Winery Story

VHR – Vine Hill Ranch

In 1998, Bruce Phillips and his father stood at the apex of Block 6, looking down at the sea of plump, ready-to-harvest Cabernet grapes on Vine Hill Ranch’s largest and oldest block. For over forty years, the family had grown fruit for others but never made wine. By the 1990s, the vineyard had gained an enviable reputation as a supplier to some of the most sought-after labels in Napa Valley. Then, Bruce’s father handed his son the seed of an idea. “Imagine what we could do with this fruit,” his father said. “Imagine if.”

Imagine If

In the 1950s, Bruce’s grandfather, Bruce Kelham, purchased an old vineyard in Napa Valley. The property’s vineyard assessment records tallying the number of vines, harvest dates, yields, etc., dated back to 1884, although vines were likely planted here decades before. On the gentle slopes of the Mayacamas benchlands in Oakville AVA, near the border of...