1996 Pine Ridge Epitome

Pine Ridge Vineyards was founded in 1978 by Gary Andrus. It is located on the Silverado Trail, in Napa Valley, with vineyards throughout the area. Pine Ridge now owns a total of 310 acres of vineyards in Stags Leap, Rutherford, Oakville, Carneros and Howell Mountain. It is owned by Leucadia National, a conglomerate with many industrial interests. Today the winemaker and general manager is Michael Beaulac. Pine Ridge makes Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux-style Cab blends, and Chardonnay.

Stags Leap District AVA in southern Napa Valley has a storied history. It is home to Stag’s Leap Cellars, whose 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon won the famous Judgment of Paris blind tasting that included several of Bordeaux’s most exalted First Growths. Vineyards were started in area in the late 19th century, but the district’s rise in prestige started in the late 1960s when Nathan Fay planted Cabernet Sauvignon. Fay later sold his estate to Warren Winiarski, founder of Stag’s Leap Cellars. The district was given its own AVA designation in 1989, and today there are 1,400 vineyard acres. The AVA is especially notable because it was the first in the U.S. to be granted AVA status based on terroir. Its distinctive soils is a mix of volcanic soils, river sediment and loamy clay-like soil. Because the soils don’t retain water well, vineyards in Stag’s Leap tend to grow fruit with great intensity and flavor. Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for 95% of the grapes planted in Stags Leap.