Rutherford Hill Revisited in 2024

I sold a lot of Rutherford Hill wine in the 1990's. It was a staple Merlot - a brand based in the Rutherford District of Napa Valley. In the heyday of Merlot, it was one of the most recognized brands: affordable and decent, though not terribly flashy or special.

Merlot can make majestic wine - some of the best in the world. But it became a fad, and jumped the shark. Now California Merlot is planted in the right places, namely cool to warm places with rich, well-drained soils. Some of the best that's left is really, really good. I covered this for the San Francisco Chronicle as a freelancer back in 2017.

Recently, I was chatting with a friend who had taken them on for a public relations project, and I hadn't tried the wines in quite a while, and frankly, it hadn't seemed like a particularly sexy brand in the last couple of decades. He re-assured me that Rutherford Hill has a new winemaker and is making much more ambitious wines. I said, "Please send me a few!"

Merlot is still a staple of the Rutherford Hill line-up, but it's a Napa Valley winery, so of course there are Cabernets as well. ]

Rutherford Hill 2021 Napa Valley Merlot ($40) This is a fine red wine. It's not gonna blow you away, but it is well made - this is better than the Rutherford Hill wines I was drinking in the late 90's when Merlot was trendy and often planted in the wrong place. It's more perfumed than I remember, and a bit more elegant. I like it just fine. (88 Points)

Rutherford Hill 2021 Oak Knoll District Merlot ($70) Now we're getting into the good stuff. For my money, the two best places to grow Merlot in Napa Valley are Carneros and Oak Knoll, the neighboring AVA to the north. It's a cool part of the valley, and the soils are reasonably rich, but well-drained. Merlot likes that. This has notes of ripe raspberry, cherry, cardamom, violet and white flowers. It's fresh, elegant, and really demonstrates the difference between Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Absolutely lovely. (94 Points)

Rutherford Hill 2021 AJT Collection Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Napa Valley ($75) A very solid Napa Cabernet. It's definitely ripe, showing some fig, chocolate, and cinnamon notes, but it also is fragrant and floral with a decent amount of finesse. It's far from monolithic, and you can tell that some art went into blending this wine. Well done. (92 Points) 

Rutherford Hill 2021 Carneros Merlot ($70) Another extremely well-made Merlot with textbook cherry and ripe plum flavors, a hint of cinnamon on the nose, violet, sage, and a hint of vanilla. This is a beautifully-balanced red that isn't too this or too that. It's right in the strike zone. (92 Points)

Rutherford Hill 2021 Heaven's Peak Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Napa Valley ($135) A terrific wine from a terrific vintage. It has opulent blackberry, vanilla, cinnamon, cocoa and anise notes but is also fragrant and graceful. Impressive. (92 Points)