Pride Mountain Vineyards
Premiere Napa Valley Cuvee
2008 Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley
Auction 14 | Lot No. 88
Vintage: 2008
Pride Mountain Vineyards
Premiere Napa Valley Cuvee
Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley
5 cases produced
Description
This Premiere Napa Valley Cuvee is a blend of the most expressive and concentrated wines from our property. 80% Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 337 from our Carolyn's and Rim Rock vineyard blocks provide a rich, rounded mid-palate and saturating flavors of black cherry, plum and cocoa. These blocks sit on the western ridge of our property at approximately 2000-foot elevation, where the grapes receive afternoon exposure and are frequently bathed in easterly winds. The blend is polished with 20% Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 15 from our Quartz Hill block, where sandy, poor soils push the vines to produce grapes with the intense structure characteristic of mountain-top wines, as well as blue fruit notes, including blueberry and cassis.
Aging Process
Aged in French Oak barrels, 60% new, for sixteen months. Racked five times. To be bottled in July of 2011.
Wine Facts
- pH: 3.78
- Wine is unfiltered
- Single vineyard wine
- Sustainably produced
- Wine is 100% estate grown and bottled
Tasting Chart
| bone dry |
|
very sweet |
| light body |
|
very full bodied |
| soft, gentle |
|
very crisp |
| no tannins |
|
heavy tannins |
 |
Sally Johnson
Winemaker, Pride Mountain Vineyards
I obtained a Master's Degree in winemaking at UC Davis and then began my career at St. Francis Winery in Sonoma County, where I spent eight years. I took a brief hiatus to work at St. Hallett Winery in South Australia's Barossa Valley and also produced my own brand, Lalys Cellars, for three years. In the spring of 2007, I joined the team at Pride Mountain Vineyards and am thrilled to be producing wines from our unique and phenomenal estate.
Country born: United States
Education: University of Michigan, BS in French Literature and Biology
Six months' study in Paris and Brittany, France
Two months study in Tunisia
University of California at Davis, MS in Winemaking
Society of Wine Educators Scholarship
Wine Spectator Scholarship
Internship at St Hallett Winery in Australia
Trained with winemakers Bob Foley, Tom Mackey, Stuart Blackwell and Matt Gant; vineyard consultants Paul Skinner and Zach Berkowitz
Years in the wine industry: 15-20 years
Winemaking Philosophy:
My philosophy is to let the quality and character of our estate vineyards speak for themselves. Much of the winemaking is done in the vineyard, so careful monitoring of our 85 acres of vineyards is critical, and I am passionate about micromanaging our vineyards to achieve the highest potential from each vine. I make picking decisions based solely on flavor and the grape's physiological ripeness. I employ both traditional and modern winemaking techniques to achieve the roundness and concentration that make our big mountain wines both balanced and nuanced. The final step is the blending, which has a huge impact on the final character of my wines. Each of our 42 vineyard blocks is fermented and aged separately, so that my options for blending our thirteen wines are essentially limitless.
Q&A With the Winemaker
Q: Premiere Napa Valley wines are innovative and allow each winery to showcase the region's sense of exploration in fine winemaking. What kind of exploration did your Premiere Napa Valley wine allow you to do?
A: Our property is located at the top of Spring Mountain and spans the Napa/Sonoma county line. Many of our wines are a blend of wines from both sides of the county line, but for our Premiere Napa Valley lot, we focus on selecting the very best wine from the Napa side of our property. It is a unique opportunity to really focus on the terroir and microclimate of our very best vineyard blocks.
Q: What was your inspiration for this offering?
A: This wine is a "Napa twist" on our Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, our biggest and most concentrated wine, produced from grapes grown on each side of the county line. For the Premiere Napa Valley lot, we create a uniquely expressive wine from our "Carolyn's," "Rim Rock" and "Quartz Hill" vineyard blocks on the Napa side of our property. The wine is bold and concentrated, as is our Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, but with an unctuous and opulent quality that we find to be very special.
Q: Fill in the blanks: I chose to make this wine from this particular ______________ because ______________.
