For more than five years, Jason bugged Jack Oliver before he finally relented and sold us some of his fruit. It was a duck-hunting trip with friends that did it. The members of the group take turns dressing and cooking the ducks, then throwing a feast. After one of these trips—and a particularly good culinary performance on Jason’s part—Jack gave in.
Star is in a legendary Rutherford location, and Jack really took a chance on us. It’s honestly the first and maybe the only vineyard a micro-producer like Hibou could get into around here, where big, fancy wineries buy up most of this highly pedigreed fruit.
We’ve got two precious blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon planted in loam soil; one is Martha’s Vineyard clone, the other Clone 7. Jason takes our kids with him when he visits Star. It’s a no-nonsense working farm just a five-minute drive from home, just off Rutherford Road behind Rutherford Grill, far enough off Highway 29 that it feels like an escape.
Jack is a constant, guiding presence in the vineyard, and we love being able to swing by often to see both him and our vines. We’ve become good friends, which makes us feel even more connected to the vineyard, the wine that much more meaningful.
Appellation
Rutherford
Varieties
Cabernet Sauvignon
Clones
Martha’s Vineyard, Clone 7
Soil Type
Loam