Nose
The 2014 FORTIS combines notable elegance with rich fruit intensity. Ripe
mountain blackberry, cassis, dark plum, dark chocolate, sweet oak, coffee, and vanilla aromas.
Palate
An expansive palate of dark cassis, espresso bean, plum, and black cherry. We barrel age the
wine in our winery’s caves to mature flavors and integrate plush, layered textures. This is a seamless
wine with great finesse that will continue to age gracefully.
Growing Conditions
For this special bottling, only the finest blocks of the most outstanding fruit
are selected from our 160 acres of estate vineyards across the Napa Valley. The appellation
composition of every vintage varies, depending upon the performance and character of each
vineyard.
For 2014, the blend is composed of 85 percent Stags Leap District, 6 percent Howell
Mountain, 5 percent Oakville, and 4 percent Rutherford fruit.
Two natural events persist in California, droughts and earthquakes, and in 2014 we
experienced both in Napa Valley. Pine Ridge Vineyards sits on solid rock, so the winery did not
suffer damage during the earthquake. It was the third consecutive year of drought and the third
fantastic vintage with perfectly ripe fruit coupled with high acidity. Weather overall was a bit cooler
than in 2013, but conditions were excellent with no real threat to the vines. A mild winter combined
with heavy rains in February and March nourished the thirsty vines and resulted in early budbreak.
Harvest
The berries were hand harvested at night, carefully sorted, and destemmed to
tank, where fermentation took place.
Aging
Racked to 100 percent new French oak
barrels, where it was aged for 26 months prior to bottling.
Food Pairing
To fully appreciate the complexity of this wine, serve it with simple foods such as a juicy
sirloin steak with garlic butter, or braised short ribs with herbed polenta. The ultimate pairing is a
glass of 2014 FORTIS with a cheese course. It needs a hard cheese of heightened flavor and depth,
such as an aged Pecorino Toscano. Robust and meaty, with hints of melted butter and lemon, a
well-made Tuscan pecorino is the cheese equivalent of a grilled lamb chop. What better wine with
such a savory cheese than this sumptuous tête de cuvée?