2003 Pride Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon Napa/Sonoma
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Tasting notes
Good deep red-ruby color. Currant, tobacco, cocoa powder and sweet oak on the nose. Then surprisingly tightly wound in the mouth, with firm acids giving shape and grip to the fresh berry and milk chocolate flavors. In a leaner style for a Pride wine but shows an exhilarating sugar/acid balance. Finishes firmly tannic, bright and gripping. As serious as this seems today, there's nothing hard about it. (Incidentally, the reserve wines from Pride had been bottled just a month prior to my visit and could not be tasted.)
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The dark ruby/purple-hued 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon, a blend of 83% Napa and 17% Sonoma fruit, displays a slight austerity along with drier, tougher tannin than the Merlot or Cabernet Franc. Medium-bodied and well-made, but Bordeaux-like in its backwardness and inaccessibility, this is one of the few Pride Mountain efforts that requires 2-3 years of aging. It should last for 10-12 years. Tel. (707) 963-4949; Fax (707) 963-6039