Vintage Reserve

Named one of the 10 best wines for Fall 2022 by Robb Report, our 2018 Vintage Reserve is truly something special.

Most of the grapes that make up our Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve wine come from the sections of Rhinefarm at its very highest elevations (150-400 feet) and are grown in a rocky, volcanic soil known as Rhyolite. Standing at 400 feet, as Rhinefarm stretches in the distance, you can see the light, volcanic rock (called tufa) that broke down over millions of years to form the soil.

When we began to plan the Vintage Reserve program more than 30 years ago, we first identified the very best blocks in our estate vineyard and paid extra special attention to those vines. We still care for them painstakingly today. No expense is spared in the farming of these blocks – just the very best berries from the best clusters from the best vines from the best rows from the best blocks are picked and pressed.

Only the highest quality grapes ever have a chance at making it into a Vintage Reserve barrel. The grapes are meticulously sorted using state-of-the-art equipment – you can feel the excitement on the days of harvest when the optical sorter is on the crushpad. There’s no doubt – something special is happening. With the aid of the sorter, our winemaking team selects only the finest grapes, those of the desired shape, color and size, to be pressed and fermented as potential Vintage Reserve.

It doesn’t stop when the wine goes into barrel. From these barrels, winemaker Joe Uhr selects the best ones to create a blend worthy of the Vintage Reserve label.