2006 Pride Mountain Claret Napa/Sonoma Reserve
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Tasting notes
(two-thirds merlot and one-third cabernet sauvignon; 15.2% alcohol) Good deep red-ruby. Sexy, very ripe, slightly high-toned aromas of sweet plum, tobacco leaf and minerals. Densely packed, sweet and voluptuous, with very ripe currant and plum flavors enlivened by strong graphite minerality. Impressively seamless and deep wine with terrific balance. Finishes very long and sweet. The fruit got riper up here in 2006 than in 2007, noted Johnson. The merlot comes from the same source as the Vintner Select bottling, while the cabernet sauvignon is from the oldest block on the property, dating back to 1982.
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Blackish ruby. High volatility. Thick and sweet and really just like a blend of port and cocoa. Very drying finish and SO alcoholic! Extreme. Hint of coconut. Too exaggerated for me. Blind guess: valley. Revealed location: mountain. (JR)
The sensational 2006 Reserve Claret boasts an opaque purple color in addition to sweet notes of creme de cassis, flowers, charcoal, graphite, and espresso roast. Full-bodied with layers of depth and richness, moderately high but sweet tannins, and a terrific finish, it will be even better with 3-4 years of bottle age, and should last two decades. Although this is a Napa report, I took the liberty of including the Pride Mountain Sonoma bottlings since their wines tend to be primarily Bordeaux varietals rather than the Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, etc. that will be covered in the Sonoma report. My apologies to subscribers and the winery for some mistakes I made last year in issue #180, when I listed 2006 instead of 2005 for the Reserve and Vintner's Select wines. This is the strongest portfolio of Pride Mountain wines that has been made under the new winemaker, Sally Johnston, who replaced Bob Foley several years ago. Tel. (707) 963-4949; Fax (707) 963-6039