Hyde de VillaineCalifornia
Wine Region
Napa Valley, California
Vineyard
63 hectares
Hyde de Villaine sees two distinguished families collaborate and represents the meeting of Napa Valley and Burgundy's finest traditions.
The 7.7ha vineyard plots selected from the original Hyde estate are all tended to and harvested by the Hyde pickers in Carneros before the small team at Hyde de Villaine of Guillaume Boudet (Winemaker), James Eyer (General Manager), an intern and Nate Olver (Tasting & Sales – previously Cellar Hand) take over reception and winemaking. With the winery and cellars set on the banks of the Napa River just outside the main town of the valley, every decision made by Guillaume is with quality in mind and the precision of the vintages in this release shows the trend towards wines of mineral intensity and elegance, the Burgundian influence shining through.
Aubert de Villaine is still very much dedicated to the Napa Valley project that started over twenty years ago bringing together the Hyde and de Villaine families. A delay in the 2023 harvest in California even allowed Aubert to be in situ for the arrival of the vintage and to advise the team at the winery, maintaining the precise attention to detail to be expected after overseeing many Côte-d'Or harvests.
This release covers the white wines of 2021 and 2022 alongside the reds of 2020 and 2021. The effect of little rainfall throughout growing seasons from 2018 through to 2021 has resulted in lower yields but the estate is more than happy with the quality of the vintages. There is as ever a range of cuvées showing the breadth of Napa with Belle Cousine (a Bordeaux blend), Californio Syrah, Ygnacia Pinot Noir and two Chardonnays (the more senior of which is the old vine, Old Wente clone ‘Comandante’) all produced.
AARAN ECCLES
FINE WINE TEAM
OCTOBER 2024
CARNEROS & HYDE VINEYARDS
Red Wines
HdV “YGNACIA” 2021
The result of a selection of the best Pinot Noir clones from the Hyde vineyards planted in 2010. The 2021 is fully destemmed and has fresh cranberry and blood orange on the nose with fine chocolate aromas. Juicy and sweetly fruited, with chalky tannins, refreshed by lifted, lively acidity. Elegant with violet and rose aromatics rounding out the finish nicely.
Corney & Barrow Score 17.5-18
Recommended drinking from 2024-2032
£1,345 / case of 12 bottles, in bond UK
HdV "CALIFORNIO" SYRAH 2020
This is always a joy to taste and the 2020 is no different. Blackberry compote fruit with dark cherry and a smoky note. The palate revels in dark, spicy fruit, with fabulous purity and flavours of crushed black pepper and cedar finishing with Kalamata olive notes. Firm tannins provide a well-judged supporting structure. A shortened élevage in oak has seen the fruit purity shine here.
Corney & Barrow Score 17.5
Recommended drinking from 2025-2033
£890 / case of 12 bottles, in bond UK
HdV BELLE COUSINE 2020
Produced since the very first vintage in 2000, a homage to Pamela Fairbanks de Villaine for her part in uniting the Hyde and de Villaine families. The 2020 sees 65% Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend lending plenty of cassis and eucalyptus before 35% Merlot adds velvety fruit coated tannins. The palate is sweet and luscious on the attack with dark berries and mineral blueberry, balanced with bright acidity to give a lifted, elegant finish.
Corney & Barrow Score 18
Recommended drinking from 2025–2034
£995 / CASE OF 12 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
White Wines
HdV CHARDONNAY 2021
HdV’s flagship wine, from two selections of mature Hyde Chardonnay vines. Pure white peach and wet-stone mineral aromas, with creamy weight. The medium-full-bodied palate is juicy and rather delectable, with a crunch to the pear and peach fruit. The finish is saline, with focussed fresh acids. Fermented and aged in foudres, concrete eggs and 15% new oak for 18 months.
Corney & Barrow Score 17.5+
Recommended drinking from 2025-2032
£890 / case of 12 bottles, in bond UK
HdV COMMANDANTE CHARDONNAY 2022
From Wente clones planted in 1979, just 0.3 hectares! Hay and white peach fruit aromas, with hints of honeysuckle and apricot and a note of lime rind too. There is power with plump stone-fruit building before zippy acidity and citrus zest cleanse. The resulting grapefruit and waxiness on the finish is a joy of fabulous purity.
Corney & Barrow Score 18
Recommended drinking from 2025-2033
£915 / case of 6 bottles, in bond UK
Introduction
Hyde de Villaine sees two distinguished families collaborate and represents the meeting of Napa Valley and Burgundy's finest traditions.
The 7.7ha vineyard plots selected from the original Hyde estate are all tended to and harvested by the Hyde pickers in Carneros before the small team at Hyde de Villaine of Guillaume Boudet (Winemaker), James Eyer (General Manager), an intern and Nate Olver (Tasting & Sales – previously Cellar Hand) take over reception and winemaking. With the winery and cellars set on the banks of the Napa River just outside the main town of the valley, every decision made by Guillaume is with quality in mind and the precision of the vintages in this release shows the trend towards wines of mineral intensity and elegance, the Burgundian influence shining through!
Aubert de Villaine is still very much dedicated to the Napa Valley project that started over twenty years ago bringing together the Hyde and de Villaine families. A delay in the 2023 harvest in California even allowed Aubert to be in situ for the arrival of the vintage and to advise the team at the winery, maintaining the precise attention to detail to be expected after overseeing many Côte-d'Or harvests.
