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The Greatest Cult Cab We’ve Tasted in Decades.
Sadly, Only 5 Bottles Are Left.
JD 100, VM 100, JS 99, WP 99, DM 98, WS 98
Hands-down the wine of A Taste of Oakville this June, and a perfect 100 from both Jeb Dunnuck and Vinous. We were allocated five bottles. Its second label, Baker & Hamilton, is on a private sale for our VIPs.
• VIP Private Sale · Only 5 Bottles Of VHR
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A Personal Note
Dear Artisans,
Back in June, Christine, Joe and I went to A Taste of Oakville. It is one of the most important afternoons of our year, because in one place we get to taste with, and talk to, Screaming Eagle, Harlan, Opus One, Peter Michael, Kenward TOR, Schrader, Thomas Rivers Brown, Luc Morlet, Maya Dalla Valle, Andy Erickson, Rudd, Paradigm and dozens more legendary names.
But the wine of the whole event, hands-down, was Vine Hill Ranch 2023, along with its second label, Baker & Hamilton 2023.
So Fresh, So Minty, So Layered
Bursting, bright, rich and deep, all at once. It was glorious. Jancis Robinson’s team found the same thing in it: “a beautiful minty freshness.”
No wonder this routinely scores 99 and 100 points. Then the 2023 reviews came in. Jeb Dunnuck called it “a perfect wine”: “ultra-pure fruit, a seamless profile, fine tannins, and flawless balance.” Antonio Galloni at Vinous called it “a showstopper”, “immediately captivating right out of the gate,” with a “sublime, wonderfully polished finish.” Both gave it 100 points.
Bravo to owner Bruce Phillips and his family.
Five Bottles. That Is All We Could Get.
Vine Hill Ranch bottled 1,165 cases of the 2023. Our allocation is five bottles, arriving tomorrow. I wish we could get more. Sadly, that’s all we can get.
Sacred Ground In Oakville
Vine Hill Ranch sits at the southwestern edge of Oakville, where it meets Yountville, up against the Mayacamas. Dominus is next door to the south; Beckstoffer’s Missouri Hopper, once part of the ranch, lies to the east; Harlan Estate and Martha’s Vineyard are just to the north.
The vines grow on a fan of coarse gravel washed down from the mountains, and those same mountains shade the vineyard in the afternoon, which keeps the fruit fresh.
For years, before the family bottled its own, this fruit went into some of Napa’s most coveted cult wines: Colgin, Bond, Dalla Valle, and TOR still makes a Vine Hill Ranch bottling (its 2021 is below).
The wine is made by Françoise Peschon, whose career runs through Araujo’s Eisele Vineyard and some of Napa’s most respected estates. The 2023 is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the estate, raised 22 months in 65% new French oak.
The Second Label, And Our Secret
Here is the smart buy. Baker & Hamilton is the second wine of Vine Hill Ranch: the same estate vineyard, the same winemaker. It still flies under the radar for most people.
In a vintage as strong as 2023, with a long, even, cool season that let every block be picked exactly when it was ready, the second wine is where the value is. The best barrels go into VHR; Wine Advocate notes that Baker & Hamilton draws on more benchland, fewer hillside parcels and some young vines from the same ranch, and it sells for a fraction of the price.
When we tasted it, it kept reminding us of Dominus right next door. Red and black fruit in fine detail, a silky texture from polished tannins, then earth, spice, leather, tobacco and something savory, like seared meat. It has power and plenty of fruit, as Napa does, but what we love is the refinement, the purity and the sense of place. It beats a lot of Cabernet that costs far more, and it will keep doing so in the cellar for a decade or longer.
For our VIPs only, Baker & Hamilton is $69.97 a bottle instead of $89.97, with the $20 coming off automatically in your cart through the link below. We have thirty-six bottles arriving tomorrow.
James Tran
Artisan Wine & Spirits
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Why This Matters
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Two perfect scores. Jeb Dunnuck 100 and Vinous 100 on the 2023 VHR, with James Suckling and the Wine Palate at 99. |
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Our wine of A Taste of Oakville. Tasted beside Screaming Eagle, Harlan, Opus One and dozens more, it was the wine of the event, hands-down. |
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Five bottles. Out of 1,165 cases made. That is our whole allocation. |
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A VIP private sale on the second label. Baker & Hamilton 2023, James Suckling 96, at $69.97 instead of $89.97. Thirty-six bottles. |
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The same vineyard through TOR. TOR’s 2021 Vine Hill Ranch, Owen Bargreen 99 and Wine Independent 98+, at $224.99. |
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The Wine · Only 5 Bottles
2023 Vine Hill Ranch VHR Cabernet.
Jeb Dunnuck 100. Vinous 100. James Suckling 99. Wine Palate 99.
