Spotlight

Pride Mountain Vineyards Tasting

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9th
5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
at our store on Grove Ave.
Here are wines we’ll be tasting:
2007 Pride Mountain Vineyards Viognier Sonoma, North Coast, California
With beguiling aromas of ripe nectarine, lychee, lemon curd and narcissus, our straw-colored 2007 Viognier is a playful and enticing beauty. Cane pruned vines line our rocky Mountain Top and Lower Mountain Top vineyard blocks, creating an environment of dappled sun exposure for their grapes as they develop their exquisite perfume. To maintain the purity of fruit, one-third of the cuvée is chilled and fermented in stainless steel, while two-thirds is fermented in neutral eight to ten year old barrels and aged sur-lies to build weight on the palate without adding any oak impact. Bright acidity unifies the components into a wine with layers of fresh fruit, a soft and generous mouth, and texture without tediousness. As its beauty lies in its exotic aromatics, this is a wine that is best drunk young, preferably on a lazy summer afternoon.
Review from The Wine Advocate - “The outstanding 2007 Viognier is aged in neutral wood (two-thirds) and stainless steel (one-third), and is not put through malolactic, thus preserving its crisp acids. Aromas and flavors of honeysuckle, apricot liqueur, and a cocktail of assorted floral notes are found in this medium-bodied, refreshing Viognier. Enjoy it over the next 2-3 years.” (WA # 180)
2007 Pride Mountain Vineyards Chardonnay Napa Valley
Our Napa Valley Chardonnay, the only Pride wine produced from non-estate grapes, is sourced from two excellent vineyards in Napa Valley’s Carneros appellation.  Cooling morning fog, temperate days and brisk winds from the San Pablo Bay create the perfect environment to fully ripen Chardonnay grapes while maintaining a crisp acidity.  This year’s offering expresses melon, green apple, star fruit and hazelnut aromas balanced with just a hint of crème fraiche produced by a 30% malolactic fermentation.  Fermenting in 30% new French oak and aging sur lies for nine months adds a roundness and depth to the palate, providing the weight to balance its bright acidity.  With its elegant flavors and refreshing finish, this wine is a perfect accompaniment to rich, savory dishes such as grilled halibut, mushroom risotto or an after dinner cheese course.
Review from International Wine Celler - ‘Bright medium yellow. Aromatic nose combines lemon drop, nectarine, honey and flowers. Dense, juicy and quite dry, with a slight hard edge to the stone fruit flavors. Not a particularly fleshy or sweet style; in fact this is a bit austere today. Just 30% of this wine went through malolactic fermentation. Winemaker Sally Johnson vinified with Burgundy yeasts in 2007, which she says “brought out the estery aromas.” (IWC May/June ’09)
2007 Pride Mountain Vineyards Merlot Spring Mountain District, Napa, North Coast, California
Our 2007 Merlot is a multi-layered, expressive wine. The base blend is composed of wines from 11 distinctive vineyard blocks across our mountaintop estate. Texture has been polished by blending with 6% Cabernet Sauvignon from our intensely structured Rock Arch vineyard block. The wine opens with a big, perfumey nose featuring red raspberry, plum preserves, black and maraschino cherries and brown sugar. The palate is soft, luscious and silky, with intense flavors that coat the mouth. With sustained presence, fruit and spice flavors are revealed in bursts and waves. The structure is typical of our mountaintop Merlot – tannins are firm, but have been ripened to the point of being round rather than aggressive, a wine that leaves the taste buds longing for a second sip.
Review from the Wine Advocate -  “The 2007 Merlot, which comes from both Napa and Sonoma fruit (the Pride Mountain vineyards are split by the county line), exhibits a dense purple color as well as abundant chocolate and berry fruit notes, medium to full body, and great freshness, length, and depth. It is a heady, succulent style of Merlot to drink over the next 7-10 years.” (WA # 186)
2006 Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa, North Coast, California
The 2006 vintage produced some of the most expressive, unctuous wines ever from our Spring Mountain estate, and the Cabernet Sauvignon is no exception.  Grapes from individual vineyard blocks ranging from 0.25 to three acres in size were meticulously hand picked, and were then fermented in stainless steel vats and aged separately for 18 months in French oak.  The final blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot conveys delectable flavors of cassis, dark cherry, coffee and black tea layered upon a textural palate.  After a barrage of up-front fruit, the inky liquid lolls on the mid-palate before finally exploding into a hefty, minutes-long finish.  Pushing the limits of concentration as far as possible without sacrificing balance, this is the pure expression of mountain fruit – a wine that needs no justification.
Review from The Wine Advocate - “The deep ruby/purple-hued 2006 exhibits notes of cassis, tar, crushed rocks, chocolate, and berry fruit in a full-bodied, fleshy format. It should drink nicely for a decade. “ (WA 186)

February 03, 2010 6:12