I've made some great friends since I started working at Duckhorn this summer. My time is winding down and so is my friend Jen's so we decided to a tasting with our other partner in crime, Matt, before our last day. Jen used to run the wine club at Kellogg and has recently graduated. Matt is a semi-retired investment banker from San Francisco that is trying to learn the ins and outs of the wine business so he can pursue his own label one day. They are both very knowledgeable about wines and the perfect pair to do tastings with.
We decided to start at Pride Mountain Vineyards and work our way down Spring Mountain and hit the mom and pop wineries. Pride was a home run and I would have to say that it's a must if you are ever in Napa Valley. Pride is a 235-acre estate divided by the Sonoma and Napa county lines. It has gorgeous caves (see room below for private events), incredible views, knowledgeable and passionate employees and tasty, tasty wines.
Pride is ran by the Pride family. They purchased the land in 1989 and had their first vintage in 1991. Jim Pride (who sadly passed in 2004) started the Pride Institute, a dental practice management company. While Jim focused on his business his wife Carolyn managed the operations at the winery.Pride's consulting winemaker, Bob Foley, is known for his unique wine making style. He began his career at Heitz, moved on to Markham and has devoted the rest of his career since to Pride and wine education within the industry.
The Viognier and Cabernet are not to be missed even though I don't think you can go wrong with any of their wines. Pride is appointment only so be sure to call ahead (707) 963-4949 and it's worth the drive.
No comments:
Post a Comment