2024 Rosé of Old Hill Ranch

2024 Rosé of Old Hill Ranch ($26), 98 cases produced    

This vintage is comprised of 38% Grenache, 28% Carignan, 23% Syrah 21% Mourvèdre.  The grapes are harvested early, co-fermented cold and finished dry.  Pale copper in color with lovely watermelon and passion fruit with coconut and pineapple on the palate. Bright acidity and a short finish.  This wine is ready for springtime!

Alc. 13.2%

2023 Otto’s Grenache
Old Hill Ranch

2023 Otto’s Grenache; Vines Established in 2010 ($38), 135 cases produced

         Purple color. Beguiling blackberry aromas with a hint of eucalyptus and modest toasty oak. The tannins are slightly bitter and the finish is bright and lingering.

Alc. 14.3%     

2023 Ancient Grenache
Old Hill Ranch

2023 Ancient Grenache; Vines Established in 1880s ($52), 76 cases produced

           Dark purple color that is packed with blackberry and cherry fruit aromas. There is a hint of oak character but the fruit carries the day.  The tannins are lean and the finish dry.   Will improve with age, but it is really delicious now. 

Alc. 14.8% abv

2023 Anne’s Field Blend
Upper 5th Vineyard

2023 Anne’s Upper 5th Vineyard Field Blend ($38), 35 cases produced

         Dark purple color with raspberry aromas.  Pure fruit expression is generous and carries through into the flavors.  The wine bright and lean with some significant tannins. Could use some aging to mellow. 

Alc. 14.6%

2023 Petite Sirah
Old Hill Ranch

2023 Old Hill Ranch Petite Sirah ($36), 76 cases produced

        Dark as night and with black fruit of plum and fig with mint and oak as well.  As for texture, it is supple but bright and the tannins are surprisingly modest.

Alc: 14.8% 

2023 Bambino
Old Hill Ranch

The 2022 Bambino (baby vines, planted in 2000) is simply delicious. The wine is dark purple, luscious and bold with intense aromas of blackberry fruit, and black pepper spice. The palate is youthful with a crisp backbone and a sweet core of red fruit. It is not the most complex wine of the line-up, but it is the prettiest. This year’s blend is 56% Zinfandel, 32% Petite Sirah and 12% Alicante Bouschet.

$28.00 14.8% alc. 528 cases produced

2023 Mixed Whites
Old Hill Ranch

Fall 2024 Release - 216 bottles available

2023 Old Hill Ranch Mixed Whites ($28), 95 cases produced

Golden California rolling hillside color.  Canned Pineapple fruit and lime citrus aromas.  Melon and apricot too.  Great pungency and intensity.  Very bright on the palate, slightly phenolic with mild bitterness and oily texture.  This is my favorite rendition. 

 13.8% alc.

2023 Sauvignon Blanc
Denmark Street Vineyard

Fall 2024 Release Wine - ON SALE $22.50 (about $19 with discount)    

2023 Denmark Street Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, 197 cases produced (720 bottles available)  

Pear and orange blossom with a bright and healthy natural acidity followed by a crisp, cleansing finish.

Alc: 14.1%

2022 Bambino
Old Hill Ranch

The 2022 Bambino (baby vines, planted in 2000) is simply delicious. The wine is dark purple, luscious and bold with intense aromas of blackberry fruit, and black pepper spice. The palate is youthful with a crisp backbone and a sweet core of red fruit. It is not the most complex wine of the line-up, but it is the prettiest. This year’s blend is 56% Zinfandel, 32% Petite Sirah and 12% Alicante Bouschet.

$28.00 14.8% alc. 528 cases produced

2022 Ancient Field Blend
Old Hill Ranch

The 2022 Ancient vines begin with subtle aromas of plum and herbal spice. The shyness is brief and once on the palate it bursts with flavor and texture.  With more time in the glass the aromas unfold and becomes quite effusive.  Perhaps decanting is in order, or aging it, if you have time.

     (For the newbies; this wine is made from over 30 grape varieties that were planted promiscuously throughout our 12-acre dry-farmed vineyard that was planted in 1885 (thus “ancient”). Zinfandel makes up the greatest portion (~60%) with Grenache second (~15%). The “teinturiers,” Alicante Bouschet, Grand Noir, and to a much lesser extent, Lenoir and Petite Bouschet make up about 10% of the vineyard. And, there is a significant amount of Carignane, Mourvèdre, Syrah, and Petite Sirah too. Using DNA we have documented three very rare varieties that otherwise exist in the French Alps; Mollard, Persan, and Etraire de la Dui. There are also small, but important number of white grapes: Chardonnay, French Colombard, Chasselas, Muscat of Alexandria and Clairette Blanche. To a lesser extent we find Aramon, Catawba, Peloursin, Charbono, Black Muscat and Tannat. Finally, there is a significant amount of the “unknown spotted grape” named for the fact that it has no DNA marker and the grapes have spots!)

$46.00     15.3% alc.     390 cases produced

2022 Cabernet Sauvignon
Bedrock Vineyard

2020 was our last Cab produced off of Old Hill Ranch grapes.  The vines had succumbed to phylloxera and it was an easy decision to fill the void by making a Cab from our close neighbors and good friends at Bedrock Vineyard.

       Our first vintage of Bedrock (2021) I described as being more generous of fruit than the more austere Old Hill Cabs of years past. The 2022 Bedrock still has the bright cherry and red fruits of the 2021 but there is a more complex spice component as well. The acid is bright and the finish a little raw but will resolve quickly with some time.

$38.00    14.6% alc.     147 cases produced

2022 Otto’s Grenache
Old Hill Ranch

Spring 2024 Release Wine - Limited Availability

Otto’s block, named after my stepfather, grows across a dry creek from the Ancient Field Blend.  The vines sit on a warm hillside sloped towards the setting sun, and the volcanic soils are hard and rocky with a shallow and impenetrable volcanic tuff (ash conglomerate) that limits root depth.  These vines are the lowest yielding and least vigorous on the ranch. While Otto’s is a true field blend, it is similar in make up to the Ancient Grenache but with a few more varieties in the mix, including Mourvèdre, Counoise and Clairette Blanche. 

           Otto’s is crystal clear and very light in color. The aromas are generous with pronounced cinnamon and toasty oak. While the fruit is slightly muted, there’s lovely sage herb and cedar wood aromas.  The tannins and acid are light with a delicate finish. If you are familiar with previous vintages of Otto's, it is typically more beefy and dense.  Lizanne calls it the best Pinot Noir I ever made!  Ready to drink. 

$38.00 15.2% alc.; vines established in 2010

2022 Ancient Grenache
Old Hill Ranch

Spring 2024 Release Wine - Limited Availability

This Grenache is a select harvest from within the Ancient field-blend, choosing 80% Grenache and while adding a few buckets of Syrah, Carignan, and Alicante Bouschet to simulate a field blend.

        Dark purple color that is packed with blackberry and cherry fruit aromas. There is a hint of cumin spice character buried among some musky earthy tones but the blackberry carries the day. The ripe, and rich tannins finish with a slight chocolate bitterness leaving the impression of sweet and bitter. I think this wine will improve with age, but it is really delicious now. 

$52.00 15.8% alc 78 cases produced; vines established 1885

2020 Bambino
Old Hill Ranch

End of vintage special pricing.

The baby vines turned 21 this vintage but they remain the “Bambinos” compared to the Ancient vines.  The wine is bright and pretty while surprisingly lean with some serious backbone. Time is an ally; this may be the most ageable Bambino yet.

Alc. 14.1%