Pride Mountain, Cabernet Franc, Sonoma County

Annual Caroling & Chili Party (R&D's) : Magnum, opened and allowed to breathe for an hour+ before service. Youthful dark color. Notes of blackberries, plum, potpourri and dried herbs- lovely. Full-bodied with softened tannins, this glides across the palate. Flavors of dark fruit and herbs. So very good, with plenty of life in this format. (R&R)

2012 vintage

I guess I bought a well cared for and cellared bottle. I was really concerned based on prior reviews. For being 24yrs old, this bottle is far from being over the hill. It probably has a few more years on it as tannins are still present. Oh boy all the characteristics were singing in tune. Dark fruit(blueberry and touch of tart plum) with tobacco and oak working their way in, leather and earthy mid-palette and a wonderful cherry, nutmeg and …

2000 vintage

Good color , nose and flavor .finishes well. Drink now or next 2 years .

2012 vintage

Still drinking perfectly. Great fruit and earth.

2001 vintage

1.5L is in a wonderful spot now.

2012 vintage

Still pleasant after all these years, but fading. Faint mocha notes. Similarly fruit. Medium weight, but lighter on the finish. Have a magnum left. Need to drink it.

2001 vintage

Aroma is raspberry and blackberry. Tannins are very mild. Very round, almost luxurious mouth feel without being flabby. Some black pepper and spice and dark fruits. Drinking very well, but I would drink any bottles left somewhat soon - window may be closing.

2012 vintage

Out of balance from start to finish some 3 hours later. Based on previous bottles the excessive oak wasn't a production fault but rather that the fruit from this vintage has now faded far back. The 2012s remain serviceable, medium-bodied juice but I'd suggest moving cellared bottles up your priority 'drink now' list.

2012 vintage

Superb. Drunk over two nights (in magnum). The first night (PNP), this had a slight hint of pepper when the sip first hit the palate, followed by delicious plums and ripe blackberries carried out over the long finish. On night two - remaining 1/3 bottle - this was all about silky dark fruit. Sublimely delicious, with flavor intensity and length such that it’s perhaps best enjoyed in small sips. Hard to believe it is 20 years old! Still has a …

2001 vintage

This is a very new world effort. The nose has the smell of rain (refreshing w/ light mineral notes), blueberry and a touch of cinnamon.The legs are slow and give away the 14.2% abv. The tongue is very fruit forward blueberry pomegranate with the spiciness of a garden fresh green bell pepper on the ending.

2012 vintage

From magnum. Drank very well from the get go. Really nice.

2012 vintage

sitting in a great spot right now. BUT probably drink upnover next 24-36 months.

2012 vintage

Thought this was excellent. Nice rich nose with a bit of bitterness to offset sometimes overly rich (to me) Pride style; also bit of eucalyptus. Hint of vanilla as the nose transitions to palate, strawberry then dark chocolate and cherry. Long smooth finish

2012 vintage

Very nice, well balanced and ready to drink, nice fruit, with the cab franc spice to it, but fruit and tannins in good balance, so very nice to drink

2012 vintage

Opened by Mark. 2nd time I have had this wine. No formal notes but this was not quite as good as the 1st bottle. 88 points.

2012 vintage

Wonderful wine. A little sweet and drank great after dinner in lieu of dessert

2001 vintage

A little too much going on, though not necessarily any of it bad. Sweet raspberry-dark cherry with a nice spice on finish.

2012 vintage

WAG Holiday Hedonism Tasting : From magnum. Denise might score it higher...This is delicious with black plum, cocoa, berry, violet and spice box all in a "cashmere sweater for your tongue" package. Now-2022, don't let this go "over"...

2012 vintage

9th Annual Holiday Dinner and Cellar Raid (Naperville, IL) : Part of wine dinner and cellar raid so did not take detailed notes. Excellent showing for this. Def past it's prime but still a nice wine and had a bit more minerality than the others

2000 vintage

Iyum

2001 vintage

The magnum was better than the fifth. Juicy and crowed-pleaser. Chocolate and blueberry with well integrated oak. Pleasant but somehow not made for the long haul. At its peak. I would not wait long to drink the other bottle.

2012 vintage

Red and dark fruit notes with a soft herbal undertone. I don't know that I'd pick this as franc if tasting blind, but it is quite good. More dark fruit than red on the palate with hints of chocolate. Well-integrated tannins at this point- it has a plush texture with a medium+ finish. Excellent.

2012 vintage

Had for Mother’s Day. Still very good, long finish. Delicious

2012 vintage

Not as focused and concentrated compared to the other vintages, but it was a pleasant medium to full bodied wine.

2012 vintage

Fantastic! This is why Pride Cab Franc has such a huge following! How does Pride make a Cab Franc that is so rich and complex? This was our last bottle of 2012 and if I had more I’d drink them now. Drink up!

2012 vintage

Lovely, complex aromas of black cherries and forest with ethereal floral notes. Both rich and light in the mouth with a moderately long, delicate finish. Should be in prime time for at least a few more years. I haven't been impressed with early tastings of Pride's entry level 2012/13 Cabs and Merlots, but this is a beauty.

