Wines Tasted - March 12, 2010

Pine Ridge Vineyards – Cabernet Sauvignon - Rutherford – Napa Valley - 2000 – (Modern, Drink Now) – Threw minor sediment.  Clear ruby with a slightly burnished rim.  Red cherries, red currants, baked red plums, cassis, cedar shakes, blonde caramel, tea leaves and light bourbon vanilla fill the nose.  It was dry, medium bodied, with medium tannins and a chalky/loamy texture.  Baked cherry, cedar and red plum round out the palette which has medium acid and a moderate length to the finish. 

Pine Ridge Vineyards – Cabernet Sauvignon – Stags Leap District – Napa Valley - 2000 – (Modern, Drink Now) – Bright medium ruby with a pale ruby rim.  A very enticing nose of black plum, black cherry, deep cassis, cocoa, black pepper, pipe tobacco and creamy vanilla.  Upon the entry the texture was incredibly soft, but built weight through the length of the long finish.  The tannins were sweet and ripe; the mid-palette was chocolaty and rich with black fruits.

Pine Ridge Vineyards – Andrus Reserve – Napa Valley - 2000 – (Modern, Drink Now) – A medium ruby core and a pale ruby rim are the segway to a developing wine with mature aromatics of red and Bing cherry, dried red currant and dried plums over coffee grounds, turned loam and cedary notes.  A medium bodied cabernet based claret with medium length, and medium tannins. 

Pine Ridge Vineyards – Andrus Reserve – Napa Valley - 2001 – (Modern) – Medium ruby/purple core leads to a slightly pale red/ruby rim.  This vintage offers up a nose of sweet black cherry, red plums and baked red currants surrounded by cocoa, baking spice, fresh roasted coffee beans, and sweet molasses laced with vanilla.  While the tannins were fine and loamy, the acidity was medium and alcohol balanced at 14.2%, all helping to stretch the finish to medium plus in length.

Pine Ridge Vineyards – Epitome – Stags Leap District - Napa Valley - 2000 – (Modern, Ager) – This wine was unfined and unfiltered and thus threw a tremendous amount of sediment; decant prior to service.

A clear medium plus ruby/black with a ruby rim.  A nose of ripe red cherry, red plum and cassis laced heavily with mocha and sweet spruce/vanilin note.  The entry was dry but the fruits were sweet and ripe with all above fruits and non-fruits confirmed.  The tannins were medium plus and rigid, as we’d expect from such a steep Hillside site with an ideal southern exposure.  A full bodied cabernet with a long finish.  I expect this wine to continue to mature for 5-7 more years, at least.