96 points, James Suckling
Robb Report: The 7 Best Napa Valley Red Wines for Your Holiday Party
The enticing aromas of our 2018 Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon reveal red cherry, berry and plum highlighted with notes of licorice, cola, mocha and freshly-cut rose. The plush flavors, echoing the aromas, are enveloped in a round mouthfeel and framed by silky tannins. Beautifully balanced acidity gives the wine vibrancy on the palate and carries the flavors through a bright finish that invites you back for another sip.
The 2018 growing season started with significantly higher than average frost hours (a measurement of hours below 36 F), which led to a late bud break. The growing season also stood out in terms of GDD (growing degree days), with 14% fewer on average than 2017. The mild conditions and lack of extreme heat spikes combined to create a high quality fruit year.
Our steep, densely planted Stags Leap District estate has been the heart of the winery since Pine Ridge Vineyards was founded here in a farmhouse in 1978. This wine is a pure and exquisite expression of the world-famous Stags Leap District AVA.
The grapes were hand-harvested at night—when temperatures often dip to 50˚F—to capture vibrant acidity and fruit expression in the wine. We first cold-soaked the must (crushed grapes) for gentle extraction and then fermented the must in both stainless steel and Italian-made concrete fermenters at 92˚F. Rigorous pump-overs, increasing during the peak of the fermentation, developed deep color, rich varietal character and fine tannins in the wine. To achieve a fresh style with lighter, supple tannins, our cellar team pressed this wine slightly earlier than for our other Cabernet Sauvignons. The wine was aged in new French oak barrels to meld the bright fruit expression with oak spice nuances. After three months of aging, we blended the vineyard components then allow them to marry during the remainder of the 26 months of barrel-aging. To retain the wine’s full flavor complexity, the wine was bottled without fining or filtration.
97 points, Tasting Panel
92 points, Wine Advocate
Providing a great point-counterpoint entry, the wine exhibits notes of Hershey’s milk chocolate and blue-raspberry. On the palate, Bing cherry juice and raspberry jam light up the senses, followed by fresh thyme and vanilla cream. Going from this juicy entry to the lush palate, a slight minerality is noticed on the back end. This is all well supported by the sweet, concentrated tannin for which the Stags Leap District is world renowned. This is followed by an essence of birch beer that is lightly woven together with uber-fine-grained tannin on the finish. This wine should age well for another 15 years and would be a great accompaniment to a bed of risotto generously covered in Parmigiano Reggiano shavings.
The 2022 growing season in Napa Valley saw record-breaking weather events, with 80% of the total rainfall arriving before the new year. This filled vineyard ponds for the first time in two years but was followed by the driest three months on record, leading to an early bud break. Despite the dry spell, healthier canopies resulted from earlier rains. The summer was generally average but slightly warmer than 2021. Harvest started 5 to 7 days earlier than the previous year and was 15% lighter but of exceptional quality. A Labor Day heat wave accelerated harvest, later cooled by a late September rain event. Overall, the 2022 harvest was the most condensed in recent memory.
The 2022 vintage was harvested from September 9th to October 28th. The grapes were hand-harvested at night when temperatures often dip to 50°F to capture vibrant acidity and fruit expression in the wine.
We first cold-soaked the must (crushed grapes) for gentle extraction and then fermented in stainless steel, concrete and oak barrel fermenters at 88°F. Rigorous pump-overs, increasing during the peak of the fermentation, developed deep color, rich varietal character, and fine tannins in the wine. The wine was aged in 60% new French oak barrels to meld the bright fruit expression with oak spice nuances. After three months of aging, we blended the vineyard components allowing them to marry for a total of 20 months of barrel élevage. This wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered to present the attributes of the vineyard in the purest form possible, from the dirt to the glass!
95 points, Wine Enthusiast
94 points, James Suckling
Admiring this wine’s deep purple hue in the glass reminds us why it has become such a mainstay in our portfolio. Redolent with blue and black fruits, this rendition’s aromatics are metered by notes of cinnamon, white pepper and cola. With a bright vibrancy, juicy notes of chocolate-covered blueberry meld with Earl Grey tea and bay leaf on the palate. The velvety smoothness of the tannin structure brings a refined element to the wine’s finish and makes it irresistible now. However, it will benefit from extended aging and should show nicely through 2039.
The 2019 growing season began with a wet, cool spring, and summer was relatively uneventful, with no heat spikes. As a result, veraison did not end until early August in some areas of the valley. Autumn brought hot days and cool nights, which helped the grapes achieve full ripeness while preserving their acidity, and produced full and robust wines with deep color.
Our estate vineyards were harvested on multiple dates between September 24th and October 2nd to maximize the specific ripeness attributes we were aiming for at each site.
Grapes were hand-harvested at night, when temperatures often dip to 50˚F, to capture vibrant acidity and fruit expression. After a gentle cold soak, the grapes fermented in stainless steel, concrete, and oak barrel fermenters at 92˚F. Rigorous pump-overs, increasing during peak fermentation, developed deep color, rich varietal character, and fine tannins. 100% new French oak barrel aging melded the bright fruit with oak spice nuances. After three months of aging, we blended the vineyard components then allow them to marry during the remainder of the 26 months of barrel-aging. This wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered to present the attributes of the vineyard in the purest form possible, from the dirt to the glass.
