CURRENT RELEASES |
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2011 Rosé of Old Hill Ranch
$20 |
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Please no snide comments about our new white Zinfandel! We took exacting weights of each variety that were used to make this wine in an effort to dispel any rumors; 44% Grenache, 22% Syrah, 17% Zinfandel, 12% Carignane and 5% 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. The alcohol is 12.8% and we only made 140 cases.
During my daily fermentation checks of this wine, when stooped over the tank to check on things, I thought I was smelling a bin of green apples. I have questioned why I would think of a green apple as opposed to a red apple, but it was green in my mind, and that character still seems to be apparent in the wine. It is delicate, it is crisp, and it is a perfect accompaniment to the optimism of spring!
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2009 Mixed Blacks Red Wine
$34 |
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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.
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2008
Old Hill Ranch Zinfandel (VOVZ)
$34 |
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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 2008 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.
681 cases produced |
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2009 BAMBINO Old Hill Ranch Zinfandel
$24 |
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 The grapes for "Bambino" are from a 10-acre block
we planted on Old Hill in 1998. This young vine field-blend
is patterned after the ancient vine field-blend for which
Old Hill is known. The wine is a blend of at least a dozen
grape varieties - principally Zinfandel, but also Petite Sirah,
Alicante Bouchet and Grenache to name a few - all fermented
together to create this Zinfandel blend.
Our Bambino is deep purple in color
with intense blackberry aromas and lots of “Old Hill”
spice, including nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla. The flavors
are intense too, with blackberries, cherries, and vanilla
spice. The tannins are big but ripe and mouth watering on
the finish.. A friend recently described it as follows: “
It’s like Wow! And then it is all fun in your mouth!”
645 cases produced |
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2009 Old Hill Ranch Petite Sirah
$28 |
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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. |
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2009
Old Hill Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon
$30 |
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 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 2009 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.
210 cases produced |
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2009
Old Hill Ranch Grenache
$38 |
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 In 2007 our curiosity got the better of us and we decided to selectively harvest several Grenache vines from the ancient block of Old Hill. We wanted to see how the single grape variety would taste because normally these grapes were blended into the Zin.
This Grenache includes a pinch of "mixed blacks" and the resulting wine has become our favorite. It is a little lighter than the Zin and it has a beautiful fruit component of rasberries and cherries.
97 cases produced |
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2006
Bald Mountain Ranch Syrah
$30 |
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 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.
Our 2006 Bald Mountain Syrah has a deep purple color. Blueberry and blackberry aromas dominate while toasty oak and bacon simmer in the background. The fruit flavors tend towards plums and cherries while the oak contributes vanilla spice. There are slightly bitter tannins on the finish which leave the impression of dark chocolate.
145 cases produced |
