2003 Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa County/Sonoma County

Vinous Media (VM)

Good deep red-ruby color. Currant, tobacco, cocoa powder and sweet oak on the nose. Then surprisingly tightly wound in the mouth, with firm acids giving shape and grip to the fresh berry and milk chocolate flavors. In a leaner style for a Pride wine but shows an exhilarating sugar/acid balance. Finishes firmly tannic, bright and gripping. As serious as this seems today, there's nothing hard about it. (Incidentally, the reserve wines from Pride had been bottled just a month prior to my visit and could not be tasted.)

Wine Spectactor (WS)

Aging very well, this is rich and well-built, centered on dark berry flavors and cigar box and cedar notes. Ends with a mix of black licorice and loamy earth. The tannins are firm on the finish.—2003 California Cabernet blind retrospective (July 2013). Drink now through 2025. 1,206 cases made. –JL