THE JEFFERSON CLUB - September 2021
This month, we feature an incredible mountain winery on the Napa / Sonoma border, Pride Mountain Vineyards, with their 2018 Syrah.
Enjoying the Pride Mountain Vineyards Chardonnay.
Terraced blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon at Pride Mountain Vineyards.
Pride Mountain Vineyards Syrah
2018
Winemaker: Sally Johnson
Region: Napa - Sonoma
Grape Varietal: 98% Syrah, 2% Grenache
Viticulture:
Method: neutral French Oak for 11 months
Serving Suggestions: serve at 59-64F
Age: drink or hold through 2031
Nose: blackberry cordial, olive, pepper
Palate: silky and plush with fresh fruit and white pepper
Finish: fine, ripe tannins and lingering savory finish
About Pride Mountain Vineyards
A view of the catacombs at Pride Mountain Vineyards.
Jim and Carolyn Pride purchased the Summit Ranch estate in 1989 with the original intention of growing grapes; however, Jim’s passion pushed them towards developing their own Pride Mountain wines. The Prides sold most of their 45 acres of fruit to other wineries, but Jim and Carolyn made their own small batch of estate wines in 1991. In 1992, Bob Foley came on as winemaker and helped them grow to their current commercial success. It wasn’t until 1997 that an estate winery was built (previously, the wines had been made and bottled at Rombauer winery). However, to stay in compliance with the local AVA laws, their custom winery had to take on a unique character.
The estate of Pride Mountain Vineyards is bisected by the county border. Part of the estate resides in Napa Valley and the other in Sonoma Mountain. In order to label a wine estate bottled, the wine must be produced and bottled in the AVA that it claims. Some out of the box thinking came up with a creative solution: their crush pad contains a line of yellow bricks noting the border, and their put their hydraulic bladder press on wheels in order to satisfy those rules. As you walk back along the crush pad, you find yourself entering a catacomb of tunnels lined with barrels gently resting until winemaker Sally Johnson, who came on in 2007, deems them ready.
Why I am excited about this wine
Young vines of Grenache and Syrah at Pride Mountain Vineyards.
While visiting Pride Mountain Vineyards earlier this year, I had the chance to taste the 2018 Syrah. I still have several older vintages in the cellar, but I knew something had changed in how this wine was made. The wine had a much more open, floral and fresh character than its more broody older brother, and then Andy, our wine educator and guide, informed us on the change. In 2018, a neighbor of Steve Pride (the current CEO), mentioned he had a bumper crop of Grenache but nowhere to vinify it. Steve has always had a good neighbor character, so he offered to take on the fruit without any knowledge as to where it would go. Sally decided to blend in into their existing Syrah program, and they all loved the new character it took so greatly that they planted their own grenache block in recent years.
Blackberry compote, dark olives, sweet violet perfume, white truffle and white pepper gently rise from your glass. The grenache adds an elegance and freshness previously removed from older bottlings. While the wine is showing well already, it will develop beautifully over the next decade.
“With its blackberry, mulberry, Niçoise olive, cured meat, truffle and white pepper notes, popping the cork on this wine is like enjoying a charcuterie plate. The mouthfeel is pure pleasure with fully-integrated supple tannins coating the palate with velvety richness but no chalky grip. Building flavor and texture in our Syrah is all about layering.”
Mary and I overlooking the view at Pride Mountain Vineyards.