Pride Dinner

A few months ago I was contacted by Steve Pride. Their winemaker, Sally Johnson, was coming to Cleveland to do some PR and he asked me if I would put together an evening for him. I think he was trying to reach the consumers directly in addition to Sally's work with their distributors. I was delighted to help out but especially so when they told me the wines they would be providing. I have long been a fan of Pride although I have only rarely been able to try their Reserve wines. I contacted Chef Doug Katz at Fire, one of the top restaurants in the area and he agreed to make a menu to match and let us use their private room.

All red wines were opened at 4:00 and then the corks put back after an hour. Once I got them to the restaurant, they were again uncorked, so they did get some air, but could have used more. The wines were not decanted, but carefully poured due to the large amount of sediment. Sally Johnson, the Pride winemaker, gave us a nice talk during each flight about the wines. It was a pretty geeky evening as well as a lot of fun.

We drank the Chard as people got there. Then we stat down to eat.
With leek and gruyere tart with jumbo lump crab and microgreens
or leek and gruyere tart with microgreens (vegetarian)

• 2009 Pride Mountain Vineyards Chardonnay Vintner Select 90 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County

  I am not a huge Chard fan, but I did like this one. It was crisper, lighter on its feet, yet still full bodied and rounder. A great nose, probably better than the palate with lemon chiffon and slight vanilla notes. Good acidity and well balanced. It was too much of anything. Went well with my leak tart.

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With: crispy pork belly confit with vanilla risotto
or vanilla risotto with spring onions (vegetarian)

• 2002 Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Franc 89 Points

  USA, California, North Coast, Napa / Sonoma

  This is in a really nice place but I think it has years to go. The color showed some very slight browning at the edges which made me think it would drink mature. On the nose it was dusty with cherries. On the palate, this came to life with bright, sweet, ripe cherries and black cherries. Some heat on the finish, but I suspect that some air would cure that a bit. The crowd preferred this to the 08, but I did not. Still, I am curious if the color and nose are leading the way, or just how much time this has left. Based on the palate, and other wines, I suspect this has a while left.

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• 2008 Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Franc 93 Points

  USA, California, North Coast, Napa / Sonoma

  I thought this was a beautiful wine but obviously very young. Purple in color. The nose is big with some oak, tobacco, black cherries, and dust. On the palate, ripe black cherries and very primary. Seems to have lots of stuffing though.

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With: sauteed sea scallop with quinoa pilaf, pea tendrils and hazelnut curry sauce
or summer vegetable hazelnut curry with pea tendrils and quinoa pilaf (vegetarian)

• 2002 Pride Mountain Vineyards Syrah 93 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County

  Wow, is this wine in a great place. Really drinking well and yet no sign of being a mature wine, yet not too young either. Kind of a young adult. Balanced with great black raspberry fruit. Some white pepper. Starting to develop layers of complexity. Really enticing texture. These bottles came from Pride, so I assume they are pristine, but this was a revelation to the crowd as to how well a Cal Syrah can age.

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• 2005 Pride Mountain Vineyards Syrah 90 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County

  Many of us thought this a bit shut down, but at least a few found it to be their favorite Syrah. Compared to the other two Syrahs, I found this lean and crisper. More like a lightweight boxer. It had tight black raspberry fruit. Nice sleek texture. Not as powerful as the 02 or 08, but on its own was an excellent wine.

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• 2008 Pride Mountain Vineyards Syrah 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County

  I thought this was the most "typical" of a northern California Syrah. It had very nice ripe fruit, raspberries and black raspberries. Also some white pepper. Not much complexity at this stage although it has so much going on the surface, I am sure its underneath as well. Very lush texture. Nice balance. Fruity was a word I heard a couple of times to describe it and I think, at this stage, that works well.

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With: tandoor roasted hangar steak with sauteed mushrooms, crispy fingerlings, sauteed greens, sliced garlic and merlot jus
or spinach tortelloni, mushroom-leek ragout and saffron reduction (vegetarian)

• 2007 Pride Mountain Vineyards Merlot Vintner Select 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County

  Purple in color. This was really good. The nose shows some oak, but not overwhelming. Lots of cherries, some milk chocolate and some raspberries. This was tight and took some coaxing to open up. Seems to have lots of depth to it. Lovely texture. Excellent balance.

