Hill Family Estate 2016 Barrel Blend, Napa Valley

Here’s a Napa Valley red with a story to tell. When we saw the unassuming screw top package and the clean, straight forward label we assumed this was a humble red blend without much more going for it. Then when we tasted it and experienced the rich depth of flavor and beautiful ripe fruit nuances we knew there had to be more to story. So it turns out this isn’t just any old Napa red blend, this is a wine with a pedigree that’s pretty amazing.

The Hill Family are fifth generation farmers and extremely successful grape growers and vineyard managers in the Napa Valley, growing grapes on fifteen different vineyard locations in Napa. And look at their client list. They sell to the biggest names in Napa Valley including Silver Oak, Duckhorn, Robert Mondavi, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Caymus, Cakebread, Quintessa, Clos Du Val, Raymond, Snowden Brothers and more. With customers like these it’s pretty clear that their grapes are something special so it’s no wonder this wine is as good as it is.

For this wine from the excellent 2016 vintage they blended 41% Merlot, 14% Zinfandel, 13% Malbec, 11% Syrah, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Sirah, 3% Pinot Noir, 3% Grenache, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Mourvedre and 1% Cabernet Franc from their best sites and aged it 10 months in 27% new oak barrels.

It shows loads of kirsch and blackberry fruits as well as complex spice and tobacco notes. It’s fruit forward, charming, and straight-up delicious, and ideal for drinking now and over the next 8-10 years.

Best of all the we arranged a price that’s much closer to the humble red blend we expected than the valiant thoroughbred that’s actually in this bottle. Our allotment was very limited so don’t wait to roll out The Barrel!!!