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What We Say 2005 Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon
Operative’s Choice:
Top Cabernet Sauvignon
QPR ALERT:
At its recession busting price, today’s exceptional wine represents an incredible value
SUPERIOR WINE ALERT:
Today’s Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon is an exceptional wine with exceptional character. If you are a fan of classic Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, then this wine belongs in your collection.
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Mission Codename: Riding the Ridge
Operative: Agent Red
Objective: Secure an exceptional Oakville Cab for our operatives
Mission Status: Accomplished!
Current Winery: Pine Ridge Winery
Wine Subject: 2005 Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon – Napa Valley
Winemaker:
Backgrounder: Napa Valley is revered worldwide as the ultimate area in which to produce Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2005 vintage, in particular, has produced the best examples on record. Today we send Agent Red to investigate reports of an amazing ‘05 Cab from Pine Ridge Winery’s Oakville vineyards. Read his tasting notes and mission report below.
Wine Spies Tasting Profile:
Look – Deep and dark purple, and almost black with a dark dark inky core and ruby hued edges. When swirled, this wine appears soft and bouncy. When it settles, it leaves slow fat legs that actually show hints of this wine’s deep color
Smell – A bold (but not overpowering) rush of Bing cherry, freshest mixed berries, and soft spice sit beautifully atop an underlayer of bakers chocolate, vanilla, soft oak, cigar box and a hint of fresh mint
Feel – Smooth and round on the attack, this wine becomes more full-bodied as it winds its way across your palate. Supply yet mouth-coating tannins and a soft minerality give the wine solid backbone
Taste -Ripe, delicious, rich and concentrated dark fruit lead off with cherry, black currant, baking spices, subtle butterscotch, toasty vanilla (oak), flinty minerals and a hint of pipe tobacco
Finish – Long and lush with lingering fruit supported by great structure that encourages sip after sip – leading you through long-lingering dark fruit and spice flavors that eventually does tail off, leaving you with a sweet minerality
Conclusion – The first time we tasted this wine, at the winery’s tasting room, we are overcome by its deliciousness. Now that we’ve had a few days to spend with the wine, we are blessed with a deeper appreciation of the wine. The Oakville AVA is a special place for Cabernet Sauvignon and, under the care of Pine Ridge’s winemaker, today’s wine becomes something greater than the sum of its fruit and winemaking. It is something very special. Decant for best results, and be rewarded with a wine that softens beautifully, to reveal more dramatic richness of aroma and flavor. Enjoy now, or cellar a few for the next couple of years for an even finer drinking experience.
Mission Report:
We tried to secure an interview with Pine Ridge Vineyards’ winemaker, Michael Beaulac, but he proved too elusive. In lieu of an interview, we decided to test out our new artificial intelligence system. We asked it to procure reviews from around the Interwebs, cull them together, and present them as a single review. Apparently the system still needs some work:
There once was a place called Pine Ridge
For whose wine I would leap from a bridge
with a bungee of course
Screaming loud ‘til I’m hoarse
Cuz their wine one could never abridge
A Limerick?! Then:
Oakville Cabernet
Lush and full and deeply yum
A wine to imbibe
Haiku, eh? And then this long one:
I Am
I am PRV Oakville Cabernet
I wonder what you think of me
I hear wind through the vineyards
I see sunlight in each grape
I want rain
I am gorgeous and ripe
I pretend nothing
I feel everything
I touch your senses
I worry that I will run out
I cry to you to drink me
I am Pine Ridge Vineyards Oakville Cabernet
I understand your desire to drink me
I say enjoy
I dream of sunny days
I try to leap into your glass
I hope we’ll meet again
I am PRV Oakville Cabernet
Obviously, something went very wrong with the programming! I pulled the plug as sheet after sheet of this wacky ‘wine poetry’ continued to spill out from the printer. Back to the drawing board…
Wine Spies Vineyard Check:
The location of the beautiful Pine Ridge Vineyards winery, in the Stag’s Leap District in the Napa Valley can be seen in this satellite photo.
What the Winery Says
Pine Ridge
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Pine Ridge Winery, Member, Napa Valley Vintners
Awards & Accolades:
Robert Parker – The Wine Advocate (December, 2008) – 90 points – …the deep ruby / purple-tinged wine reveals more crème de cassis, licorice, and cedar notes…it is a seriously endowed, well-made Cabernet Sauvignon to enjoy over the next 15+ years… Kudos to Pine Ridge … !
