North Coast Wine Challenge
Every year The Press Democrat offers wine lovers the opportunity to taste the best wines from the North Coast American Viticulture Areas (AVA).
The winning wines from Sonoma, Napa, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, and Solano counties are judged and selected by the top industry professionals in a blind taste test.
These are wines that achieve both a Gold Medal status and 90+ points in The Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge.
Following on last years Villein’s ‘Walker Vine Hill 2019 Syrah’ Gold Medal award, our just released 2021 Syrah also also received a gold medal, demonstrating the wines pedigree and consistency in quality.
And then .. BOOM! Our‘Pinot Noir - Alder Springs 2021’ was awarded a Double Gold medal and won Best of Class. Astonishingly, our first ever Pinot Noir peaked at 98 points, and tied for 2nd place overall from a field of 200 Pinot Noir entries in the wine challenge.
The 2022 Villein Walker Vine Hill - Russian River Valley -Pinot Noir was awarded a 96 point and double gold accolade at the 2024 event.
The North Coast Wine & Food Festival is a celebration of the best wine and food of our region. As Gold medal-winners, Villein is invited to pour and have our wines enjoyed at this event. So, please join us on Saturday, June 17, for an afternoon of excellent wine, delicious food, music, and activities, including 25 of the region’s top chefs and other gold medal winning wines from the North Coast Wine Challenge. Get tickets here.
Apple News- Food & Wine, Virginie Boone - November 30th, 2022
Looking for a Steal in Napa Valley Wine? Try Grenache
In California wine country, Rhone Valley varietals like Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre hold unexpected excitement.
…Napa and Sonoma vintners who grow and make Syrah, Grenache or Viognier anyway, or blends thereof, do it for love, not fame. So consider this a secret scroll of worthy treasures. These wines and the producers that make them aren’t chasing the light.
2019 Villein Walker Vine Hill Russian River Valley Syrah ($61)
This wine captures all the lovely attributes of cool-climate winegrowing, exuding all the blue fruit, garrigue and black pepper of classic Syrah. Planted in Goldridge soil, it is velvety smooth and seductive in texture, with restrained, well-integrated oak. Aromas of violet meet a lusher element of dark chocolate, giving it a both savory and rich character. The wine brand of Walker Vine Hill’s owners, Paul and Lynn O’Neill, Villein also makes an Alder Springs Vineyard 50-50 Marsanne-Roussanne.
For the full wine recommendation report, please click on Virginie’s Article
Peter Neptune MS, a distinguished Master Sommelier, tasted our inaugural release. We’re tremendously excited to share his praise…
“ Paul, Cody,
I tasted the two bottled wines twice. You made the job easy and pleasurable as I have to tell you that the wines are flat-out fantastic. Congratulations!
These are among the top wines I have tasted from California… the decision to lay off of a bunch of new oak was very smart. The quality of fruit from these two vineyards is clearly top-notch…
I would like to buy a case of each wine to use at my school as an example of the very best that California is capable of.
Again, congratulations. I am very, very impressed.”
Peter went on to provide his review of our second release wines ...
2019 Villein - Walker Vine Hill Syrah - Russian River Valley:
Magenta/purple color. Notes of blackberry, bramble, pepper and violets. Great mouthfeel, vibrant, perfectly balanced. Fruit and spice framed by velvety tannins. This is perfectly balanced and excellent all the way around. I love this vineyard. This is superlative New World Syrah and in my opinion the top Syrah in California for sure.
2021 Villein - Alder Springs Marsanne Roussanne - Mendocino
Pale lemon. Aromas of linden, almond blossom, pear, star fruit and saline. Very attractive palate feel with vibrant acidity balanced by a beeswax character. Lots of minerality with fresh lime juice very evident and hints of white blossoms. A very vibrant, zesty bottle of wine.
2021 Villein - Pinot Noir Alder Springs Vineyard
Pale to medium ruby. Lovely nose of red berries, redcurrant and strawberry with clove and spice. Very attractive mouthfeel with soft, velvety tannins framing medium acidity. Red berry fruits abound with elegant warmth and an overall balanced generosity.
