2019 Pine Ridge Vineyards Epitome Cabernet Sauvignon
Epitome is the pinnacle of our winemaking at Pine Ridge Vineyards, a rich, voluptuous Cabernet Sauvignon that represents the best that the Napa Valley can produce. Aging 100 percent in the finest French oak barrels, 90% of them being new, enhances the complex dark fruit character of this apex blend of the vintage. This is an impeccably structured wine, framed by plush tannins that promise to age beautifully over the next decade. By carefully constructing a tête de cuvée from those vineyard blocks that emerge as standouts in a given vintage, regardless of appellation, we’ve created a reserve Cabernet, dictated only by the philosophy of “simply the best.”
The intoxicating aromatics of the wine are jam packed with hints of raspberry, Santa Rosa plum, nutmeg and red currants. This leads to a mouth-wateringly juicy acidity on the mid-palate that is overflowing with flavors of dark chocolate covered cherry, hand pulled espresso and grilled rosemary. Bright and vibrant upon entry, the wine transitions to a graphite finish that oscillates from notes of tobacco and vanilla to those of violets and cola, all the while being subtly supported by a foundation of fine grain tannin.
Pine Ridge Vineyards was founded in 1978 by Gary Andrus, and sits in the heart of the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley, famous for Cabernet Sauvignon wines of distinctive power and elegance. A veteran winemaker with a résumé full of award-winning Napa Valley wines, Andrus then ventured to Oregon and launched Archery Summit in 1993, infatuated by Pinot Noir and the capacity the Willamette Valley seemed to have for it.