Annulus Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville 2021

We live the good life here in Napa Valley and are exceptionally grateful for the bounty we receive daily. Our tightly-knit community is built on hospitality, and there is no greater pleasure than sharing our wines with neighbors and friends. We love joining together at the table to open exceptional bottles from both near and far and enjoy a meal made from the beautiful produce and goods grown and made here, along with stimulating conversation. Deann Wright and Luke Evnin fell head over heels for Napa Valley's easy living in the two decades they've lived in Rutherford, despite not working in the wine industry. Their research science careers kept them busy as they worked to fund and promote programs to eradicate cancer and autoimmune diseases. Yet, the inkling to create a wine brand of their own always remained in the distance, a far-off dream that finally came to fruition in 2019 with the launch of Annulus Cellars. Luke and Deann selected the name Annulus, which means "ring" in Latin, to honor the natural cycle of life in the vineyard, from bud break and veraison to harvest and dormancy. In addition to this cycle, the circle motif signifies the many tables where the vintners came together with neighbors, mentors, and friends to share and celebrate Napa.

Throughout the years, Luke and Deann forged friendships around those plentiful tables with some of Napa's renowned vintners, growers, and winemakers. They had a front-row seat to the musings of our industry's best minds and, through osmosis, garnered the world-class knowledge not afforded to most vintners starting on a winemaking journey. Additionally, they developed their palates and established preferences for specific vineyards in the valley. Luke & Deann recruited the famed duo of Nigel Kinsman and Michel Rolland to lead the winemaking team. The combined talents of their partnership have graced stellar brands such as Bella Oaks, Impensata, and Accendo. Luke and Deann sought their deft hands to bring the Annulus vision to life by crafting exceptional wines with a strict sense of place and time.
At the top of Deann and Luke's list of potential vineyard partners was Bruce Phillips, the proprietor of Vine Hill Ranch. This esteemed vineyard, nestled between Harlan Estate and Dominus, has been the source for many prestigious wines over the years and certainly ranks among Napa's greatest crus. Three generations of the Phillips family have cultivated wine grapes here, joining a long line of Napa Valley growers who have farmed these acres since 1884. The grapes for the Annulus VHR come from Block 2, a parcel boasting well-draining, loamy, and alluvial soils that encourage the root systems to dig deeper through the nutrient and mineral-rich dirt, which Mike Wolf planted in 1999 to Clone 4 Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Annulus VHR spent 21 months in French oak barrels from the Taransaud and Sylvain cooperages. Winemaker Nigel Kinsman describes the wine with the following notes, "bright aromatics of cranberries and chocolate reflect a beautifully balanced crop, while small berries translate into a palate densely packed with blue and black fruit, accented by cigar box and spice. The long finish is powered by minerality and beautifully integrated, ultra-fine tannins." The Annulus team produced only 307 cases of their debut VHR Cabernet Sauvignon.