Wine Family Captures Their Forested Vineyard Experience through a Label Makeover
Placerville, Calif,- It has never been more important to celebrate the beauty of El Dorado wine region, located in the rugged, pine-and-oak-studded Sierra Foothills of California, according Carrie and Josh Bendick, winemakers at Holly’s Hill Vineyards. To honor the unmatched scenery that surrounds the winery, Holly’s Hill has unveiled new label art manifesting both the rustic beauty of the region and its vineyard land.
The first grapes were planted at Holly’s Hill in 1998 by Rhone devotees and Carrie’s parents, Tom and Holly Cooper. Holly’s Hill, situated in the Pleasant Valley region of the El Dorado AVA, is now well respected for its Rhone-focused vineyards, and wines made by the husband-and-wife team of Carrie and Josh.
Label Art
The label art is taken from a linocut image by artist Katherine Case of Reno, Nevada, who has long captured forested lands in her work. Made with linoleum, linocuts are similar to woodcuts, but since linoleum lacks a grain, linocuts can yield a greater variety of effects. The resulting Holly’s Hill label looks like a hand-hewn carving. Reminiscent of period national park postcards and tourist brochures, the new label depicts the winery’s view of pine-tree-bordered grapevines and the backdrop of the Cosumnes River valley. Important to the Coopers and Bendicks, the image acknowledges the family’s three generations of hikers, fishermen, campers, and skiers who revere the region’s mountains. “This project was so personal to us, so the final art had to communicate the earthiness of our home, our family, and the way in which we approach our vineyards and winemaking – with old world and wildland sensibilities,” says Carrie Bendick.
In overseeing the label makeover, the Bendick’s took months assessing what they stand for and how their wines and the winery visitor experience are perceived. Carrie adds, “While watching our guests in the tasting room, we realized they handle labels as much as they look at them. The texture, cut, and richness of the colors had to matter.” The ridges, or cuts in the final art, provide the tactile piece of the label, conveying the dynamism of the El Dorado wine region.
Tasting Room
Holly’s Hill fans can see the new label now on the winery’s 2020 vintage red Rhone wines at the tasting room located at 3680 Leisure Lane, Placerville, CA. Those wines are the 2020 vintage of Grenache Noir, Carignane, Mourvèdre Classique and Counoise – all priced under $30.
Holly’s Hill wines are available through the tasting room and the winery club as well as online at hollyshill.com.