A: I chose to make this wine from this particular Cabernet Sauvignon from our because "Carolyn's" and "Rim Rock" are planted to clone 337, which is a silky and opulent clone of Cabernet Sauvignon when grown on the right site. "Quartz Hill" is planted to clone 15 and has more density and structure. Together, they make a wine that is powerful and has finesse.
Q: Why should a wine lover have a bottle of this wine in their cellar?
A: For any fan of Pride Mountain Vineyards' wines, this unique blend is a rare gem, available only to the highest bidder at Premiere Napa Valley.
San Francisco 49ers / Levy
4949 Marie P. DeBartolo Way
Santa Clara CA 95054-1229
408-562-4925
Premiere Napa Valley Wine Collection
| Winery | Vintage | Variety | Appellation | Fanciful | Auction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buoncristiani Family Winery | 2008 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Napa Valley | 10th Anniversary Bottling | 27 |
| Chaix Wines | 2013 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Rutherford | 27 | |
| Turnbull Wine Cellars | 2019 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Oakville | 25 | |
| Angwin Estate Vineyards Napa Green Winery | 2018 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Howell Mountain | 24 | |
| Hesperian Wines | 2018 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Atlas Peak | Kitoko Vineyard | 24 |
| High Dive Cellars | 2017 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Howell Mountain | La Quebrada | 23 |
| Ideology Cellars | 2016 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley | Cento | 22 |
| JAX Vineyards | 2016 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Calistoga | 22 | |
| Switchback Ridge | 2016 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Calistoga | Anniversary Blend | 22 |
| Hertelendy Vineyards | 2015 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Napa Valley | 21 | |
| Leaf And Vine Napa Green Winery | 2015 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Oakville | 21 | |
| Pride Mountain Vineyards | 2015 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Napa Valley | Summit Select | 21 |
| Vineyard {511} | 2014 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Diamond Mountain District | 21 | |
| Cornerstone Cellars | 2014 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Oakville | 20 | |
| Taplin Cellars | 2014 | Cabernet Sauvignon | St. Helena | Ethel Lewelling Taplin | 20 |
| Ancien Wines | 2013 | Pinot Noir | Coombsville | Haynes Old Block | 19 |
| TEXTBOOK | 2013 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Oakville | Boulders, Barrels and Bruises | 19 |
| Mi Sueño Winery | 2012 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Napa Valley | Seleccion Herrera | 18 |
| Rocca Family Vineyards | 2012 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Yountville | Grigsby Vineyard Row 57 Old Vines | 18 |
| Croze | 2010 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Rutherford | 17 | |
| Frank Family Vineyards | 2011 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Rutherford | Winston Hill Block 5 (Heart Block) | 17 |
| Bennett Lane | 2010 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Calistoga | 16 | |
| Howell at the Moon | 2009 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Howell Mountain | Knoll Vineyard | 16 |
| Kitchak Cellars | 2010 | Merlot | Napa Valley | Silverado Bench Symphony | 16 |
| Baldacci Family Vineyards | 2009 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Stags Leap District | First Born | 15 |
| Boeschen Vineyards | 2008 | Cabernet Sauvignon | St. Helena | 15 | |
| Davies Vineyards | 2008 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Diamond Mountain District | Jack's Block, 96 Vines | 14 |
| Pride Mountain Vineyards | 2008 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Napa Valley | Premiere Napa Valley Cuvee | 14 |
| Frazier Winery | 2006 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Napa Valley | 12 | |
| Ahnfeldt Wines | 2005 | Proprietary Red Wine | Napa Valley | Quid Pro Quo | 11 |
| Reynolds Family Winery | 2005 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Stags Leap District | Proprietary Blend | 11 |
| Benessere | 2004 | Aglianico | St. Helena | 10 | |
| Bourassa Vineyards | 2004 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Napa Valley | 10 | |
| Rockledge Vineyards | 2003 | Cabernet Sauvignon | St. Helena | 9 | |
| Bennett Lane | 2003 | Cabernet Sauvignon Blend | Napa Valley | 8 | |
| Vinoce | 2003 | Merlot | Mt. Veeder | Block 6 | 8 |
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