took off on time without a hitch. I was expecting to be grounded for several hours until the fog lifted at SFO and at that point the trip would have been canceled due to the tight timelines.
We had a driver pick us up at SFO and drive straight to Oakville but the adverse weather set us back 30 minutes, which was able to be made up and not disrupt the day!
Flight 1 - VHR (10:30-12:00) (2 Notes)
We landed at SFO just prior 8:30 in the fog and rain. We were promptly met by our driver who drove us straight to Heather and Bruce Phillips' home at VHR. The tasting was scheduled for 10:00 but due to the inclement weather we were 30 minutes late. Bruce had to cancel meeting us the night before but his wife, Heather, greeted us when we arrived.
Their house is absolutely beautiful and overlooks the vineyard, bumping up to the back of Block 6. We were greeted by Heather with a glass of Champagne to walk the property and learn about the Phillips' family history with VHR. The skies re-opened prompting us to retreat indoors where we chatted in a beautiful white sitting room while finishing our champagne and then proceeded to a dining room table for the main event. The wines were over the top in taste and quality, which pained me even more when I had to request a spit/dump bucket after a few sips of each for fear of pushing my physical limits from the day prior too early in the trip.
Flight 2 - Lunch at Cook St. Helena with Roy Piper (12:15-1:25) (1 Note)
Roy is the only repeat visit from the year prior. Our dinner with him was so enjoyable and informative last year, I had to reach out to him again to see if he wanted to join our group for lunch. He chose this amazing and quant restaurant close by our next tasting at Spottswoode.
The lunch was planned for 90 minutes but we had to unfortunately condense it to 60 minutes due to our late start at VHR. Roy was so accommodating, he was waiting for us at the table and had appetizers waiting for us when we arrived.
I love picking Roy's brain and learning all of the happenings in Napa. He shared with us the 2019 60th Anniv wine and explained the picture of his parents on the label. In addition to discussing his wines and Napa wines in general, he enlightened us about his new non-winemaking endeavor involving Bordeaux. He will be releasing an update to his mailing list with exciting details of his new project in the upcoming months. Unfortunately, we only had an hour with Roy but he packed a lot into the time he had with us!
Flight 3 - Spottswoode (1:30-3:00) (4 Notes)
This was the most formal of the tastings and not as intimate as the 3 other tastings. Our host, Virginia, was very hospitable and knowledgeable but if we didn't slow things down and ask questions, we could have been out of the tasting in 30-45 minutes. Fortunately, the skies relented for a few moments making it possible for us to tour the wine making facility, which made the stop worthwhile.
Flight 4 - MACDONALD (3:30-5:30) (1 Note)
Alex met us outside of the old family home on the vineyard. He asked if we okay walking the vineyard in the freezing rain. Some of us were prepared for inclement weather whereas others were not as prepared but how can you turn down a walk with Alex, the most knowledgeable To Kalon historian, on arguably the most famed vineyard in Napa! On our walk we were encountered by a flock of sheep. Alex told us this practice was new to the vineyard and they were herded from Opus One the week prior. On this walk, he explained the difference in their vines, highlighting the blocks of relatively old cabernet vines, at least by Napa's standards. Finally, he discussed the difficulties the Napa wineries faced with the 2020 growing season and how/why they made the decision to bottle a 2020 vintage.
Closing
This was definitely the quickest trip I've ever had to Napa but the longest 1 day of tastings I've ever had (17 hours total door-to-door). In the end, it was well worth it and I'm glad all of the adverse obstacles prior to this day did not prevail!
2019 VHR Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch 98 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
This is my 200th Cellar Tracker review and what a memorable wine to review!
7 hours in Napa and VHR was our first stop. Bruce was unavailable but Heather welcomed my group into their beautiful home in Oakville. We were greeted with a glass of 2014 Pierre Gimonnet Champagne Premier Cru Oenophile Non Dose Brut Nature BdB to walk the property. Unfortunately, it was cold and raining off and on and we were unable to spend much time outside looking at the vineyard so we went back into the house and sat at a long table with a charcuterie board and glasses of the 2019 and 2020 VHR poured for a great side by side tasting.
The 2019 VHR was decanted for approximately 60 minutes prior to our arrival. The nose was intoxicating. The aromas were of fresh cut flowers, dark fruits and brown spices. It was a wine I could have smelled all day. The palate matched the aromas and was as good or better than the nose. There was an initial rush of dark cherry, blueberry, and blackberry. The fruit is primary and plush. Underneath the fruit, there were hints of cocoa and suble earth tones. There was good acidity and medium (+) tannins. The wine is complex and full-bodied. It is not overly concentrated.
The wine needs time to shed the baby fat but after some mid-term cellaring and integration this wine has the ability to reach rarified air. The wine is absolutely beautiful and definitely the wine of the day!
This is one heck of a wine! My score is 97-99+
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2020 VHR Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch 94 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
7 hours in Napa and VHR was our first stop. Bruce was unavailable but Heather welcomed my group into their beautiful home in Oakville. We were greeted with a glass of 2014 Pierre Gimonnet Champagne Premier Cru Oenophile Non Dose Brut Nature BdB to walk the property. Unfortunately, it was cold and raining off and on and we were unable to spend much time outside looking at the vineyard so we we back into the house and sat at a long table with a charcuterie board with the 2019 and 2020 VHR poured for a great side by side tasting.
The 2020 was decanted right before we arrived and the 2019 was decanted 60 minutes prior to arrival. The 2020 had less than 60 minutes of air prior to our tasting. The nose and palate was slightly muted. The fruit is primarily darker blue/black fuits with hints of spice. There was a strong tannin presence. However, the wine does have structure and will most likely show more in another year or two of cellaring. This is a well made wine in a very difficult vintage.
The score maybe on the lower side due to being poured side by side with an exceptional 2019 and almost any wine would pale in comparison to the 2019 showing. My score is 93-95, 93 at first sip but it showed a little bit more complexity while we were sitting at the table and it has the possibility of 95 points with short-term cellaring. However, Im not sure what the 2020 vintage as a whole has in store for the long term. If you decide to try one within the next year, I recommend a long DD.
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