2013 Pine Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District Napa Valley 750 ml

A Stags Leap AVA Standard-Bearer

There are just a handful of producers whose Cabernets truly embody the suppleness and silkiness that makes Napa’s Stags Leap AVA famous. Pine Ridge is one of them, among the region’s earliest pioneers, founded in 1978 before the appellation even existed. Along with Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and Clos Du Val, Pine Ridge is a standard-bearer for the district’s rich, classically proportioned Cabernets that collectors and critics adore. 2013 was no exception, with Robert Parker reviewing this release on three occasions, each time with increasing enthusiasm. “This is remarkably elegant but offers up terrific purity and personality,” wrote Parker, naming it “right up there with the best Pine Ridge has produced.” $140 on release. A savings of 28% at Wine Access makes this an unbeatable $100 textbook Stags Leap Cabernet. 25 cases up for grabs. Shipping included on all orders.

Pine Ridge is named quite literally for a bank of pine trees that sit along the steep, rocky ridgeline of above the winery, which faces the Stags Leap Palisades—the spot where founder Gary Andrus and his wife planted their first estate vineyard. Convinced that the terroir could produce wines of comparable power and elegance to the great reds of Bordeaux, he planted Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and other varieties just off the Silverado Trail in Napa. A former Olympic skier, Andrus had an eye for terrain. The sun warms the steep, rugged terraces by day, furnishing grapes with superb black fruit concentration. Winds off the San Pablo Bay cool the grapes by night, a diurnal variation that helps this wine achieve its harmonious balance.

The Stags Leap AVA was founded in 1989 with the support of Andrus, who emphasized the importance of California appellations. The name had already entered the wine world’s lexicon in 1976, when a Cabernet Sauvignon from Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars took first place at the infamous Judgement of Paris, beating out France’s aristocratic First Growths. As Cabernet collectors will tell you, what really makes Stags Leap AVA wines unique is their silkiness on the palate, maintaining richness but supported by a classically proportioned structure, all the elements intermeshing seamlessly. “Classic Stags Leap elegance” is a phrase that came up a few times around our tasting table while sampling this wine.

By now, it stands to reason, you have heard about Napa’s tremendous 2013 vintage. Robert Parker reserved some of his highest praise for the growing season, writing: “2013 may turn out to be the finest vintage I have experienced in tasting North Coast varietals over the last 37 years. It's a game-changer in terms of the consistency of quality, the depth of quality, and the across-the-board excellence for so many wines.” At Pine Ridge, tiny berries showing exquisite ripeness were hand-harvested by night, destemmed and fermented in tanks, before aging in 100 percent new French oak barrels. For lovers of age-worthy, site-specific Napa Cabernet, this hits the bullseye.