Keplinger Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville 2021

Helen Keplinger has benefited from her work with many great mentors over the years – Heidi Peterson Barrett, David Abreu and Michel Rolland. Although all these experiences taught her about vineyard selection and winemaking techniques, she quickly cultivated a style of her own. Her wines have set a new standard for Napa Cabernet. In Wine Spectator’s 2014 cover story spotlighting Helen Keplinger, wine critic James Laube wrote that Helen’s Keplinger label is “one of the most exciting and innovative wineries to emerge in California in years.” High-end Cabernet is without a doubt a category that Helen has had soaring success with over the years crafting wines for Bryant Family, Grace Family Vineyards, Kerr and Waterfall. One decade later, Helen is still at the top of her game, earning the accolade of 2023 Winemaker of the Year from Vinous for her 2021 vintage. Helen’s single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon under her namesake label, Keplinger, is some of the best in the United States, if not the world and in the words of Antonio Galloni, “Her 2021s are quite simply sensational across the board.”

In the beginning, Helen started Keplinger to explore the Rhône varietals planted in California and craft single-vineyard wines inspired by the French region. The Napa Valley pull was strong though and living in our bountiful home sparked her vision to discover the exceptional and varied vineyards of Napa. Interpreting the Napa terroir through her own lens started with a Cabernet from Oakville Ranch in 2014 and in 2018, Helen launched her next Cabernet with fruit from Vine Hill Ranch. Vine Hill Ranch is tucked along the sloped, gravelly soil hillsides of the Mayacamas Mountain Range in Oakville and headed up by a remarkable family legacy of winegrowers. For years, Helen had been in talks with Bruce Phillips (proprietor of VHR) about working with his highly sought after grapes. However, it wasn’t until the Harvest Stomp Auction that Helen locked in one ton from one of the property’s best plots. She lifted her bidding paddle high and often for the lot, raising an impressive amount that astounded Bruce so much he granted her additional fruit from another block in the vineyard. The two lots Helen secured represent the breadth of VHR’s property with grapes from the steep, east-facing slopes and from the warm, Oakville benchland.

Helen describes her 2021 Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon as having “an enticing nose with impressive aromatic depth - black currant, cassis, lilac, nutmeg, forest floor, juniper, cigar wrapper, and cacao nib - that builds richness with time in the glass. The silky entry opens to a seamless palate with flavors of black currant, boysenberry, bittersweet chocolate, baking spices, tobacco and carnation. Opulent, yet refined and balanced, the palate has a lovely freshness, with finely textured tannins through to the lengthy, flavorful finish.” If you are seeking wines from a brand with staying power, Keplinger is it. Helen has proven time and again her talent and remains a relevant and impactful Napa Valley legend after decades in the industry.