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Vine Hill Ranch ‘VHR’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2023
Oakville · Napa Valley
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100
Jeb Dunnuck
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100
Vinous
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99
James Suckling
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99
Wine Palate
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98
Decanter
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98
Wine Spectator
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From estate blocks 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6, hand-sorted, aged 21 months in French oak and bottled in June 2025. Only 1,165 cases. Every review on our page is below.
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Jeb Dunnuck
100 Points
Made by Françoise Peschon, the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon VHR is a perfect wine based on 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Vine Hill Ranch Vineyard in the southern part of Oakville and was raised 22 months in 65% new French oak. Cassis, graphite, smoky tobacco, and spicy wood define the bouquet, and it is medium to full-bodied with ultra-pure fruit, a seamless profile, fine tannins, and flawless balance. There are no hard edges, and this has a remarkable sense of class and depth from start to finish. It deserves 5-7 years of bottle age and will be incredibly long-lived. Drink 2030-2055. December 2025
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Vinous · Antonio Galloni
100 Points
The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon is a showstopper. Aromatic and silky, with finesse to burn, the 2023 is immediately captivating right out of the gate. It’s a wine that is going to require at least a few years to open up. Brisk acids and beams of supporting tannin extend a sublime, wonderfully polished finish punctuated by graphite, dried herbs and floral overtones. The 2023 is one of the most elegant, refined wines I have tasted here. Drinking Window: 2028-2043. November 2025
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The Wine Palate · Lisa Perrotti-Brown
99 Points
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon slips easily from the glass with impactful notes of black cherries, warm cassis, and red currant jelly, leading to a perfumed undercurrent of red roses, violets, crushed rocks, and forest floor. The full-bodied palate delivers tightly wound floral, black fruit, and red berry flavors with firm, fine-grained tannins and lovely freshness, finishing long and fragrant. Gorgeous! Drinking Window: 2028-2058. October 2025
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James Suckling
99 Points
This is poised, with balanced fruit intensity and aromas of dark cherries, crushed blueberries, spices, black currants, violets, graphite, bay laurel and a deep earthy undertone. The palate is taut and focused, with underlying power that is just waiting to soften, showing firm yet ultra-fine tannins and a mouthwatering palate with a lovely earth-driven, savory edge and a complete finish. A wine for the cellar that will age for decades. Ryan Montgomery, January 2026
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Decanter · Jonathan Cristaldi
98 Points
This wine is beautifully poised in 2023, defined by classic Oakville spice and layered black-fruit intensity, underpinned by graphite and ironstone minerality… There is a striking purity of fruit at the core, its intensity amplified by remarkable freshness that keeps everything lifted and precise. The tannins are ultra-fine, powdery, and seamlessly interconnected, building steadily through the finish with a chiseled quality. March 2026
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Wine Spectator · James Molesworth
98 Points
This throws off stunning fruit in the form of mulberry, morello cherry, black currant and boysenberry flavors that boast the intensity of fruit paste but the feel of a puree or coulis as they race along with precision… With the added succulence of the vineyard, there’s also a shimmering feel, along with pinpoint precision. Best from 2030 through 2050. July 2026
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| Grapes |
100% Cabernet Sauvignon, estate blocks 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 |
| Winemaker |
Françoise Peschon |
| Cellar |
Hand-sorted; 21 months in French oak (65% new) |
| Made |
1,165 cases, bottled June 2025 |
| Drink |
2030 to 2055 (Jeb Dunnuck) |
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$324.99 / bottle
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| • Only 5 Bottles · Once Gone, Gone |
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The Second Label · VIP Private Sale
2023 Baker & Hamilton Oakville Cabernet.
James Suckling 96. Decanter 95. Vinous 94. Jeb Dunnuck 93.
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Baker & Hamilton Cabernet Sauvignon 2023
Vine Hill Ranch · Oakville · Napa Valley
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96
James Suckling
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95
Decanter
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94
Intl Wine Review
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94
Vinous
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93
Jeb Dunnuck
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93
Wine Advocate
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The second wine of Vine Hill Ranch, grown entirely on the estate and raised like its big brother: about 9 months in French oak, then blended and back to barrel for another 12. The name is a nod to Oakville’s farming past, after the hardware and farm-implement dealers in an 1874 St. Helena Star clipping.
Jeb Dunnuck says it “remains a standout value”. The four highest reviews are below.
