Pine Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2016 (750ml)

 

Rated 91 Points by Jeb Dunnuck

 

The only 2016 presented, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley spent 16-18 months in American oak and reveals a saturated purple color as well as a ripe, sexy style in its blackberry, plums, vanilla bean, and spice-laced aromas and flavors.  Loaded with fruit, it still stays balanced and pure, with silky tannins and a great finish.  I don't think it's going to make old bones, but it's a beautiful, pleasure-bent beauty.

 

Rated 91 Points by Decanter

 

Ripe, rich, velvety and supple with succulent cassis and blackberry aromas.  Great concentration of cedar, smoke and vanilla with overall wonderful complexity and structure.

 

Pine Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2016

 

Vintage:  2016

 

Varietal:  Cabernet Sauvignon

 

Region:  Napa Valley

 

Alcohol:  14.8%

 

Tasting Notes

 

Deep ruby in color, this wine boasts aromas of raspberry and blueberry perfumed with floral notes and touches of cinnamon and nutmeg.  On the palate, cherry and raspberry fruit comes forward with layers of cassis, blueberry, vanilla cream, spice, and a sweet note.  The texture is smooth and silky with well-integrated tannins and good acidic weight.  The wine finishes long and polished.

 

Pairings

 

Expressive and elegant, this exceptionally food-friendly wine will pair delightfully with a variety of dishes, from grilled T-bone steaks with chimichurri sauce, to miso-marinated sea bass or grilled salmon.  For a perfect cheese pairing, Fiscalini Bandage Wrapped Cheddar, patterned after traditional English Cheddar, has the fullness, complexity, and ambition to match this wine.

 

Winemaking

 

Fermentation and barrel aging in ideal conditions produced a deep ruby wine with inviting aromas of red and black ripe fruit, chocolate nib, vanilla, and cedar.  The big, round entry expands to a mouth-filling plushness showing flavors of bright cherry and layers of texture.  Tannins are seamless, well integrated, and more structured than drying.  The natural sweetness of the fruit balances the bright acidity and follows through to the lingering blackberry and caramel-laced finish.

 

Winemaker Notes

 

The 2016 harvest marks the fifth great vintage in a row.  Although it was another drought year and yields tended to be a bit lower, the quality was very high.  The year started out hot, then became cold, then turned hot again, and October began one of the heaviest rain seasons this region has seen in many years.  The grapes were hand harvested at night, carefully sorted in the vineyard, then brought to the cellar and destemmed.  Following a cold soak, fermentation occurred at a high temperature to ensure maximum extraction was achieved.  The wine was racked to 35 percent new American oak barrels, where it was aged for 18 months prior to bottling.

 

Vintage Notes

 

The fruit for this vintage was chosen from our premier vineyard sites throughout the Napa Valley, mainly the Rutherford and Oakville appellations.  The bright, ripe fruit and substantial mouthfeel that characterize this complex bottling are a direct result of the meticulous care and attention to detail paid by our vineyard workers to the vines.

 

 

Pine Ridge Winery & Vineyards

 

History

 

Continuity and Place
 

Established in 1978, Pine Ridge Vineyards produces classically proportioned, expressive wines that embody their history and distinct place of origin.

 

Pine Ridge founder Gary Andrus, inspired by the illustrious wines of Bordeaux, believed in the Napa Valley’s potential to produce wines of comparable stature.  He planted the property’s original namesake vineyard on a steeply terraced hillside flanked by a dramatic ridgeline of pine trees in the Stags Leap District.  Gary’s pioneering efforts with this first vineyard were met with tremendous success as the Bordeaux varietals he planted – Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot – thrived and produced wines of great distinction.  In the following years, Pine Ridge continued to acquire exceptional vineyard sites across the region.  Today, the Estate’s 200 acres span over five renowned Napa Valley appellations – Stags Leap District, Rutherford, Oakville, Carneros and Howell Mountain.

 

Philosophy

 

Estate Vineyard Distinction
 

Poised, balanced and classically proportioned, the expressive wines born from our estate vineyards spanning the Napa Valley reflect a distinctive Old World approach to winemaking coupled with a commitment to future sustainability and innovation.

 

The desire to uncover and showcase the exceptional qualities of the diverse estate vineyards that span 200 acres across five appellations is the core of the Pine Ridge winemaking philosophy.  A thirty-year relationship with the land brings a deeply layered knowledge of the specific climates, soils and vines of each vineyard.  Over the years, a deep knowledge and savoir-faire has developed as to which rootstocks do best in each respective vineyard, specific block requirements to produce the most optimal fruit and what each vineyard contributes to the flavor profile of the wines.  Every season brings new knowledge and understanding to apply and allow us to continuously fine tune the entire growing and production process in order to encourage the fruit – and the wines – a purity of flavor distinct to their site.