This winery, sitting high atop Spring Mountain traversing both the Napa and Sonoma counties, has offered their two top cuvées in 2005 for this retrospective. The 2005 Proprietary Red Reserve Claret, sourced from both Napa and Sonoma, is a blend of 67% Merlot and 33% Cabernet Sauvignon. It offers a moonless, black-of-night color and notes of black truffle and burning embers, whiffs of charcoal, blackberry and cassis, and touches of chocolate and coffee. This stunningly complex, opulent, full-bodied wine seems to have approached its peak of maturity, where it should easily rest for another decade or more. With perfect concentration and a skyscraper-like palate feel with no heaviness, this wine (14.8% natural alcohol) is simply compelling in all senses. It is a fabulous effort and a great tribute to Napa/Sonoma viticulture. Drink it over the next decade.

A 500-case blend of 56% Napa fruit and 44% Sonoma fruit, the 2005 Reserve Claret (66% Merlot and 34% Cabernet Sauvignon) is a brilliant wine for the vintage. Its deep ruby/purple hue is followed by aromas of smoked herbs, black currants, blackberries, espresso roast, chocolate, and oak. The wine is gorgeously textured and opulent, with a sumptuous, long finish. It is drinking splendidly well, and should continue to do so for a decade or more. Pride Mountain Vineyards is going through a transitionary stage with the departure of their renowned winemaker, Bob Foley, and the hiring of his replacement, Sally Johnston, formerly at St. Francis. The first Pride vintage where she had complete control is 2008. This is an impressive 83-acre vineyard spread high on Spring Mountain, traversing both the Napa and Sonoma County lines. Tasting through Pride’s 2006s was somewhat mixed. With the exception of the top Reserves, the wines did not appear to be at the same quality level as the 2005s, 2003s, 2002s, or 2001s. Keep in mind that 2004 was a troublesome year for Pride Mountain, and it looks like 2006 is another less than brilliant year. Nevertheless, some very good 2006s were made, but when expectations are so high, it is sometimes difficult to sustain them.Tel. (707) 963-4949; Fax (707) 963-6039

This Bordeaux blend is enormously rich and densely concentrated in mountain fruitiness. It explodes with blackberry, black currant, chocolate, orange zest, roasted almond and sweet new oak flavors, wrapped into extraordinarily fine tannins. Shows a bit of sharpness that could indicate a mild level of volatility. But it’s a dramatic wine that should live for many, many years.——S.H.(7/1/2009)—— 93