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Fortis

As our flagship wine, Fortis Cabernet Sauvignon represents the finest blocks of our estate vineyards.

This wine is a culmination of forty years of discovery. It’s knowing each vineyard site so closely that we know which blocks will have the potential to create exceptional wine, the greatest expression, from that piece of land.”

Fortis is the pinnacle of our winemaking at Pine Ridge Vineyards, an intense, ultra-reserve Cabernet Sauvignon that represents the finest blocks from our four Stags Leap District estate vineyard. Aging 100 percent in the finest new French oak barrels, Seguin Moreau’s Icône, enhances the complex dark fruit character of this powerful tête de cuvée. This is an impeccably structured wine, framed by plush tannins that promise to age beautifully over the next decade.

For Fortis it’s about a richness and intensity of flavors, black cherry, ripe plum, clove white pepper, espresso, cappuccino. You can pick it out from our other wines by its density of color and the more nuanced aromas.”

In 2003, this commitment inspired a new vision to produce a wine that would embody the absolute best our estate vineyards have to offer. 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 an ultra-reserve Cabernet, dictated only by the philosophy of “simply the best.”

Harvest and Winemaking

The fruit for this wine was harvested at an optimal level of ripeness in mid-October. The berries were hand harvested at night and carefully sorted and destemmed to tank, where fermentation took place.

Tasting Notes

This stunning, deep ruby wine presents a harmonious bouquet that overflows with sweet plum, blueberry jam, and dark black cherry, intertwined with touches of mocha, allspice, sweet vanilla, and sandalwood. The palate is exquisitely plush, filling the mouth with flavors of ripe raspberry, blackberry pie, and juicy plum, supported by a framework of smooth tannins and touches of toasted oak, dark baking cocoa, and spun caramel that remain through the long, elegant finish.

Pairing

With its captivating complexity and stellar balance, this Cabernet is the star of any meal it accompanies. A substantial yet simple dish such as a dry-aged New York strip steak with Parmesan potato gratin and sautéed long beans would pair fabulously with this wine. For a memorable cheese course, try it with extra-aged Beemster, a nutty cow’s-milk cheese from Holland.