Pine Ridge Vineyards
2008 "Onyx" Napa Valley Red Wine
Red Blend
California: Napa Valley
Mission Briefing
Mineralogy
Oh, happy day! Today we are thrilled to welcome Pine Ridge Vineyards back - with one of their most intriguing and exciting wines. Pine Ridge’s 2008 “Onyx” Napa Valley Red Wine is a wonderful red blend that truly blew us away.
Pine Ridge wines are always impressive, but today’s blend of 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Malbec, 22% Tannat, 12% Cabernet Franc, 10% Petit Verdot and 1% Merlot is something very special. This unique red blend is rich, lush and elegant on the palate and aromatic on the nose.
If you love Pine Ridge wines - or amazing red blends - please consider this fantastic wine.
Drink now through 2018.
Tasting Profile
| Look: | Deep, dark, vivid plum, with near perfect diffusion from heart to edge. |
|---|---|
| Smell: | Subtle and reserved upon initial pour, this wine blossoms after opening to reveal robust aromas of grilled plum, blueberry compote, sea salt caramel, imperial balsamic vinegar, cedar wood shavings, sweet tobacco and subtle lavender. |
| Taste: | Just as complex, lush, and rich on the palate as on the nose, this wine leads with a mixed dark fruit compote of plum, blackberry, and boysenberry. Elegantly playing off these fruity notes are flavors of aged leather, subtle tobacco leaf, sweet spice, and dark chocolate-covered espresso bean. |
| Finish: | With the classic intensity of a bold Bordeaux blend, the dark fruit transitions into a long-drying and well structured finish. |
| Pairing: | We would recommend that this bold, daring red wine be paired with something equally as robust, such as a classic French Pot-au-Feu of beef tri tip, golden potatoes, root vegetables, and finely chopped fresh tarragon to pull it all together. |
What the Winery Says
The nearly opaque, dark garnet color of this wine, as well as its name, hints at the depth and intensity in the glass. To the nose, this wine offers waves of dark stewed black plum, boysenberry and pomegranate fruits mingled with black licorice spice, milk chocolate and subtle cedar. Equally concentrated is the palate, which rushes with cooked raspberry, fresh blackberry and red plum preserves among hints of white pepper and dark cocoa. The persistent finish is supported by firm tannins and a velvety touch of briar spice.
- Winemaker
- Michael Beaulac
- Appellation
- Napa Valley, California
- Cooperage
- 18 months in 50% French oak barrels
- Varietal Blend
- 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Malbec, 22% Tannat, 12% Cabernet Franc, 10% Petit Verdot, 1% Merlot
- ABV
- 14.1%
About the Winery
Established in 1978, Pine Ridge Vineyards produces classically proportioned, expressive wines that embody their history and distinct place of origin. Poised, balanced and classically proportioned, the expressive wines born from our estate vineyards across the Napa Valley reflect a distinctive Old World approach to winemaking coupled with a commitment to future sustainability and innovation.
Careful and continuous attention to detail and quality is paramount in our vineyards. In tending the vineyards, harvesting the fruit and crafting the wine, no effort is too great, and no detail is unimportant. The desire to uncover and showcase the exceptional qualities of the diverse estate vineyards that span 200-acres across five appellations is the core of the Pine Ridge winemaking philosophy.
Winemaker Michael Beaulac
Michael Beaulac joined the Pine Ridge Vineyards team as General Manager and Winemaker in 2009. He has worked with some of the most highly regarded wineries in both Sonoma and Napa Valley, including St. Supery, Markham Vineyards and Murphy Goode.
Michael started out as a wine buyer for a Portland, Maine jazz supper club. During a sales visit to the club, Michael met Tim Murphy, co-founder of Murphy-Goode Winery. Impressed by Michael’s palate, Murphy jokingly offered him a job. The following year, Michael took him up on his unintended job offer and began an eight-year career at Murphy-Goode Winery, working his way up from cellar rat to assistant winemaker. He then met Merry Edwards and went to work with her producing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay at Laurier.
In 1997, Michael joined Markham Vineyards. There, he began work with Bordeaux varietals. Four years later, he became Vice President and Winemaker of St. Supéry Vineyards and Winery, working with consultant Michel Rolland.
In 2009, Michael joined Pine Ridge Vineyards as Winemaker and General Manager. He still subscribes to Moueix’s philosophy of wine growing, and brings this commitment to managing the winemaking and bottling of over 200 acres of estate fruit from premium vineyard sites in Napa Valley.