“Kenward and Ames source fruit from some of Napa Valley’s very finest sites for these rich, sumptuous wines. In fact, in some cases, site is really what comes through most in the wines. I am thinking in particular of some of the wines from Vine Hill Ranch Vineyard I saw this year.” ANTONIO GALLONI, VINOUS
The Phillips family has represented the best of the Napa Valley grape growing community for three generations. Their Vine Hill Ranch Vineyard is a special part of Tor’s 50-year history in the Napa Valley. He knew its early stewards, Bob and Alex Phillips, who moved to their family’s Oakville vineyard in 1978. Over time, they cultivated it into the world-renowned site it is today – best suited for Cabernet Sauvignon. We now work with their son, Bruce Phillips, where we have three blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon. We are hard pressed to think of a vintage where Vine Hill Ranch Vineyard did not contribute to our Black Magic bottling. The Phillips family’s love and dedication to the land is inspirational.
The 2022 Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet spent a little less time on the skins (21 days) in 2022 compared to the previous vintage in 2021, as the extraction of both tannin and fruit was faster than normal. This wine is a combination of Cabernet co-fermented from blocks 4 and 7, and a few barrels from the co-fermentation of block 3 Cabernet and Petit Verdot. As usual, both lots that make up this wine were aged in Taransaud barrels, most of which are 113M+, with a few 112H. Bottled unfined after 18 months in French oak barrels.
“The 2022 Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet is typically a mix of red and black fruits (with a little blueberry sneaking in from time to time), and this year is no exception. This vintage is less tannic than vintages like the 1998 and the 2021 and carries notes of gun flint, blackberries, damp earth, raspberry, and slow-braised meats. It is a wine to enjoy in its youth, though it should age beautifully.”
—Jeff Ames
Winemaker Jeff Ames and Tor Kenward have collectively witnessed over 70 harvests, and cannot compare 2022 to any of them. Some winemakers said it was four vintages in one, with the wild swings in temperature, small crop, and small picking windows making it one we call “ a winemaker’s year”. Those who nailed the right picking windows for each block made exceptional wines.
