Pride Mountain Vineyards has remarkable views, great wines
and an outstanding educational tour/tasting program. It is winery that you
really must visit!
They provide a tour with barrel tastings that is not to be missed, thanks to Jason who is a certified sommelier and really knows a lot about wines. Jason was very friendly, down to earth and helpful and is the ultimate in "wine educators." We learned more about wine visiting Pride than we have visiting dozens of other wineries.
Our tasting began with the Pride Mountain 2010 Viognier ($42). This had a wonderful aroma, with lush fruit and perfect balance. It's a soft, fruity white wine that everybody should like and would be perfect for summer sipping. After this, we were given a tour with some Cab barrel tastings and taught about the importance of clones and wine blending. One thing that really impressed us was the huge difference between two different cab clones grown in the same area. In this instance, Jason had chosen two that perfectly complimented each other. Both were quite lacking by themselves, the first being angulated with good fruit but nothing else. The other lacked ripe fruit but had good acid and tannin. Combining the two made a far superior Cab. I've experienced and read about how this is done with Cabs, blending in Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Cab Franc. And most of us know about blending cabs from different AVAs to complement each other. But this was the first time I experienced (by tasting) the importance of using different clones of the same varietal in blending.
We returned to the tasting room and had a very nice Pride Mountain 2009 Syrah ($60). This has 1% Viognier added. The aroma seemed more plum like with some of the usually Syrah spiciness, but if you expect an Australian type fruit bomb Syrah, you will be pleasantly surprised not to find that here. Sure it had great fruit but it was not excessive or unbalanced. For me this was exactly how a really good Syrah should taste. The Pride Mountain 2008 Merlot at $58 is very nice. In addition to the Merlot, it has 10% Cab and 9% Syrah. The aroma is to die for, with its full ripe cherry. With balanced acids and tannins, sumptuous fruit, layers of interesting flavors and sub flavors and a good finish, this is a Merlot to love and a "must buy" even if you don't make it to the winery. It is one of the best Merlots I've ever tasted and it is so well balanced and integrated that it should appeal even to people who usually prefer white wines and tend to shy away from really big red wines. This delightful Merlot was followed by the Pride Mountain 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon ($68) which is a blend ofNapa Sonoma
We really liked all the wines we tasted but especially the Merlot and Cab. BTW if they offer you some Pride Mountain Mistelle de Viogner at the end, take them up on it even if you don't usually like sweet dessert wines. I believe this is made from Viogner and brandy. It is not at all cloyingly sweet but refreshing instead. Even if you are unable to visit this winery, try to locate a bottle of their Merlot!
If you are a wine drinker who is serious about learning, Pride
Mountain Napa Valley AVA in Napa
Valley Napa Sonoma Valleys
They provide a tour with barrel tastings that is not to be missed, thanks to Jason who is a certified sommelier and really knows a lot about wines. Jason was very friendly, down to earth and helpful and is the ultimate in "wine educators." We learned more about wine visiting Pride than we have visiting dozens of other wineries.
Our tasting began with the Pride Mountain 2010 Viognier ($42). This had a wonderful aroma, with lush fruit and perfect balance. It's a soft, fruity white wine that everybody should like and would be perfect for summer sipping. After this, we were given a tour with some Cab barrel tastings and taught about the importance of clones and wine blending. One thing that really impressed us was the huge difference between two different cab clones grown in the same area. In this instance, Jason had chosen two that perfectly complimented each other. Both were quite lacking by themselves, the first being angulated with good fruit but nothing else. The other lacked ripe fruit but had good acid and tannin. Combining the two made a far superior Cab. I've experienced and read about how this is done with Cabs, blending in Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Cab Franc. And most of us know about blending cabs from different AVAs to complement each other. But this was the first time I experienced (by tasting) the importance of using different clones of the same varietal in blending.
We returned to the tasting room and had a very nice Pride Mountain 2009 Syrah ($60). This has 1% Viognier added. The aroma seemed more plum like with some of the usually Syrah spiciness, but if you expect an Australian type fruit bomb Syrah, you will be pleasantly surprised not to find that here. Sure it had great fruit but it was not excessive or unbalanced. For me this was exactly how a really good Syrah should taste. The Pride Mountain 2008 Merlot at $58 is very nice. In addition to the Merlot, it has 10% Cab and 9% Syrah. The aroma is to die for, with its full ripe cherry. With balanced acids and tannins, sumptuous fruit, layers of interesting flavors and sub flavors and a good finish, this is a Merlot to love and a "must buy" even if you don't make it to the winery. It is one of the best Merlots I've ever tasted and it is so well balanced and integrated that it should appeal even to people who usually prefer white wines and tend to shy away from really big red wines. This delightful Merlot was followed by the Pride Mountain 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon ($68) which is a blend of
We really liked all the wines we tasted but especially the Merlot and Cab. BTW if they offer you some Pride Mountain Mistelle de Viogner at the end, take them up on it even if you don't usually like sweet dessert wines. I believe this is made from Viogner and brandy. It is not at all cloyingly sweet but refreshing instead. Even if you are unable to visit this winery, try to locate a bottle of their Merlot!
Date of visit: December 24, 2011
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.