This release covers the white wines of 2021 and 2022 alongside the reds of 2020 and 2021. The effect of little rainfall throughout growing seasons from 2018 through to 2021 has resulted in lower yields but the estate is more than happy with the quality of the vintages. There is as ever a range of cuvées showing the breadth of Napa with Belle Cousine (a Bordeaux blend), Californio Syrah, Ygnacia Pinot Noir and two Chardonnays (the more senior of which is the old vine, Old Wente clone ‘Comandante’) all produced.
AARAN ECCLES
FINE WINE TEAM
OCTOBER 2024
VINTAGE NOTES
2020 vintage
The 2020 growing season was defined by extreme drought conditions and intense heat, creating challenges for even growth and ripening. Yields were 30% below the 10-year average, but the resulting wines are of precision and concentration, accompanied by brighter natural acids and pronounced minerality. The estate had harvested before the worst of the fires broke out towards the end of September avoiding any smoke taint in the grapes. A challenging season indeed marking the 20th vintage of Hyde de Villaine but the resulting wines do not bear any marks of the season.
2021 vintage
Despite the drought conditions that dictated the growing season, 2021 remained a very calm vintage with no heat spikes or natural disasters in the lead up to harvest. The mild weather, along with lower yields, elevated the concentration as well as imparting great freshness in the grapes. The resulting wines, have precision and focus. A great year for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir producing age-worthy wines, along the lines of 2015 or 2017 which proved to be some of the best ever produced.
2022 vintage
The drought conditions of the previous years were alleviated by significant rainfall at the end of 2021 which replenished water reserves and continued into March 2022 creating a rapid budburst and avoiding the worst of frosts that hit areas of Carneros. Spring and summer were mild with occasional spikes of heat before the ‘heat dome’ heatwave of September. This saw earlier picking dates to retain fresh acidities with one of the quickest harvests on record with red varieties brought in swiftly after the Chardonnays.
CARNEROS & HYDE VINEYARDS
Carneros spans the southern end of both Napa and Sonoma counties, benefitting from warmth from the north and the cooling influences of the misty San Pablo Bay.
Phylloxera decimated the vineyards of Carneros in the late 1900s and Prohibition slowed the recovery. By the 1970s, there was growing recognition of a typicity of style and in the 1980s, planting accelerated.
Carneros nestles in the low hills of the Macayamas mountains. Although the majority is in Sonoma, the wines may be labelled as Sonoma or Napa AVA (American Viticultural Area).
Proximity to San Pablo Bay is key, the fogs and coastal breezes, channelled through the Petaluma Gap, providing a cooling influence and allowing for a prolonged growing season. Carneros won AVA status in its own right in 1983.
HDV’s wines are from a near-contiguous series of plots within Hyde Vineyards, on gently rolling hills, facing southeast.
The Chardonnay and Syrah are planted on shallow, loamy soils over ancient alluvial terraces and hard clay. The Merlot and Cabernet are clustered at the northern end of the vineyard, further from the cooling fog of the bay, the better to ripen. The soils are deeper here too and the south-east slopes are steeper.
The temperate Carneros climate prolongs the growing season, allowing the vines to steadily build intensity and complexity whilst retaining acidity. Drainage is helped by ancient creek beds which lie between the topsoil and the clay pan. Enough moisture is generally retained to make irrigation unnecessary.
THE WINES
HDV BELLE COUSINE 2020
Produced since the very first vintage in 2000, a homage to Pamela Fairbanks de Villaine for her part in uniting the Hyde and de Villaine families. The 2020 sees 65% Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend lending plenty of cassis and eucalyptus before 35% Merlot adds velvety fruit coated tannins. The palate is sweet and luscious on the attack with dark berries and mineral blueberry, balanced with bright acidity to give a lifted, elegant finish.
Corney & Barrow Score 18
Recommended drinking from 2025–2034
HDV 'CALIFORNIO' SYRAH 2020
This is always a joy to taste and the 2020 is no different. Blackberry compote fruit with dark cherry and a smoky note. The palate revels in dark, spicy fruit, with fabulous purity and flavours of crushed black pepper and cedar finishing with Kalamata olive notes. Firm tannins provide a well-judged supporting structure. A shortened élevage in oak has seen the fruit purity shine here.
Corney & Barrow Score 17.5
Recommended drinking from 2025–2033
HDV ‘YGNACIA’ PINOT NOIR 2021
The result of a selection of the best Pinot Noir clones from the Hyde vineyards planted in 2010. The 2021 is fully destemmed and has fresh cranberry and blood orange on the nose with fine chocolate aromas. Juicy and sweetly fruited, with chalky tannins, refreshed by lifted, lively acidity. Elegant with violet and rose aromatics rounding out the finish nicely.
Corney & Barrow Score 17.5-18
Recommended drinking from 2024–2032
HDV CHARDONNAY 2021
HDV’s flagship white, from two selections of mature Hyde Chardonnay vines. Pure white peach and wet-stone mineral aromas, with creamy weight. The medium-full-bodied palate is juicy and rather delectable, with a crunch to the pear and peach fruit. The finish is saline, with focussed fresh acids. Fermented and aged in foudres, concrete eggs and 15% new oak for 18 months.
Corney & Barrow Score 17.5+
Recommended drinking from 2025–2032
HDV 'COMANDANTE' CHARDONNAY 2022
From Wente clones planted in 1979, just 0.3 hectares! Hay and white peach fruit aromas, with hints of honeysuckle and apricot and a note of lime rind too. There is power with plump stone-fruit building before zippy acidity and citrus zest cleanse. The resulting grapefruit and waxiness on the finish is a joy of fabulous purity.
Corney & Barrow Score 18
Recommended drinking from 2025–2033