PRIDE: Split Personality on Spring Mountain
I visited cult Cab producer PRIDE recently in my ongoing quest to learn more about the somewhat mysterious Spring Mountain appellation. Situated literally on the crest of the Mayacamas Mountains, the range that splits Napa County from its neighbor Sonoma (the break in vines in this pic is the actual county line!), Pride is a bit of a study in dualities. With 52% of its land in Napa, technically speaking, and the remainder in Sonoma, the folks at Pride understandably seem a bit torn between two opposites - the high point-scoring realm of Cult Napa Cabs and all the hoopla that comes with it, and the down-home "aw shucks, we're just farmers" MO of Sonoma-ns.
And that's just fine, far as I'm concerned. On this same outing I logged time in both Napa and Sonoma and, much to my surprise, found both utterly delightful, for mostly different although sometimes startling similar reasons. More on that later (see my upcoming "A Tale of Two Counties" account).
Back to Pride. The day - last Wednesday, July 12 - was utterly stunning. I couldn't take a bad picture at Pride, and believe me I'm no Ansel Adams.
The mountains were gorgeous! Here are some shots of the property, looking from the "top" of the Mayacamas back eastward towards Napa Valley (which is below the vineyards, out of sight) and the mountains beyond. Oh yes, it was THAT good. What were YOU doing at 10AM on the 12th?
Sorry, I couldn't resist. Anyway, I took the tour with Russell Batt, who mans the tasting room at Pride, and several other folks who were visiting from Florida. Here we all are before getting down to business. Russell was telling us about how the winery was originally established in 1890 but was out of commission for a time during Prohibition; that there are 90 THOUSAND vines on the property, all of which are hand tended; that there are 10 THOUSAND people on the waiting list for some Pride wines; and that the winery can't put the "estate" indication on their bottles due to being split being the two counties (it's a logistical glitch in the laws).
But enough of all that. Let's look at some vines. Here's a shot with some newly planted vines in the foreground. On this four acre parcel of new vines they're experimenting with 4 different clones and 2 rootstocks. Very ambitious of them! Russell explained they're trying to figure out which combinations will yield the best expression of the property's terroir. Nice.
Next: a view of Carolyn's Cabernet, a parcel of Cab yielding a wine influential critic Robert Parker calls "almost perfect." Note also the red volcanic soil that looks VERY similar to that seen at nearby Smith Madrone! Apparently this particular plot makes great stuff because the vines are perfectly situated on top of the mountain with ideal sun exposure. Which basically means they ripen superbly.
Here's another shot of the ripening grapes with Russell's hand in the frame. He was doing a great job explaining the vineyard cycle, where we are currently (we're not yet at versaison, when the grapes take on their final color) in that cycle, and more. He did a great job.
Now, a brief fashion moment. Check out how perfectly my cami Pumas blend in with the ground here. Until this moment I'd always felt the print was just sort of an urban hoax - like, when would I ever blend in on the mean streets of San Fran wearing these kicks? Apparently I was meant to come up here to Pride, in these shoes. A confluence of good weather, fabulous wine and affirmation of my fashion sense - what more could a girl want?
Here we are winding up the tour at the infamous picnic table vista. I call it the "infamous picnic table vista" because apparently a certain sommelier from a very famous restaurant in Napa said on his blog that this very spot is the ultimate picnic spot in Napa. The folks at Pride didn't understand why limos and buses suddenly appeared by the, well, limo-load, with folks just sauntering over to these tables to grub and gape. You see, due to zoning/permitting issues, Pride has very strict rules about visitors at the property. You can only come by appointment, in other words, and it's not exactly a bus-type of place (you'll know what I mean if you ever take the drive up Spring Mountain). I think they got wind of the blog post and asked the guy to take it down.
Which brings me back to the amazing views to be had from this spot. I definitely think the guy had it right. It was breathtaking. Here's a ZOOM'd view. Made me want to have a special someone by my side, but in the end I had to settle for the awe-struck Floridians.
Here are a few more shots of the new tasting room, currently under construction but opening soon, and some big bottles of the yummy stuff. I tasted several wines while there. My favorites were the 2004 Chardonnay, which had lovely tropical fruit flavors including banana as well as macadamia nut and is the only Pride wine made from off-property fruit (Carneros); the 2004 Merlot, which had candied fruit flavors and a really pretty hazelnut/toast thing going on; and, of course, the 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon, which featured creamy cassis, coffee, caramel, and toast.
Like the Cain Cab I really enjoyed at that winery, this Cab was just beautifully smooth, integrated, balanced and totally pleasant. It's easy to see why these wines fetch the prices they do.
Back to the Napa/Sonoma thing. The winery had surprisingly few bells and whistles. The new tasting room looks great, but it's not ostentatious in any way. And, you could tell by the way Russell talked about their hands-on vineyard management that their hearts are in the vineyard, not in the point scores. Cheers to Pride.
A little bit of both worlds on top of Spring Mountain, and that's a good thing.