Vine Hill Ranch Oakville, Napa Valley
The Phillips family purchased Vine Hill Ranch in 1959, although early Napa Valley growers – Hopper, Whitton, Hahn, Taddei – have farmed the vineyard since 1884. These pioneers documented their annual plantings of grapevines, plums, pears and other crops in hand-scribed reports. The old grower records inspired the wine label’s ledger-style listing of vineyard blocks, vine count, harvest dates and grape yields– a tribute to the agricultural history of Vine Hill Ranch.
A Growers Wine – The Patient Evolution from Grapegrowing to Winemaking
VHR Cabernet Sauvignon is the culmination of the Phillips family’s evolution from grapegrowing to winemaking over three generations. Years of traversing vineyard rows and caring for each of Vine Hill Ranch’s seven blocks have imbued a deep understanding of the vineyard’s unique characteristics and inspired the family to produce their own site-driven wine, a Cabernet Sauvignon that releases the voice of the vines.
To produce a true wine of place, we harvest Cabernet Sauvignon winegrapes from designated sections within each of our seven blocks. We then vinify each lot separately to promote the full expression of each vineyard block. From these fermented lots, we craft a singular blend that reflects the essence of Vine Hill Ranch for the vintage.
The Vineyard
Lush, aromatic Cabernet Sauvignon grapes thrive in the well-drained soil and temperate climate of our 71 acre, seven-block vineyard—the perfect alignment of a place and its product.
Tucked along the wooded hills of the Mayacamas Mountain Range in Oakville, fruit from our higher vineyard blocks exude an earthy, forest floor chaparral quality—the sloping grade, gravelly soil and most mature vines produce intense, concentrated and expressive black fruit. Blocks on the lower benchland, with its deep, loamy soils and younger vines, yield bright fruit flavors and fine tannins full of verve and energy.
Team Members
FRANÇOISE PESCHON, winemaker
Raised in California's wine country with family roots in Luxembourg, Françoise received an enology degree from UC Davis. After post-graduate work at the University of Bordeaux and an apprenticeship at Château Haut-Brion, Françoise returned to the Napa Valley.
In 1993, Françoise joined Araujo Estate, soon stepping into the role of winemaker. The reputation of the vineyard and the Phillips Family's determination to craft a wine of place drew Françoise to VHR in 2008. She collaborates closely in the field with vineyard manager, Michael Wolf, to cultivate a wine that is dynamic, powerful and elegant—a soulful expression of the site.
MICHAEL WOLF, vineyard manager
Closely tending the Vine Hill Ranch vineyard since 1998, Mike and his team have a profound understanding of the site, its individual blocks and exquisite natural assets. He believes growing expressive fruit requires continual focus on balance: between the canopy and crop load, across each vine's structure and between the needs of the vineyard and efforts to support its well-being.
BRUCE PHILLIPS, managing partner
Bruce oversees Vine Hill Ranch’s vineyard and winemaking operations. A thirty-year veteran of the beverage and consumer product industry, Bruce has been involved with a variety of ventures, from Odwalla to Constellation Brands Inc. He lives in Oakville with his wife Heather and their two children, Nate and Eliza.
Past President of the Board of Directors of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers, a trade organization dedicated to the ongoing preservation and promotion of the unique vineyards of the Napa Valley; Bruce has served on the Board of Directors of the California Association of Winegrape Growers, Napa County Farm Bureau, and is a past Chair of the Land Trust of Napa County. He also served on the board of the Queen of the Valley Hospital Foundation, ensuring state of the art healthcare delivery to Napa County.
Francoise Peschon Winemaker
Francoise has worked with some of Napa Valley’s best—including Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Araujo Estate Wines, Viader Vineyards and Vine Hill Ranch—quietly crafting some of Napa Valley’s most acclaimed Cabernet Sauvignons of the last three decades.
She is quick to credit her mentors, wine industry luminaries like Michel Roland, Warren Winiarski and Tony Soter, whose sensitivity, intellect and sense of aesthetics have been her inspiration.
Early in her winemaking career, Francoise spent a year in Bordeaux at Chateau Haut Brion. It was there that she knew she wanted to work with Bordeaux varieties at an estate property. She holds a degree in Enology from the University of California—Davis, and participated in the DUAD program at the University of Bordeaux.
Francoise continues to work with Bart and Daphne Araujo on their new venture, Accendo, as well as Vine Hill Ranch. She is also invested in Drinkward Peschon, a small brand she shares with her good friend and neighbor, Lisa Drinkward, since 2000.
