2001 Pride Mountain Vineyards Reserve Cabernet - 99 pts!
A potentially perfect wine, which is in bottle after having spent 30 or so months in a combination of old and new oak. The practice under Bob Foley is to first keep the wines in neutral wood as the selections are made for the different cuvees and then, once made, move the wines into new oak until bottling. The 2001 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (a 1,300-case blend of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 27 months in oak) offers gorgeously fresh, lively, but super-concentrated fruit. Inky blue/purple to the rim, with a spectacular nose of creme de cassis, licorice, camphor, and a hint of vanilla, this wine is sensationally rich, has remarkable intensity, a multi-dimensional palate, and fabulous concentration and depth. It needs another 1-3 years of bottle-age, and should easily and effortlessly evolve for 20 or more years. RP
