Pine Ridge Vineyards, in the Stags Leap District, lies tucked beneath a ridge of pines, with a full view of the rugged palisades that speak to the dramatic geologic origins of our home and its world-famous Cabernet Sauvignon soils.
Download Winter 2020
It seems especially appropriate that the wines in your shipment this month feature some of the best releases of the 2017 vintage. You may recall that 2017 was the year of the Northern California wildfires, which swept through parts of Napa and Sonoma Counties in October. It was a devastating experience for many people, with a loss of life and property that cannot be minimized. At Pine Ridge, some of us were personally affected. Despite the difficulties that we were faced with, we found a silver lining in the quality of our 2017 vintage. Our yields were lower but as the 2017 FORTIS Cabernet Sauvignon, 2017 Merlot and 2017 Charmstone demonstrate, the vintage produced some very fine wines.
Although it’s early to predict, we expect 2020 to be of the same quality. The wildfires came earlier in the season and we are fortunate that our team finished our harvest several days before the Glass Fire began. Gustavo and his team did an incredible job sorting the fruit in the vineyard, and we tested every single lot for smoke. We experimented with techniques learned in 2017, including rinsing grape clusters prior to pressing. While we aren’t certain what vintage 2020 will look like when all is said and done, I remain optimistic and can pledge that we will only release wines that meet our highest, most exacting quality standards.
As we reflect on the challenges we have endured in 2020, we are reminded to be thankful for our health, our community, and for those close to us. I want to recognize and thank our vineyard, winemaking and cellar teams for all they did this year and during harvest to bring the vintage in. In many ways it was a heroic effort, and we are grateful for their dedication, hard work and professionalism. We feel immense gratitude towards our members as well and thank each of you for your continued support.
Michael Beaulac
Winemaker & General Manager
Like all of us, 2020 is not a year we here at Pine Ridge will soon forget. In the vineyard it began as a drought year, something we’re pretty used to in California and Napa Valley and can work around with some planning and care. As the growing season progressed, we were very pleased with the crop’s development, and at veraison in the beginning of August, it looked like it was going to be another fine Napa Valley vintage.
In farming, as in many other facets of life, Mother Nature had her own plans. Lightning in late August – a rare occurrence here – sparked numerous wildfires, and a heat spell accelerated the ripening process and brought on an early harvest. At one point I had a memory notification pop up on Facebook; it was from 2011 and reminded me that on September 22 of that year we harvested Cabernet from Block 7 on the Pine Ridge Estate. In 2020 we harvested that block on August 25, nearly a month earlier!
In addition to an early start, harvest was extremely compressed as my team and I worked night after night to bring all of our estate fruit into the winery. On many nights they’d start picking at ten pm and finish up at six, seven or even eight am. And they did this for five to six weeks straight. Needless to say we had strict protocols in place with regard to COVID-19. Normally we would have the crew hand off their picking bins in a kind of “bucket brigade” to save time, but this year everyone ferried their own bin to the receiving truck (tractors) at the end or between the rows to avoid personal contact. We had just one person driving a forklift instead of trading off that job. We staggered breaks and meals to avoid large group gatherings. And of course masks were mandatory at all times. When the fires began, surgical masks were exchanged for N95 masks, and I’m thankful to the, Napa Agricultural Commissioner, Napa Farm Worker Foundation, and other organizations for quickly providing us with more than enough masks throughout harvest.
All this is to say that despite the challenges, my vineyard crew rose to the occasion. As always and perhaps even more than usual, they picked and sorted our grapes with meticulous care, so that only the most pristine fruit made it to the winery. This meant a significant reduction in yields, but we will never sacrifice quality for quantity. I am so proud of my team: they are talented experts at their profession, and 2020 proves that once again.
Gustavo Aviña
Viticulture Director
Explore our Stags Leap District estate vineyard in this private experience for up to six guests. Your wine educator will lead you on a walk through the vineyard and discuss our winemaking philosophy. Afterward, continue to enjoy the views with a seated tasting in our picturesque demonstration vineyard.
Bring the Pine Ridge Vineyards experience home with a virtual tasting. Select your package and date and our hospitality team will virtually join you and guide you through your experience. Looking to set up a tasting for a large group or for team building? Contact our concierge for tasting selections, customized experience recommendations, or to answer any questions.
