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| Tasting bar |
It has been many years, probably about fifteen, since I last visited Pine Ridge winery. In recent years I've been hearing good things
about the winery and decided to visit again. Their new winemaker, Michael Beaulac, began
in 2009 and I suspect the recent positive reports are related to his
presence. Pine Ridge has an educational
demonstration vineyard with a weather station and different wine varietals plus ample parking and two large outdoor patio areas. It is open to the public
without a reservation but tours do require advance notice. Much thanks to John for hosting us.
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| Tasting room building |
Our tasting began with a little gem of a white wine,
something that will appeal to almost everybody, especially on a hot summer
day. This is the Pine Ridge 2012 Chenin Blanc + Viognier blend at only $14. Very pale yellow in color it has a pronounced
floral nose. On the palate it is soft
and easy to drink but with decent acid and lovely floral notes. I got fresh, juicy fruit, mostly white peach,
with some honeysuckle. It has a little sweetness but is very well balanced with
decent acid and not at all what you would expect from a Chenin Blanc
blend. Many wineries produce a white
wine intended to have widespread appeal.
Usually they are overly sweet and completely uninteresting. This one is actually quite nice and is the
perfect white wine to sip on the patio or next to the pool. Although it is mostly Chenin Blanc, I got
more Viognier on the palate. John
informed us that the Viognier was picked when very ripe but the Chenin Blanc
was harvested when at lower sugar levels.
This is a very unusual blend, but a winning combination. At this price it is quite a bargain and is a best seller at the winery.
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| Patio |
Next up was the Pine
Ridge 2011 Dijon Clones Chardonnay at $34.
This comes from one of their Carneros vineyards. After a fairly good nose, I got apple, pear
and peach with lemon blossoms and toast. 40% of it
spent six months in new French oak and this is evident in the aroma and
palate. It saw no malolatic conversion
but is still pleasantly smooth and refined with balanced but crisp acids. Very nice and one of the better Napa Valley Chardonnays.
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| Wine cave |
The Pine Ridge 2009
Carneros Merlot at $45 followed.
This is 93% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Sauvignon. It had 17 months in French oak, with 40%
being new oak. Lovely deep ruby/purple
in color, it had a light nose followed by intense cherry on the palate, with
well integrated tannins.
Pleasantly fruit forward, it also had nicely balanced acid that provides some crispness. Finish was medium length. Although quite enjoyable
on its own, this Merlot should pair nicely with chicken or turkey.
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| Demonstration Vineyard |
Fourth in line was the Pine
Ridge 2009 Cave 7 Cabernet Sauvignon at $65. It is 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 1%
Cabernet Franc and 1% Merlot. 30% of it
saw new French oak. It is very appealing
to the eye with its deep, dark red with shades of purple. After a light nose, I got red cherry, plum,
baking spices and well integrated tannins followed by a medium length cherry
finish. Quite decent.
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| Garden |
This was followed by the Pine Ridge 2009 Tessitura at $60.
Tessitura means texture in Italian.
It is 56% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Petit Verdot. 40% saw
new French oak. A dark ruby and purple in color it had a very good nose of
toast and cherry. I got red cherry,
raspberry and some cranberry with spices on the palate and a long finish. It is drinkable now, especially when paired
with steak or other food, but should improve over the next few years.
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| Vineyard |
The Pine Ridge 2009
Onyx at $60 followed. This is a very
unusual blend of 42% Merlot, 30% Tannat, 21% Malbec, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and
2% Cabernet Franc. Dark purple/black in
color it had a moderate nose of raspberry, cherry, vanilla and spices. On the palate it was cherry, raspberry and
toast with nicely integrated tannins. It
had a long chewy finish of cherry and black currants. This was a very unique and interesting wine
and prompted me to read more about the varietal Tannat.
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| Additional patio |
Our final tasting was not on the regular tasting menu, but
I'm certainly glad we were offered some. This was the Pine Ridge 2009 Stags Leap Cabernet Sauvignon which sells
for $85. It is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
and 65% of it spent 18 months on new French oak. It is a very lovely deep ruby/purple in
color with a great nose. Be sure to hold
this one up to the light and over something white to appreciate its
presentation and spend time swirling and appreciating the aroma. There is a lot going on before the first
taste. On the palate I got black cherry,
blackberry, some cedar with great, silky tannins and beautiful balance. The finish was medium long and smooth. This is an excellent Cabernet, complex and
interesting, and our favorite of the tasting.
Robert Parker gave it 94 points and deservedly so. (I am amazed that Steve Heimoff was less than
enthralled with this wine, but perhaps it had not developed enough yet when he
tasted it.) I'll add this one to our all
time list of favorite Napa Valley
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| Vineyard |
A visit to Pine Ridge is well worth your time. It was not one of my favorite wineries in the
past but has improved a great deal, possibly due to Michael Beaulac, their new
winemaker. Check them out. And do not miss their 2009 Stags Leap Cab.
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| Entry sign |
5901 Silverado Trail
Napa , CA 94558
(707) 253-7500
Date of visit: May 1, 2013
Date of visit: May 1, 2013
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