1999 Pine Ridge Napa " Rutherford District "

[leatherman]

for anyone who lives in central new jersey I just picked up a couple of bottles at Stirling world of liquor on sale for only $25 per. its on valley road off I-78 Exit 40.

[newsguy]

WW,

since seeing your first post in this thread, i've been looking all over the area for the 99 pine ridge rutherford cab but have had no luck. one shop has the 98 (at $34 per), and i'm gonna see if they can order the 99. also, my regular shop carries pine ridge, so i'm gonna see if they can grab some of this cab. if i have no luck, and your supplier can still order it, any chance i might be able to get you to purchase some for me and pass along? please let me know via e-mail (my profile is up-to-date).

thaaanks!

[winoweenie]

Had the 99 today with a control bottle of the 97 to judge against. 'Aint gonna beat this donkey no more....5 out 6 people liked the 99 better. ( I was the lone dissenter ) WW

[newsguy]

i asked my local wine shop last week to order this, and got the call back today that they just got 10 cases. gonna pickup a bottle tonight ($29.99 per or $27.99 by the case) and have with an aged N.Y. strip on wednesday night. if i like it as much as i'm anticipating, i think another six or even a case is in my future. i'll post back on thursday.

[hotwine]

Reading the back label on the Rutherford, I see it's a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. That's about as close to a left-bank Bordeaux style as any CA wine I've ever encountered. Magnifico!

[newsguy]

well folks, thanks to the weener we have a chance to buy ahead of the crowd. a 90 rating and spectator selection is gonna have the folks making a path to the shop to load up on this one. no wonder my wine shop gladly ordered 10 cases when i went in and simply asked if they could get me a bottle cause i thought i might want a case. and i pop that baby tonight!

[newsguy]

had this wine last night with dinner (aged, rubbed N.Y. strips on the grill) and it was wonderful. frighteningly, my TNs and those from the WS are identical. so i'll let the professional, James Laube, say it: "Smooth-textured, with well-focused currant, toasty oak, black cherry and plum notes. Excellent structure, depth and concentration. Finishes with a long, complex, even subtle aftertaste." however, i would contend there's nothing really subtle after the aftertaste. and i want to add that this wine (although young and a little brutish even after decanting for nearly an hour) really builds on the tongue, from a strong entry to a huge midpalate, to a very nice finish that is sprinkled with my first exposure to "rutherford dust." i'm gonna grab 6-12 more bottles of this and not try one until 2003. i can't wait to see what this wine is like in 2-3 years. thanks, weener!

[This message has been edited by newsguy (edited 05-23-2002).]

[Drew]

Thanks Keith Laube....I'll take 3 to 1 you can't keep your hands off another between now and 2003.

Drew

[hotwine]

I marked the database entry to drink these between 2003 and 2005, but they could all be gone by the end of the year. Or summer. Or June. What the heck.

[winoweenie]

Or Tuesday... [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/biggrin.gif[/img] WW

[newsguy]

drew,

even at 3-1, i don't wanna take that bet ;-)

btw, don't know if my e-mails ever made it to you, but wanted to let you know i'll be in maryland the first two weeks of june. am going to be spending the day out at avenel for the kemper open on sun. june 2, and will be at the beach (bethany) june 3-7. hope to get a chance to meet you. let me know.

[This message has been edited by newsguy (edited 05-26-2002).]

[RAD]

Tried it at the winery in Napa 2 weeks ago and loved it. Getting off-thread here, but their 2000 Dijon Clones Chardonnay is killer too for a SW. Got 6 of each--it was day two of the trip, and my wife was eyeing my purchases very carefully! [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/biggrin.gif[/img]

RAD

[newsguy]

at a wine tasting yesterday (i'll post notes soon under "italian"), i noticed that wine & spirits gave the 99 Pine Ridge Rutherford a 95 score. as if it already wasn't gonna sell fast enough...

[newsguy]

($29.99) This bottle is one of the oldest that I have that I purchased on release and stored myself. In general, I love Pine Ridge and their's is one of the few wine clubs I belong to. They always give great bang for the buck.

Decided to pop this baby last night to go with a little celebratory meal I was making (aged, spice-rubbed N.Y. strips, wild mushroom cous cous and cheesy-grilled tomatoes). The wine was in the part of its drinking window that, for my palate, is the sweet spot. The tannins have fairly softened and the wine has taken on some of the secondary characteristics of maturity, but still loaded with distinctive youthful fruit. Lots of dark fruit (plums, cassis), a hint of cherry and tons of chocolate on the very long finish. Still good acidity, and this just got better with more time in the decanter. If you prefer youthful, I'd drink over the next two years. If you like mature, I'd guess this will start entering that period of its life on its 10th birthday. Either way, you can't lose. 92 points.

like WW always says, it's all about provenance.

[This message has been edited by newsguy (edited 01-17-2007).]

[wondersofwine]

The meal and wine sound delicious.

[winoweenie]

I'll have to pull down a bottle of this hummer meself! Been so happy to get at the 80 buried diamonds and see what was there I haven't paid much attention to the usual suspects. Will definately get to one over the week-end. WW

[newsguy]

WOW: yes, this was a winning combo.

[This message has been edited by newsguy (edited 01-18-2007).]

[winoweenie]

Opened another yesterday when my 3rd oldest and her SO dropped by to pick some All-Spice, Ruby Grapefruits, and Meyer Lemons. Age hasn't done anything but let this sucker become close to classic. Nose gives classic cab aromas along with the sweet spicy hint of fruitcake. All hit the palate runningand the silky mouthfeel is seductive. Just a scoch of supple tannins evident so this baby is dead OTOIG. Kick this lil' beauty up to a solid 93. WW