2012 vintage

Better than my previous bottle, which I had approx. 18 months ago. Wine was in a good place, with tannins, fruit and acid in balance. Oak and tannis are well integrated. While the wine is somewhat big and fruit forward, there is enough acid to keep it from being cloying. Hints of tertiaries are present - only hints though, in the form of leather and tobacco. Not enough of the floral notes typical of Cab Franc that I was hoping …

2001 vintage

Wow, this is absolutely delicious right now. Beautiful, inviting nose, inky black color, long finish with high complexity & many layers. Very, very nice wine. Paired perfectly with filet mignon. So glad have 1 bottle left.

2012 vintage

This is truly a beautiful Cab Franc. Full body and reminiscent of some great California Bordeaux blends. So sad this was my last bottle!

2012 vintage

This Cab Franc is drinking nicely right now.

2012 vintage

Opened by Mark. Deep crimson color. A full bodied and still youthful wine. Notes of blackberries, currants and toasted oak. Full mouth feel. 93 points.

2012 vintage

Pop and pour, intact cork. Dark violet color with slight bricking. Nose intense, dark fruited with hint of bell pepper. Palate intense, slight peppery note with moderate herbal tobacco flavor, still tannic, some brightness on the finish. Surprisingly youthful, still chugging along. Good with a grilled steak but a dominant wine, not for the faint of heart. 91 pts

2001 vintage

- Ruby color with slow forming legs and aromas of tobacco, cherry, tea and cedar. It's balanced and has flavours of raspberry, cherry and black pepper with a full body. Smooth texture with a long finish - Decanted two hours. Showing perfectly now, elegant and delicious.

2012 vintage

Drinking bottles that are mature, so as to liberate some space. Wanted to cellar this one longer, but succumbed to temptation. Really excellent bottle. Mature - tannins still clearly perceptible but no longer intrusive. Terrific nose. Coffee, chocolate, leather, black (and some red) fruit, forest floor. Palate is balanced (fruit, acidity, hint of oak), with some tertiaries emerging. Very enjoyable.

2000 vintage

relish but not close to peak. try again late '18.

2001 vintage

Very nice but I would have guessed cabernet Sauvignon before cab franc. Sweet oak notes and black currants. Paired with a tenderloin and it worked beautifully.

2001 vintage

Considerably less to my liking than the 2000 that we had yesterday (as usual, I am not fond of the big, ripe, warm highly popular vintages in CA). This bottle was too ripe, big, jammy, fruity, cloying and sweet for my palate. Not enough herbal characteristics, not enough acidity, and I missed some Cab Franc typicity. I guess I am lucky, in that I often enjoy CA's less heralded (and more affordable) vintages (at least as handled by deft winemakers).

2001 vintage

I feared this may be over the hill, but thankfully I was wrong - this was excellent. Superb nose. Could smell this for hours. Excellent palate. Tannins integrated, delicious fruit (think Right-Bank styled blend meets new world fruit), some enjoyble tertiary notes emerging. Well balanced. Nothing was out of whack. Will drink my remaining bottle in 12-18 more months. Drinking window in cellar tracker seems off.

2000 vintage

Awesome nose.

2012 vintage

Garnet colored and cloudy. On the nose, still some black fruit but a lot of secondary smells - spice, earth. Delicious right now but shows fully developed and starting a downward trend. Drink any left soon.

2001 vintage

@ Vancouver Club with Rob and Jay Dark, rich, burgundy Amazing rich nose. Tons of BlackBerry. Anise. Sweet oak. Silky smoth. Rich smothering dark fruit. Unbelievable structure. Great length. Dances on your tongue MAGNUMS are better!!!!!!

2001 vintage

as described recently, very nice after a 2 hour decant

2001 vintage

corked

2000 vintage

in a really good place right now. had w bbq chicken. wine had really good presence, solid length, great mouthfeel and texture in the mouthfeel. combination of fruit and secondary flavors created a wine that shined w bbq flavors. enjoy this wine best with age.

2001 vintage

Cedar in the air and forest floor with notes of almonds from Agaricus mushroom aromas, combine with the blueberry and blackberry spice. Give it time in air, hours, and it just gets better as the rich complexity and a bouquet of floral qualities (violet, lavender, and acacia) emerge.

2001 vintage

Very nice. Drinking perfectly now with a few years before it will start to fade. Stored perfectly since release. Very enjoyable. Made by the hand of the master Robert Foley. Not herbal or hot at all. Just delicious. Go for it.

2001 vintage

Drank from 1.5L and it still was showing very well. Great dark fruit notes and complimented a Rib Eye perfectly.

2000 vintage

Deep black cherry, earth, and lively acidity still. 30+ second finish. Delicious and still lots of life left.

2001 vintage

Blueberry, blackberry, licorice, tobacco

2001 vintage

From magnum. Was surprised at how vibrant this wine was, I may have to revise my estimate of how long this can be cellared. I've thought it was 10 years, but this will easily last another 2 for 15.

2000 vintage

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Pride Mountain, Cabernet Franc, Sonoma County

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