1999 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Bring on the big guns! Not a wine for the meek, if this wine doesn’t knock your socks off, they must be glued to your feet. One of the darkest Cabs we’ve ever bottled, it is a wine like this that gets people excited about big, blockbuster, California Cabs. Starting with 95+ points from Robert Parker on the first Pride Reserve Cab in 1994 and followed by 98 points on the 1995, 99 points on the 1996 and 97+ points on the 1997, (still no word on the 1998) this has long been the critics favorite - and if the length of our waiting list is any indication, yours too! A profusion of ripe and spicy black cherry aromas lure you in and then explode in the mouth with a layer of vanilla that fills the middle with amazing richness and viscosity. Don’t make any immediate plans for your mouth after that first taste – the finish will keep your taste buds busy long into the evening. Enjoy this wine in its vibrant youth, or tuck it away – bottle aging will only enhance its graces.
Back to Full Wine List
Profile
| Appellation: | Napa Valley |
|---|---|
| Vintage: | 1999 |
| Harvest: | October 1999 |
| Fermentation: | Stainless Steel |
| Cooperage: | French Oak |
| Blend: | 98% Cab. Sauv., 2% Petit Verdot |
| Alcohol: | 14.4 % |
| Bottling: | December 2001 |
| Production: | 900 cases |
| Release Date: | March 01, 2002 |
- November 02, 2007 Wine & Spirits, Oct. 2002
-
Rating: 94
Pride's cabernet vines on top of Spring Mountain ripened their grapes to a potent completion in '99, yielding a reserve with superb integration of tannin, texture and fruit. The ripe damson plum fruit and sweet toast of oak comes together in the flavor of dense chocolate crust on the bottom of a baking sheet. While oak dominates the young wine when first poured, there's a gravelly rasp of tannin that brings the fruit to the fore. It's what cult wines should taste like, supple, sexy and delicious, all dressed up with the inner strength to pull it off. (900 cases). - November 02, 2007 The Wine Advocate, Aug. 31, 2002
-
Rating: 94+
The 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve (900 cs) is more closed, revealing remarkably concentrated créme de cassis fruit intermixed with licorice, mineral, and toasty oak aromas and flavors along with high tannin in the finish. It tastes like an over-sized Bordeaux given its tannin profile, but the huge wealth of fruit, glycerin, and extract are exceptional. Patience will be essential. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2025. - November 02, 2007 Connoisseurs' Guide, Aug. 2, 2002
-
Rating: 95 (3 puffs)
From its deep, well-formed, optimally ripened aromas to its very solid, perfectly focused flavors, this dazzling Cabernet is keyed on fine cassis-like fruit and everywhere displays an exceptional sense of balance and proportion. Never so bombastic as some Pride Mountain Cabernets have been in the past, but boasting plenty of intensity nonetheless, this one gives up nothing in the way of depth for its extra bit of polish, and, despite its surprising early suppleness, it promises to improve in the bottle for a good many years to come. - November 02, 2007 The Wine Spectator, Aug. 31, 2002
-
Rating: 93
Truly exotic spicy wood aromatics make this an irresistible olfactory temptation. Dark, rich and layered with flavor, offering beefy currant, cedar, anise and black cherry fruit that turns sleek and elegant. A lively, lingering aftertaste. Drink now through 2010. 900 cases made.
Back to Full Wine List