Hill Family Wines Team with Poseidon for a Good Vibe Night

Tom Ranglas of Poseidon and Ryan Hill of Hill Family Wine (Foto by Frank)

by Frank Mangio
When he finished his presentation at a recent wine dinner at the Poseidon Restaurant on the beach in Del Mar, Ryan Hill of Hill Family Estate in the Napa Valley, leaned over to me and expressed his pleasure at the “very strong vibes” in the room. “I wish more wine dinners could be this exciting” he remarked.

Ryan is the youngest of the Hill Family, a fast-rising wine making family out of Yountville, off Highway 29, in the middle of the Napa wine empire. His father Doug had vast vineyard management experience before starting his own winery.
Their tasting room is in the heart of the Yountville village’s restaurant row, in Antique Row. Hill is currently releasing eight wines, with grapes coming from some 14 vineyards.

Poseidon Restaurant is new at wine and dine events in the San Diego area, but it gets high marks for the “vibe,” the menu and its selection of wines to spotlight. Tom Ranglas runs the Poseidon (shown on the left in the accompanying photo with Ryan Hill of the winery) and under his watchful eye has produced a newly upgraded restaurant with an indoor-outdoor mood, capturing the essence of the pacific panorama that greets diners. The Hill wines that evening ranged from the ’06 Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, to the rich, lavish ’05 Syrah and the excellence of an ’04 Merlot, my favorite of the evening.

Executive chef Timothy Gutmann started with Monkfish Medallions and capped the menu with House Smoked Pork Tenderloin.

The next Poseidon wine event will be Wednesday April 2 and will feature Sonoma based Saxon Brown. The wine maker will be there to personally present his wines, along with a handpicked menu. Price is $65. per person. Call 858-755-9345 for RSVP.

Information on the Hill Family’s wines are at www.hillfamilyestate.com.