Pine Ridge Stags Leap Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
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This exquisitely refined bottling of our Stags Leap District Cabernet wouldmake an excellent accompaniment to robust meal, such as a roasted rack of NewZealand lamb or grilled hanger steak with mushroom risotto. Additionally, it would pairbeautifully with Zamorano, an aged sheep's milk cheese from Spain.
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Wine Enthusiast
From a steep, densely planted estate vineyard, this is a lilting regional example of well-integrated oak in support of black raspberry, licorice and chalky clove. Silky tannins mark it most, providing a balance to the fruit and a pronounced, entirely delectable bite of black pepper on the finish.
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Wine Spectator
Delivers a rich and massive, yet elegant, core of extracted dark berry, mocha, loamy earth, black licorice and dried herb. Impressively elegant, with diverse and developing flavors. Drink now through 2028.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Stag’s Leap District is not surprisingly the most Chateau Margaux-ish wine of the group of Pine Ridge Cabernets, with streamlined, restrained fruit flavors, but ripe with mulberry, black cherry and blackcurrant. It’s elegant, yet substantial, in a medium-bodied, pretty style of wine. Drink over the next 10-12 years.
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Founded in 1978, Pine Ridge Vineyards sits in the heart of the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley, tucked beneath of ridge of pines that speak to the dramatic geologic origins of our home and unique soils. For over 40 years the winery has become a pioneer farming and vinifying Bordeaux grapes with a focus on Cabernet Sauvignon. Today, Pine Ridge Vineyards farms a collection of 160 acres of Napa Green sustainably certified estate vineyards across Oakville, Rutherford, Howell Mountain and Carneros, including 47 acres in the Stags Leap District.
The winery’s Chenin Blanc + Viognier bottling started out as an experimental blend over twenty-five years ago and is now one of the most beloved and highly acclaimed white wines available. Original and unique, this fresh white wine blend is crafted to be fresh, fruity and easy to pair and enjoy. The wine has also inspired a Pine Ridge Sparkling wine also made with Chenin Blanc and a splash of Viognier.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Legend has it that quick and nimble stags would escape the indigenous hunters of southern Napa Valley through the landmark palisades that sit just northeast of the current city of Napa. As a result, the area was given the name, Stags Leap. While its grape-growing history dates back to the mid-1800s, winemaking didn’t really take off until the mid-1970s after a small but pivotal blind tasting called the Judgement of Paris.
When a 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon won first place against its high-profile Bordeaux contenders, like Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Chateau Haut-Brion, international attention to the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley escalated rapidly.
The vineyards in this one-of-a-kind wine growing region receive hot afternoon air reflecting off of its eastern palisade formation. In combination with the cool evening breezes from the San Pablo Bay just south, this becomes an optimal environment for grape growing. While many varieties could thrive here, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot dominate with virtually no others, save for a spot or two of Syrah.
Stags Leap soils—eroded volcanic and old river sediments—encourage well established root systems and result in complex, terroir-driven wines. Stags Leap District reds have a distinct sour cherry and black berry character with baking spice and dried earth aromas, and supple tannins.