Baker and Hamilton Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

Baker and Hamilton Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

SOURCE Vine Hill Ranch Vineyard

APPELLATION Oakville, Napa Valley

VARIETAL 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

AGING 23 months/85% new French Oak

Alcohol 14.8%

PRODUCTION 789 cases

BOTTLING June 14, 2021

RELEASE March 14, 2022

Reviews

Wine Spectator – “This is packed with vivid boysenberry, mulberry and black currant fruit that bursts forth with energy, while being held in check by graphite, anise and apple wood notes that lend good underlying tension. Features bramble and warm stone accents on the finish, as the fruit races through. Best from 2023 through 2038.” (95 Pts)

Decanter – “The inaugural release of Baker and Hamilton from Bruce Phillips, whose family owns Vine Hill Ranch in Oakville, so you can guess where the Cabernet grapes are sourced from! Incredibly powerful and intricate aromas of black cherry, chocolate, black peppercorns, pencil shavings and lavish oak.

Medium-bodied on entry and more restrained than the nose: delicate boysenberry, raspberry and candied cherry framed by an iron-like minerality. Intricate tannins are fleshy and supple, building to a dry finish that is a touch smoky. Françoise Peschon is the winemaker. One to watch.” (94 Pts)

James Suckling – “A soft and velvety red with medium body and round, creamy tannins. Milk-chocolate, blackcurrant and hazelnut character. So attractive now and delicious. Essentially the second wine of Vine Hill Ranch. Why wait?” (94 Pts)

Vinous – “It is without question one of the most impressive debuts I tasted this year. Silky and gracious, the 2019 is a wonderfully understated, classy Cabernet that shows the more restrained side of the year in its super-classic mid-weight feel. Cedar, tobacco and sweet floral notes add gorgeous inner perfume.

With the Baker and Hamilton Cabernet, the Phillipses aim to make a wine that will work well in restaurants and retail shops, so all of the wine is sold through distribution rather than direct. You don’t have to have a Nobel Prize to figure out what the vineyard source is. Let’s leave it at that.” (93 Pts)