VHR Vertical Tasting with Bruce & Heather Phillips
Oak Knoll, CA
Tasted August 26, 2018 by retired_and_roving with 487 views
Introduction
Back in 2011 we had the pleasure of attending a private dinner at VHR with a group of friends and Bruce & Heather Phillips. It was a magical evening with food cooked on an open grill served by candlelight under a big old oak tree. With our meal we got to drink the 2008 which was the first vintage of VHR alongside the '08 Bond Vecina which is made from VHR grapes. It was a very special evening and we have been buying VHR ever since. Over the years we get to see Bruce & Heather annually as our group gathers for the NVG Harvest STOMP party - and this year we asked if they would be interested in joining us for a dinner featuring a full vertical of their wines.
We gathered at a friend's lovely home with a group of about 20 people and tasted through nine vintages in three flights. Bruce & Heather shared stories of their families history in the valley (3rd generation farmers) and the decision to start their own label and talked us through each vintage as we tasted. A really special and personal event that was appreciated by all.
What a wonderful experience to taste a favored wine in vertical format with the special people responsible for it and share that with great friends. Another magical evening with VHR and the Phillips!
Flight 1 - Apertif (1 note)
White - Sparkling
2005 Bollinger Champagne La Grande Année
France, Champagne
Nose has a bit of toast. On the palate this is still quite youthful and bright, bubbles are light to medium intensity, more in the cleaner style than rich. Nice was to wake up the palate prior to the start of the vertical tasting.
Flight 2 - 2008 - 2010 (3 notes)
Starting with the oldest vintages first. Served with iberico ham and imperial czar caviar.
Red
2008 VHR Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Decanted for 3 hours. The first vintage of VHR and the perfect place to begin the full vertical tasting. Served alongside the the 09 & 10 - this wine is drinking really well right now, but I think this will continue to evolve and improve over the next 10 years. The nose is expressive with blackberry and red raspberry, and dried forest floor. Tannins have begun to smooth out and the fruit is supple on the palate, finish is long. A really pretty wine! For our group of 20 this was the second favorite of the flight.
Red
2009 VHR Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Decanted for 3 hours. Served in a flight with the '08 and '10 this was probably the least evolved of the three. By comparison more dark ripe fruit and with a little less of the secondary characteristics coming through at this point in its maturity. I think this will continue to benefit from additional cellar time.
Red
2010 VHR Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Decanted for 3 hours. Served in a flight with the '08 and '09. The '10 is very lovely, complex and layered with fruit, earth and leather unspooling across the palate. The fruit on initial taste is tangy and compelling - grabbing the attention, but then the other flavors begin to reveal themselves and the finish is persistent. This is Napa cab in an elegant silky package. So lovely now, it would not hurt to give one a try, but I will save my remaining bottles to taste this in another decade. The standout in a flight of champions.
Flight 3 - 2011 - 2013 (3 notes)
The middle years. Served with dinner of grilled rib eye and NY strip steaks, scalloped potatoes, grilled vegetables and assorted salads.
Red
2011 VHR Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Decanted for 3 hours. Served in a flight with the '12 and '13. The '11 vintage in Napa has its fans and detractors. I count myself in the fan category and this wine delivers. More lean than the other vintages but no less engaging, it is elegant and refined with cooler notes and nice acidity. Really lovely paired with the food. My second favorite of this flight.
Red
2012 VHR Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Decanted for 3 hours. Served in a flight with '11 and '13. The '12 is another beautiful wine from a lovely vintage, but served between the more austere '11 and the roaring '13 it did not stand out as much for me. The dark fruit is lush yet nicely balanced with earth and acidity and served on its own I believe this would have really shined. Accessible now if you are tempted but will continue to improve for a decade if you have patience.
Red
2013 VHR Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Decanted for 3 hours. Served in a flight with the '11 and '12. Wowza - this vintage was the standout for me as I decanting all the wines in advance of the tasting and this held true throughout the tasting for the majority of the group of 20. Just a beautiful wine - that while still too young now - has amazing qualities that should allow this to age really well. The purity of fruit expression, tannins, layers of earth and spine of acidity just make this pop across the palate. Standout of the vertical - just awesome!
Flight 4 - 2014 - 2016 (3 notes)
The youngins. Served with assorted cheese, homemade chicken liver pate, bread, panna cotta with berries and birthday cake.
Red
2014 VHR Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Decanted for 3 hours. Served in flight with '15 and '16. My second time trying the '14 and it has opened up quite a bit in two years, but is still very youthful. Lots of great stuff here, but the tannins are still on the chewier side and this will continue to benefit from time in the cellar - resist the urge to open for at least another 5 years.
Red
2015 VHR Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Decanted for 3 hours. Served in flight with the '14 and '16. Another great wine in the making here, still all wrapped in tannin and baby fat. Lucious dark fruits, with the signature earth and perhaps some smokiness. Structure is all in place for continued development - I would not touch this until 2025.
Red
2016 VHR Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Decanted for 3 hours. Served in a flight with the '15 and '16. What a treat to be one of the first clients to get to taste the '16 with Bruce & Heather. We committed infanticide with this vintage, but the VHR signature was there in ample stride - purity of fruit and for me what is this lovely signature earthiness and acidity which brings a freshness. Another classic VHR in the making!
Closing
Each of the vintages has something special to offer so keep that in mind when I am picking favorites here. I like a vertical because it allows you to do a deep exploration of a producer, but sometimes it creates more contrast in reporting results than you really want to convey. That being said for me the top wines in the vertical were the 2013 followed by the 2010 and the 2008. The younger flight (14-16) is still so youthful that it is harder to judge for me, but all the right stuff is in place. All of the wines I think will continue to evolve and add complexity with additional cellaring. We all agreed that we would love to repeat this dinner in 2028 and see where everything is at.
I really enjoyed getting to experience the signature of these wines across the vertical. VHR is a Napa cab made in a balanced style, with tremendous purity of the fruit expression and a layer of earthiness that comes through even in the younger wines and also importantly a level of freshness that provides great contrast to the dark fruit. A lovely elegant wine in both warm and cool vintages. On top of that the wine is made by really lovely, gracious people and by Napa cab standards is still priced in an accessible manner. A must buy for sure!!!
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