Holly's Hill Vineyards

Holly's Hill Vineyards began with a bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape that Tom and Holly Cooper shared on their honeymoon, an experience that sparked a lasting devotion to the Rhône Valley and its varieties. Years later, Holly decided she wanted to live on a hill and convinced Tom to move to his family's cattle ranch in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Holly got her hill, and Tom fulfilled a longstanding dream of planting a vineyard on the family land. The Coopers planted their first 15 acres of Syrah in 1998 and harvested the first crop in October 2000; a second vineyard followed in 2000 on the adjacent hill, expanding the planting to include Counoise, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Roussanne, and Viognier. The estate is sited in the Pleasant Valley region of El Dorado County, south of Placerville, and the property's elevation, decomposed-granite soils, and warm-day, cool-night climate suited the Rhône-variety focus the family had chosen from the outset. As the vineyards were being planted, the Coopers' daughter Carrie was drawn to the work and began learning the craft at a neighboring El Dorado winery.

• Tom and Holly Cooper's Rhône passion began with a Châteauneuf-du-Pape shared on their honeymoon
• Holly wanted to live on a hill; Tom moved the family to his family's cattle ranch in the Sierra Nevada foothills
• First vineyard of 15 acres of Syrah planted in 1998; first crop harvested October 2000
• Second vineyard planted in 2000 on the adjacent hill with Counoise, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Roussanne, and Viognier
• Daughter Carrie began learning winemaking at a neighboring El Dorado winery as the family vineyards were being planted

Holly's Hill is composed of two contiguous vineyard sections separated by a county road. The original ranch property accounts for 15 acres, wrapping around a hill that gives 360-degree exposure, while the tasting-room side adds 10 acres on the adjacent hill, bringing the total planted acreage to 25. The estate sits at 2,700 feet in the Pleasant Valley region of El Dorado County, south of Placerville, on decomposed-granite soils characteristic of the western Sierra Foothills. The Rhône-variety focus is exclusive: Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Counoise dominate the red plantings, while Viognier and Roussanne lead the whites. The elevation provides cool-night conditions that preserve acidity through warm summer growing days, and the granite soils contribute the mineral character of high-elevation Sierra Foothills viticulture. This combination of altitude, granite, and exclusively Rhône varieties was the Coopers' deliberate choice from the start, distinguishing Holly's Hill from the more variety-broad Sierra Foothills tradition.

• 25 planted acres across two adjacent vineyard sections separated by a county road
• Original ranch property: 15 acres wrapping around a hill with 360-degree exposure
• Tasting-room side: 10 acres on the adjacent hill
• Elevation 2,700 feet in Pleasant Valley, south of Placerville, on decomposed-granite soils
• Plantings exclusive to Rhône varieties: Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Counoise on the red side; Viognier and Roussanne on the white side

Carrie Bendick (née Cooper) and her husband Josh Bendick serve as co-winemakers at Holly's Hill; Carrie's path included a BA in Romance Linguistics from the University of Washington and then a return to wine through hands-on work at a neighboring El Dorado winery while her parents were planting the estate vineyards. The portfolio is built around varietal-designate Rhône bottlings (Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Viognier, Roussanne) and Rhône-style blends, with Patriarche serving as the flagship red blend; Patriarche is the first wine assembled each year and draws on the best lots of estate Mourvèdre, Syrah, Grenache, and Counoise. The cellar approach favors traditional winemaking with minimal manipulation of the grapes, consistent with Carrie's appreciation for the long Rhône tradition. The estate also produces a dry rosé and additional reds and whites that explore the same varietal palette, including blends modeled on southern Rhône appellations such as Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas.

• Carrie Bendick (née Cooper) and Josh Bendick are co-winemakers; Carrie learned the craft at a neighboring El Dorado winery, where she met Josh
• Traditional, minimal-manipulation cellar approach grounded in respect for Rhône tradition
• Varietal-designate bottlings of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Viognier, and Roussanne
• Patriarche is the flagship blend of Mourvèdre, Syrah, Grenache, and Counoise drawn from the best estate lots each year
• Dry rosé and additional Rhône-style red and white blends complete the portfolio

Holly's Hill operates a tasting room at the Pleasant Valley estate that serves as one of the recognized destinations on the El Dorado County wine route. The property has expanded over time to include a brewery alongside the winery, broadening the visitor offering for the Cooper family's hospitality program. The estate continues to operate as a multigenerational family venture; Carrie and the next generation of the Cooper family have taken on growing roles, and the family identity is woven into the way the wines are made and the property is presented. The exclusive Rhône-variety focus, the family story rooted in the Coopers' honeymoon Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and Carrie's traditional cellar approach combine to give Holly's Hill an identity that is closely tied to the southern Rhône inspiration that started the venture and distinct from the broader Sierra Foothills tradition of variety-diverse plantings.

• Tasting room at the Pleasant Valley estate is a destination on the El Dorado County wine route
• Property has expanded to include a brewery alongside the winery
• Multigenerational family operation with the next generation of Coopers in growing roles
• Family identity tied to the founders' Châteauneuf-du-Pape honeymoon inspiration
• Estate identity distinct from variety-diverse Sierra Foothills tradition through exclusive Rhône focus

Holly's Hill is anchored in the Pleasant Valley region of El Dorado County, part of the El Dorado AVA in the Sierra Foothills. Pleasant Valley sits at high elevation on decomposed-granite soils that suit the Rhône varieties the Coopers chose, and the estate is part of a broader community of El Dorado producers (Boeger, Skinner, and others) who have developed the modern profile of the AVA. Within that community Holly's Hill is recognized for its exclusive Rhône focus and for modeling its wines on the southern Rhône appellations of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas as well as Northern Rhône Côte-Rôtie traditions. The 2,700-foot elevation, the 25 planted acres across the two contiguous vineyard sections, and the Cooper family's continuing presence at the estate define a producer whose identity has been consistent since the first Syrah vines went into the ground in 1998.

• Sited in the Pleasant Valley region of the El Dorado AVA in the Sierra Foothills
• Part of the modern El Dorado producer community alongside Boeger, Skinner, and others
• Identity grounded in exclusive Rhône focus modeled on Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, and Côte-Rôtie
• 25 planted acres at 2,700 feet on decomposed-granite soils
• Consistent estate identity since first Syrah plantings in 1998