Four estate vineyards, one district cabernet

Pine Ridge Vineyards helped draw the line around the Stags Leap District. The appellation was the first in America defined by the diversity of its soils. This 2023 is pure, and the fruit comes off the estate from all four of the home vineyards, 47 vine acres on the ranch.

The soils run from gravelly loam to volcanic tuff. Pickers worked at night, from October 5 through November 1, when the temperature often fell to about 50 degrees, so the fruit came in crisp.

Gravelly loam to volcanic tuff

The four estate vineyards sit on steep terraces. The soils run from gravelly loam to volcanic rhyolitic tuff, with Bale clay-loam on the hillsides, and the yields stay low. The 2023 fruit is a blend of all four sites.

Pickers worked at night, when the temperature often fell to about 50 degrees, from October 5 through November 1. The cool fruit held its acidity.

Twenty months in the cave

The must was cold soaked, then fermented in stainless steel, concrete, and oak barrels at 88 degrees. Pump-overs increased through the peak of fermentation. The wine aged in 75 percent French oak. After three months the vineyard lots were blended, then they stayed in barrel for 20 months.

This bottle is 98 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 2 percent Petite Sirah. Alcohol is 15.5 percent. The winery lists pH at 3.74 and acidity at 5.9 grams per liter. The cellar bottles unfined and unfiltered.

Graphite, black cherry, and a youthful grip

Graphite and slate open the glass, then black cherry, huckleberry, and berry compote, with fennel, vanilla bean, and cinnamon. The tannins are bold, and the finish is juicy black cherry with a youthful grip. The estate says it will cellar for 10 to 15 years.

James Suckling tasted "black and blue fruits, creme de cassis, and cocoa" in a velvety glass, then blueberry, black cherry, and blackcurrant on silky tannins. The score is 96 points. Drink it or hold it.

The Somm Journal scored the same 2023 98 points. The note calls the wine dense, dark, and powerful, with red fruit melting into a cedar chest, iron and charcuterie, and clove and potpourri on fleshy, round tannins.

A farmhouse in 1978, and a cave under the hill

The sign at the gate reads Pine Ridge Vineyards, Stags Leap District, Napa Valley. The estate was founded in a farmhouse here in 1978. The cave runs three quarters of a mile, and the winery sets a long table inside it. This 2023 was cave aged for 20 months.

Josh Widaman is the estate winemaker. The winery price is $142.

Portobello and brie, and rosemary lamb chops

The estate pours this with grilled portobello, arugula, and brie on ciabatta. Rosemary lamb chops sit with the same black cherry and the tannin.