California Grapevine (September, 2008) – 89 points – Medium-dark ruby; attractive, rich, herbal, tarrish, cedary, black cherry fruit aroma with note of green olive; full body; rich, textured, cedary, blackberry fruit flavors with firm acidity; full tannin; lingering aftertaste. Highly recommended.
The Wine News (September, 2008) – 88 points – Black-garnet hue. Slow-opening bouquet of mild chocolate, evergreen and charred oak. Red fruit flavors with crisp acids, new oak and a slight chalkiness. Dry, compact, tannic finish needs to soften.
About This Wine:
The 2005 Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon – a recent recipient of 90 points from Robert Parker – is incredibly aromatic, with layers of red cherry, fresh and baked berries, dark chocolate and spice accented by hints of minerality, vanilla, toffee, wintergreen mint, and tobacco. Firm and silky upon entry, the palate is equally intense, with rich, round flavors of sweet cherry, currant, tobacco, and baking spices. Supple, chewy tannins support a long, persistent finish. This wine can be enjoyed now or cellared for 10 years or more.
TASTING NOTES: The 2005 Oakville Cabernet is incredibly aromatic, with layers of red cherry, fresh and baked berries, dark chocolate and spice accented by hints of minerality, vanilla, toffee, wintergreen mint and tobacco. Firm and silky upon entry, the palate is equally intense, with rich, round flavors of sweet cherry, currant, tobacco and baking spices. Supple, chewy tannins support a long, persistent finish with dark berries, minerality, toasty oak, and toffee notes. This wine may be enjoyed now or cellared for 10 years or more.
ORIGIN: Home to some of Napa Valley’s premier vineyards, the Oakville appellation is best known for its world-famous Cabernet Sauvignon. Balance, good fruit integration and flavors of bright cherry and red berry fruit are hallmarks of wines produced in this appellation. The estate-grown Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon is carefully blended in the Bordeaux style with 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 6% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot.
VINEYARD: The Oakville AVA spans the eastern Vaca Range to the Mayacamas Mountains to the west. Grapes grown in the warmer and mid-valley temperatures of this appellation, with its gravelly soils combined with clay (the result of old Napa River fans), yield wines of great balance and structure. Our estate vineyard here is planted with clones 7, 8, and 337, on 3 × 12 and 6 × 12-foot spacings. Clone 7 was originally planted in 1988. Select areas of the vineyard are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, and Petit Verdot.
WINEMAKING: The grapes were harvested throughout the month of October, 2005. The juice was pumped over traditionally and macerated on the skins for up to 31 days before being pressed to barrel for malolactic fermentation. The wine was aged in French oak barrels for 16 months before bottling in April, 2007.
About The Winery:
What does it take to make a world-class wine? Before setting out to make one of our own, we asked ourselves this fundamental question. Looking to the most esteemed winegrowing districts of France for our answer, we found that the greatest of the great embrace three principles: pride of ownership, profound stewardship of the land, and a relentless dedication to quality. These values were already reflected in our vineyard management and our winemaking-in our dense plantings, meticulous pruning, and hand harvesting; in our artistic blending and careful selection of coopers—but our goal was to surpass our best.
Building on the groundwork laid by the founders, we set out with ardor and high aims for our vineyards, our winery, and our wines. We would care for every vine as if it were our only vine and design a grape reception and sorting process second to none. Within a year of starting, we rebalanced the vines and completely revamped our grape-handling procedures. Every vintage since has been testament to the success of our viticultural and enological pursuits.
About The Winemaker:
I look forward to working with the seasoned team here to continue to produce classically proportioned wines that are the hallmark of Pine Ridge. – Michael Beaulac, winemaker
After a long and thorough search to find the successor to a winemaking history dating back to 1978 when the winery was founded, Michael Beaulac has been appointed Winemaker and General Manager at Pine Ridge Vineyards. Inheriting the role shaped by Stacy Clark for over 25 years, brings his expertise in winemaking with an emphasis on Bordeaux varietals from his eight years as winemaker at St. Supery Vineyards and Markham Vineyards prior to that.
“Pine Ridge has a tremendous portfolio of outstanding wines that capture the essence of our exceptional estate vineyards.” says President and CEO of the Crimson Wine Group, Erle Martin. “Stacy was instrumental in bringing the winery to where it is today, and we are excited to now have Michael on board to build off of our legacy and usher Pine Ridge into a new and exciting era. “
In his new role, Michael will oversee all grape growing and winemaking operations as well as facilities management at our winery. “With the winery’s exceptional reputation and collection of estate vineyards, this position is a winemaker’s dream. I look forward to working with the seasoned team here to continue to produce classically proportioned wines that are the hallmark of Pine Ridge,” says Michael.
