2017 Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch Vineyard is laced with the essence of black cherry, plum, scorched earth, new leather, smoke and gravel. Powerful and virile in feel, the 2017 speaks with a very strong voice. There is so much going on here, but readers need to be patient, as the 2017 is also very tightly wound today.

This comes from the most gravelly block in Vine Hill Ranch, Block 7, planted to twenty-year-old vines. The wine sees "classic TOR winemaking" - about three weeks on skins during and post-fermentation. It was matured in a mix of Taransaud and Darnajou small French oak barrels for twenty months, then bottled without fining or filtration. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch comes bounding out of the glass with exuberant black cherries, mulberries and boysenberries notes plus suggestions of pencil shavings, cigar box and cardamom. Medium to full bodied, the palate has an exhilarating, fantastically fine-grained texture, with seamless freshness and bags of black fruit flavors, finishing with a lively herbal lift. 202 cases were made.

The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch Vineyard is shaping up to be a real stunner. Powerful, deep and explosive, the 2017 captures all the elements that make Vine Hill Ranch so special. Super-ripe black cherry, leather, smoke, tobacco incense and savory herb notes build into the huge, structured finish.