CURRENT RELEASES |
| |
| |
2012 Rosé of Old Hill Ranch
$20 |
 |
This year our Rosé is made from 51% Grenache, 8% Syrah, 26% Zinfandel, 5% Carignane, and 10% Mourvedre. The grapes were harvested early, whole cluster pressed, and then fermented cold with indigenous yeast. The wine is finished dry with no malo-lactic and briefly aged in old French oak barrels. Alc. 12.8% 212 cases. |
| |
|
| |
2011 BAMBINO Old Hill Ranch Zinfandel
$24 |
|
 The grapes for our "Bambino" are from young vines we planted on Old Hill in 1998. The wine is primarily a blend of 80% Zinfandel, with the remaining 20% split between Petite Sirah, and Alicante Bouchet among a few others. We harvest the grapes on the early side in an effort to keep the alcohols modest and to give the wine bright acidity. It is aged for 12 months in older French oak barrels. Alc. 13.3% 926 cases. |
| |
|
| |
2010
Old Hill Ranch Grenache
$38 |
|
 Our 130 year old Grenache vines are selectively harvested from the ancient field-blend and then co-fermented with a small amount of Alicante Bouchet, Carignane, and Mourvedre, among several other “mixed black” varieties. The blend is 80% Grenache. |
| |
|
| |
2010
Old Hill Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon
$30 |
|
 The six-acre block of Cabernet Sauvignon,
a relative newcomer to Old Hill, was planted in 1983. Considered
to be with in the “banana belt” of Sonoma Valley,
this warm hillside vineyard produces very ripe fruit.
The 2010 Cab has intense fruit aromas of cherries, currants and plums. There is a modest background of eucalyptus and lavender spice with oak wood and toast aromas. It is a lean-textured wine with ripe flavors of blackberries and raspberries with slight earthy notes and cedar, anise and vanilla oak spice. The big tannins and lean acidity suggest that this wine will benefit greatly from aging.
366 cases produced |
| |
|
| |
2009 Mixed Blacks Red Wine
$34 |
|
The term "Mixed Blacks" was coined by old-time grape growers in reference to the non-Zinfandel red grapes in a field-blend, and that is exactly what this wine is. In 2009 the Zinfandel in the Ancient block set poorly and thus we had a much greater proportion of "Mixed Blacks" than we could possibly blend with the Zinfandel. What were we to do with the extra two barrels of Mixed Blacks?
This wine is a bit of an enigma. As you would expect from a wine made from thirty grape varieties, it is complex, but not as much as we might expect. The aromas show ripe cherries with toasted oak and Old Hill lavender spice. The tannins are surprisingly balanced (given the large proportion of Alicante Bouchet) and it is fairly supple and very rich. The wine is really delicious and I expect it will age very well. Alcohol 15.8%
40 Cases produced - 6 bottle max order.
|
| |
|
| |
2009
Old Hill Ranch Zinfandel (Ancient Vine)
$34 |
|
Established in 1852 near the
town of Glen Ellen in Sonoma Valley, our families' Old Hill
Ranch is one of California’s oldest vineyards. This wine
is produced from a certified organic, dry-farmed field-blend
planted on Old Hill in the 1880’s. The vineyard is a
mosaic of over two dozen grape varieties — principally
Zinfandel, but also Grenache, Alicante Bouchet, Petite Sirah,
Mourvedre, Syrah, Carignane, and Tempranillo, to name a few.
All are blended together in this wine.
The color of our signature Old Hill Zin is dark purple and the aromas are wonderfully complex. Old Hill Zin is known for its herbal complexity and the 2009 is no exception. The spice character tends towards black-pepper and cardamom while the fruit component is very intense and has an impressive array of raspberry, blackberry, and ripe plums. The French oak contributes toast and vanilla aromas while the tannins are big, ripe and smooth on the finish. Follow the evolution of this wine in your glass as it opens up or decant if you are in a hurry. The wine will reach its peak maturity in 10-12 years.
514 cases produced |
| |
|
| |
2009 Old Hill Ranch Petite Sirah
$28 |
|
For some reason that remains a mystery, this little block of Petite Sirah vines that we planted in 1999, produced little tiny grapes of unusual concentration. The grapes are part of our Bambino but in 2009 we had a fairly large yield and so we decided to keep two barrels separate.
Our 2009 Petite Sirah is very dark purple in color and intense in aromas. The fruit component is jammy with blueberry and plum aromas. The spices tend towards anise and black pepper. The flavors are rich with plums, blueberries, and licorice. The tannins are very big and the wine will benefit from age!
72 cases produced. |
| |
|
| |
2004
Bald Mountain Ranch Syrah
$30 |
|
 Bald Mountain Vineyard
sits atop the Mayacama Mountain range between Mt. Hood and
Mt. Veeder. This dry-farmed, terraced vineyard ranges in elevation
between 1900 and 2100 feet, and lies within the three separate
appellations: Sonoma Valley, Napa Valley and Mt. Veeder. Both
night and day, temperatures tend to be lower than in the valley
with the caveat that when the valley is fogged in, the vineyard
is likely clear and sunny.
145 cases produced |
