Pine Ridge Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
£69.95 per bottle
ABV 13.5%
The 80-hectare Pine Ridge estate was founded in 1978 when Gary Andrus planted the property’s original vineyard in Stags Leap, Napa Valley, on a terraced hillside flanked by a ridge of pine trees. They now have vineyards across five sub-zones in Napa: four in the Stags Leap District; three in Rutherford; three in Carneros and one each in Howell Mountain and Oakville. This diversity gives winemaker Josh Widaman many different blending options for Pine Ridge’s stunning Napa Cabernet. The vineyards are sustainably managed in order to squeeze as much character and sense of place out of the grapes as possible.
The Chenin Blanc/Viognier is made from fruit grown in Clarksburg in the Sacramento River Delta. The climate here is warm, but there is an almost constant breeze, which helps to retain freshness and acidity in the grapes. This freshness comes through on the nose, which offers citrus fruit and white tea aromas coupled with flavours of lychee and honeydew melon on the palate.
Grapes for the Napa Valley Cabernet, which includes a small proportion of Petit Verdot, Tannat, Merlot and Cabernet Franc in the blend, are sourced from several premier sites throughout the Napa Valley. The closely spaced vines and attentive farming of the vineyard blocks contribute to the bright, complex layers of flavour that characterise this wine. Winemaker Josh Widaman, who joined Pine Ridge in 2020, has introduced a few changes to the cellar including the oak ageing of the Napa Cabernet.
From the 2021 vintage Josh has increased the proportion of French oak used in the aging process. The Cabernet Sauvignon is now aged for 18 months, prior to bottling, in 50% neutral French oak, 35% new French oak and now only 15% new American oak. The wine boasts a myriad of flavours from red and black berry fruit, cinnamon and sweet spice to hints of espresso coffee and leather on the finish.
Grapes for the Stags Leap District Cabernet are sourced from four estate vineyards, Stag’s Crown, Circle Hill, Andrus Estate and Locked Horns vineyards in this renowned sub-zone. Each vineyard is planted with different Cabernet clones, lies on diverse volcanic soils and bring their individual character to the blend. Although the climate is moderated by the morning fog which rolls routinely in from the San Pablo Bay, the midday heat is retained in the bowl-like shape of this sub-zone. As a result, the Stag’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon displays ripe tannins and a velvety texture but with significant depth and structure. Fermented in concrete and aged for 26 months in new French oak, it is a well-structured, complex and layered wine that will continue to age gracefully for many years to come.