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• 2007 Pride Mountain Vineyards Merlot 91 Points

  USA, California, North Coast, Napa / Sonoma

  Very open and accessible. I really was afraid the oak would dominate this, but it seems toned down from the circa 2001 era which I like. Nice cherry and raspberry fruit. Some milk chocolate. While not devoid of oak, it come thru more as vanilla than a 2x4. Very nice balance. I am sure this will age quite well, but it drinks very well right now. Despite the ripe fruit, there is some finesse.

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• 2007 Pride Mountain Vineyards Reserve Claret 96 Points

  USA, California, North Coast, Napa / Sonoma

  Sally and I both agreed that the Pride Reserve Claret was our favorite wine in the portfolio. Sadly, I have only been lucky enough to have it a handful of times, so my expectations were high. They were met. This is a fantastic wine. Probably 10 years from peak, at least. Still, it provided a lot of pleasure at this young stage. The texture is so supple. Its light on its feet. So much more complexity than the Merlots in this flight. It is deep and wide. Cherries, cassis, grilled steak, blueberries, and some vanilla. Soft but persistent tannins. Great balance. I just loved this wine and it went well with the food. This wine really works well at the table and would with a wide variety of dishes.

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• 1996 Pride Mountain Vineyards Merlot 88 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  I wondered if this would be too old. This came from my cellars as an extra. I don't think I would go too much longer with the wine but it was not over the hill. There is still cherry fruit although not as vibrant as the 07. Some forest floor type notes and also some dried fruit qualities. A lot of layering. Nice balance. I am sure on its own at dinner, it would show better as this was a tough place to drink it. Still, I found it very nice and another glimpse that these wines (at least as made in 96) can age. Sixteen years from vintage and just starting it path down IMO.

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With: crispy duck leg with sauteed spaetzle, spinach and cherry jus
or corn fritters, braised collards, marinated cherries and bbq jus (vegetarian)

• 1999 Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 95 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Another outstanding wine. We discussed how well 99 and 2000 vintages are drinking now. Certainly, much better than most thought they would a decade ago. The 99 is in a great place but I don't think at peak yet. Great cassis flavors, a slight dried cigar tobacco note, and some anise. I would bet I would have thought this over oaked on release, but it is pretty much integrated at this point. Slick texture which is very enjoyable, I think the acidity helps and this works well with the food. The complex layering is just starting to unwind and I think the next decade for this wine will be brilliant.

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• 2003 Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 94 Points

  USA, California, North Coast, Napa / Sonoma

  This was really interesting. It is still young and I will be curious where it goes from here. Aromas of cassis, beef jerky and coffee grounds make me think the oak is starting to mellow but not quite there. There is also a fresh green tobacco note and I meant to ask Sally if there is Cab Franc in here. Not sure this will make as old bones as the 99, but it needs five more years I think to maturity. It did not have the texture the other two had. Nothing bad, but nothing that made me say "whoa" either. A lot of this is nit-picking as this is outstanding and an amazing wine almost any other time.

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• 2008 Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 96 Points

  USA, California, North Coast, Napa / Sonoma

  This was obviously young, but quite impressive. Like the better 08's it has ripe fruit but great balance. Lush texture. Cassis, blueberries, charcoal and the oak while there is within reason. Probably needs 10 to 15 years to hit maturity, but this is in that rare echelon of Cal Cabs that will drink great young but will also age well. I am not sure if this is a blend or not. For those lucky enough to be on the Reserve list, this is truly a special wine.

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With: vanilla pot de crème with poached apricots

• NV Pride Mountain Vineyards Mistelle de Viognier 91 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County

  I was hesitant about this. It was served cold, straight from the fridge. Apparently, it is viognier, not fermented dry and then fortified. It was quite refreshing (despite a lot of wines) and went well with food. I did not see the alcohol level but (maybe because it was cold) there was not heat. Only slightly viscous. This was a good way to end the meal.

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Thanks so much to Steve Pride and Sally Johnson as well as Doug Katz and Amanda Ohneth at fire for great food and service (Chin was great!). It was a really special evening.