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James Suckling
96 Points
Lush and fruit-driven aromas of blood plums, black currants, mocha, blueberry compote, licorice, potpourri and spices. The palate is textural and rounded, with fine tannins, bright acidity and a fruit-driven and complex finish. This is Vine Hill Ranch’s second label. January 2026
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Decanter
95 Points
The Baker & Hamilton Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 is a powerful, beautifully built wine in this cool, impressively balanced vintage. Full-bodied and driven by red and black cherry fruit, it delivers deliciously juicy dark fruit layered with sagebrush spice and elegant cedarwood notes. The tannins are muscular yet refined, gathering momentum and building through the finish. March 2026
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Vinous · Antonio Galloni
94 Points
The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon from Baker & Hamilton is fabulous. Medium in body and beautifully layered, the 2023 graces the palate with lovely red/purplish-toned fruit lifted by soaring floral aromatics. Time in the glass releases hints of lavender, cinnamon and new leather. Fine-grained tannins round things out in style. This supremely elegant Cabernet Sauvignon is irresistibly sexy.
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Jeb Dunnuck
93 Points
The 2023 Baker & Hamilton is the second wine of Vine Hill Ranch and remains a standout value, offering red and black fruits, leather, toasted spice, graphite, and well-integrated spicy oak that’s going to scratch any Napa Cabernet Sauvignon itch you might have. Medium to full-bodied and beautifully balanced, it has background notes of tobacco and a subtle garrigue-like nuance, and it has the complexity and length to make it a serious wine in its own right. Drink 2025-2040.
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| Source |
100% Vine Hill Ranch Vineyard, Oakville |
| Cellar |
About 9 months in French oak, blended, then 12 more in barrel |
| Drink |
Now to 2040 (Jeb Dunnuck) |
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Our Regular: $89.97
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| VIP Private Sale |
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$69.97 / bottle
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| $20 off every bottle, applied automatically in your cart. No code needed. |
| • Only 36 Bottles Arriving · Once Gone, Gone |
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From The Same Vineyard
2021 TOR Vine Hill Ranch.
Owen Bargreen 99. Wine Independent 98+. James Suckling 98.
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TOR ‘Vine Hill Ranch’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
Vine Hill Ranch · Oakville · Napa Valley
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99
Owen Bargreen
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98+
Wine Independent
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98
James Suckling
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97
Jeb Dunnuck
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97
Vinous
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97
Wine Advocate
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Tor Kenward has known this vineyard for decades: he knew Bob and Alex Phillips, who moved to the family’s Oakville vineyard in 1978, and today TOR farms three blocks of Cabernet there with their son, Bruce Phillips. In TOR’s own words, they are hard-pressed to think of a vintage where Vine Hill Ranch did not go into their Black or Pure Magic bottlings.
The 2021 is TOR’s own Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet, made by Jeff Ames. Wine Advocate calls it “another winner from Tor Kenward and winemaker Jeff Ames.” The three highest reviews are below.
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Owen Bargreen
99 Points
The 2021 ‘Vine Hill Ranch’ by TOR comes from this famed spot in the Oakville AVA, as this site neighbors the wooded hills of the Mayacama Mountain Range… Exotic spices mark the nose alongside creme de violette, mocha, tar and black licorice. The palate is seamless and beautifully concentrated, with its stony soil character, as every working piece moves in seamless unison. A total stunner from this enticing vintage, savor this beauty now and over the next twenty five years — or potentially more. January 2024
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The Wine Independent · Lisa Perrotti-Brown
98+ Points
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2021 Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon is quite shut down to start, needing a lot of shaking to bring out notes of crushed red and blackcurrants, fresh blackberries, and mulberries, leading to hints of pencil shavings, iron ore, and forest floor. The full-bodied palate is built like a brick house with a solid structure of firm, grainy tannins and seamless freshness supporting the intense black and red berry flavors, finishing very long and earthy. Love it! January 2025
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James Suckling
98 Points
Extremely aromatic with violets, blue berries and black currants. Then notes of graphite and lead pencil come through. Amazing aromas. Full-bodied with rich and dusty tannins that show fantastic length and intensity. Bark and wet earth undertones with black mushrooms. Needs three or four years to come around. Best after 2026. November 2023
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| Grapes |
100% Cabernet Sauvignon, blocks 3, 4 and 7 |
| Winemaker |
Jeff Ames, for Tor Kenward |
| Cellar |
18 months in French oak |
| Drink |
2026 to 2051 (Jeb Dunnuck) |
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The Bottom Line
Two perfect scores, and five bottles of it.
Vine Hill Ranch 2023 is $324.99, and we have five bottles. For our VIPs, Baker & Hamilton 2023 is $69.97 instead of $89.97, with the discount applied in your cart.
Both arrive tomorrow. When they are gone, we cannot get more.
And for another look at this vineyard, TOR’s 2021 Vine Hill Ranch is $224.99. Bravo, Vine Hill Ranch.
Cheers,
— James Tran
Artisan Wine & Spirits
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Only 5 Bottles Of VHR · 36 Of Baker & Hamilton
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