Dallas Buchanan, a member of the Golden Gate Wine Society opened a bottle of our 2018 Walker Vine Hill Syrah with fresh salted crostini bread, triple cream Brie, aged gruyere, toasted walnuts and apple slices at home. What unfolded was totally unexpected.
Dallas wrote…
“A surprisingly vibrant garnet jumped into my glass, setting the tone for what will become a very pleasant outing. This wine looks like it tastes, in an unusual way. The shift from edge to stem is pure and linear. The eye follows the darkening to its depth without getting lost in the darkness. I’m reminded of a lovely Rhone, but that is about all these wines have in common. The nose is bright spring flower, jasmine, and red fruit. Soft raspberries sitting out in their own juices, maybe overnight. The first sip is a shock, but it shouldn’t be. The signs were all there--firm, refined, crisp, intentional. Youthful strength. A long finish that stays true to itself. Well mannered. Blueberry parfait. Satisfying, sweet and savory--the good one you only get once every few years. There is no obvious sign of peppercorn and only a hint of rosemary and smoked wood on the finish that reminds you what varietal this is. This is a beautiful expression of cool climate Syrah.”
ACME Fine Wine from St Helena-Napa, showcases emerging labels and rare finds to their expertly curated ‘Under the Radar Wine Club’.
In March 2022, ACME mused about the 2018 Villein Walker Vine Hill Syrah to their club members…
“Devotion is defined as the fact or state of being ardently dedicated and loyal. As long-time grape growers, Paul & Lynn O’Neill know the feeling of devotion all too well. Farming is not for the faint of heart, and the O’Neills are no strangers to the hard work and dedication necessary to grow excellent fruit. Their connection to the land has deepened with each harvest since planting vines in 2003. Paul and Lynn consider themselves modern-day villeins of their property named Walker Vine Hill. In medieval England, villein was a title assigned to peasant farmers tied to the land they tended for feudal lords. For the owners of Villein, the debut 2018 vintage of Syrah pays tribute to the unique terroir and micro-climate of the land to which they are so faithfully servants.
Many outstanding Russian River big hitters recognize their fervent stewardship for the Syrah vines on their land. Wineries such as Arnot Roberts, Bedrock, Pax, and Revik source grapes from Walker Vine Hill and have done so for nearly 20 years. Rolling hills dot the 10-acre property and trap the evening fog, keeping the grapes cool at night. Vines are planted on the southern facing slopes, allowing the sun to warm the clusters all day. This sweeping shift in temperature is the perfect combination for growing Syrah in California that mirrors the old-world Rhone style. In alignment with their ideals of supporting the land, The O’Neills employ sustainable farming practices with deficit irrigation (watering only during certain stages of plant growth). These growing techniques impact the style of wine and ensure healthy soil for the next generation.
While selling fruit to wineries over the years, the O’Neills met and forged a friendship with local Sonoma winemaker Cody Sapieka. Cody gained experience in wine working on the team at Joseph Swan Vineyards, his understanding and mastery of the Russian River AVA come from growing up in the region and the numerous vintages making 30 different wines with Joseph Swan. In 2018, the friendship evolved into a partnership with the establishment of Copaly Cellars, standing for COdy, PAul, and LYnn. Excess fruit from the plentiful harvest allowed the three to make the delicious Villein Syrah in your glass today.
The 2018 Villein Syrah is all about expressing terroir, and therefore, the winemaking is minimalist in style. Picked in early October of 2018, the grapes fermented with native yeast as 25% whole cluster over 21 days. In maintaining low intervention, Cody aged the wine in six French barrels (of which only one barrel was new) to impart more delicate, nuanced oak. After 18-months, the wine was bottled (unfined and unfiltered) with only 125 cases produced. The wine’s nose is full of perfectly ripe blackberries and blueberries with a hint of black pepper spice. This Syrah offers up more of those dark and blue fruits with mocha and savory notes on the palate. The tannins are softly textured, paired alongside balanced acidity that results in a rich, well-rounded finish. As tributes go, Villein’s 2018 Walker Vine Hill Syrah is flawless praise for the vineyards and land the team lovingly tends.”