Annulus’ 2022 Vine Hill Ranch Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is a single-vineyard Oakville bottling made entirely from Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from Block 2 of the Phillips family’s Vine Hill Ranch, a prominent site in southwestern Oakville. It’s a small production wine—Annulus cites 263 cases, while Wine Spectator reports 227 cases—and it was aged 21 months in 75% new French oak, finishing at 14.6% alcohol. The wine is currently sold out at the winery.
The headline review is emphatic. Decanter’s Jonathan Cristaldi awarded a 100-point score, calling it “a stylish, polished wine—super-suave and expressive,” with “rich, perfectly weighted fruit” and “gorgeous, super-fine tannins infused with an iron-scented minerality.” Cristaldi also highlights its shape and control, describing it as “beautifully compact yet intensely juicy,” with “exceptional tension and structure” and “impeccable harmony.” He notes Annulus is owned by Luke Evnin and Deann Wright, crafted by winemaker Nigel Kinsman, and made at Wheeler Farms in Rutherford.
Other critics largely reinforce the picture of a generous but detailed Oakville Cabernet that performed well in a year described as challenging. James Suckling (96) calls it “big, dark and luscious,” citing “great chocolaty depth” alongside black cherry, crème de cassis, and “pencil shavings,” adding it is “stunning, showing how good the challenging 2022 vintage can be.” Jeb Dunnuck (96) likewise stresses freshness and finesse, pointing to “beautiful vibrancy” and an “elegant” feel with “beautifully integrated oak and a seamless texture.”
Vinous’ Antonio Galloni (96) goes further on vintage positioning, calling the 2022 “a revelation” and “certainly one of the finer wines of the vintage,” with red cherry, blood orange, cedar, and sweet pipe tobacco.
A more reserved note comes from Wine Spectator (91), which finds “admirable depth” but says “the vintage’s lack of energy leaves this feeling a bit hefty,” recommending 2026–2033. Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (94+) praises the wine’s supple start but notes it “gradually becomes more rough-edged… on the lingering finish,” with ripe cherry plus tobacco and mint. Overall, the consensus favors richness framed by polish, with most reviews marking this as a standout for 2022.
