Winemaker Notes
Napa Valley's 2023 vintage is already being called a unicorn year — resulting in grapes of ideal ripeness and wines that balance hedonism with charm. This marks Ride & Ridden's third consecutive vintage sourced from two historic hillside vineyards.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Grapes are sourced from Coombsville and St Helena, and the wine is aged for 18 months in 50% new French oak. It is full, complete and multidimensional, with terrific density of blackberry and black cherry fruit, lifted by pure graphite and beautifully integrated toasty oak spices that are supremely refined. Firm, fine-grained tannins have a pixelated quality, while a refreshing energy carries through to a lingering impression in the empty glass. Really precise and impressive at this price point.
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.