VHR, Napa Valley, 2020

Name: VHR, Napa Valley
Brand: Vine Hill Ranch
Price: 701.56 GBP

Available Vintages

all 2016 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

justerini & brooks tasting note

2020 is a VHR built upon the mineral, elemental and non-fruit elements as much as it is the sleek and nuanced red and black fruits that traditionally mark this property. Crisp graphite notes combine with touches of lichen and forest herbs over crunchy small dark berry fruit, to give an image of a wine that is all about tension, pull, energy, nerve. The architecture of the wine speaks of those last days of harvest, when the fires were on everyone’s mind, exposed seams of fine tannin that ought to soften and provide much interest with time. A fascinating, rather beautiful rendition of the vintage – a worthy and wonderfully contrasting follow up to the 2018 and 2019 vintages. How often is beauty created from challenging situations? 2020 will go down in history as a vintage that tested the nerve and emotions of growers in Napa and its surrounding area. The devastating fires caused many to drop fruit due to smoke taint – depending on where the vines sat, and when you went to harvest. Those that picked early and were fortunately located have produced wines that tell the story of an emotional vintage – dark, virile, structured and mineral wines that speak of a dry season, produced from small concentrated berries that offer more tension than richness, more drive than enveloping fruit. If Napa’s recent challenging vintages like 2011 and 2017 are anything to go by, this ought to emerge as a wonderful, dynamic, chronicler of a wine in time.

critic reviews

93+/100Joe Czerwinski,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Derived from grapes picked between August 24 and September 25, there are limited quantities of VHR's 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon. It's a bit minty and herbal, with hints of crushed stone accenting mixed red and black cherries. It's medium to full-bodied but comes across as taut and firm, even a touch austere. It's an excellent effort, although I do wonder if the tannins will ever truly relax.

DRINKING WINDOW 2025 - 2035

date of review 01/2024

95/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,The Wine Independent

The 2020 Vine Hill Ranch VHR Cabernet Sauvignon has a deep purple-black color. It springs from the glass with bright, vivacious red and black cherry notes, followed by a classic cassis, wild sage, and cedar-scented core, with hints of roses, cardamom, and menthol. The medium to full-bodied palate shimmers with energy and vivacious red and black berry layers, supported by fine-grained tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long with loads of floral and mineral sparks.

DRINKING WINDOW 2027 - 2060

date of review 05/2023

93/100Antonio Galloni,Vinous

The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon is dense, powerful and unyielding. Black cherry, chocolate, licorice, graphite, bay leaf and dried herbs give the 2020 its decidedly somber, potent feel. The 2020 was harvested from August 24 to September 8, very early for the estate, with half of the fruit coming in between August 24 and 27. Because of that, the tannins are pretty imposing in their presence. The VHR Cabernet is a very, very good wine for the year, but understanding the natural ceiling imposed by the very challenging conditions of the year. Needless to say, it will be interesting to see how the 2020 develops in the coming years.

DRINKING WINDOW 2023 - 2030

date of review 02/2023