Pine Ridge & Seghesion Family Vineyards
New beginnings, sprouting, the smell of spring. March brings it all. The snow is falling, the sun is growing stronger, the days are getting longer. Winter sleep ends, everything awakens and a new tide of energy comes. Enjoy the first rays of spring in the company of the best wines from two traditional California wineries: Pine Ridge Vineyards a Seghesio Family Vineyards.
Founded in 1978 by Gary Andrus, Pine Ridge Vineyards is located in the heart of Napa Valley's Stags Leap District and is best known for its Cabernet Sauvignon, a wine of power and elegance.
Sehghesio Family Vineyards is a family-owned winery founded by Italian immigrants in 1895 who planted the first grape variety, Zinfandel, in Sonoma's Alexander Valley, putting down roots for five generations. They have released 125 vintages of Zinfandel and traditional Italian varieties.
What do these two wineries have in common, you ask? Not only do they share family tradition, history, sustainability and the production of excellent wines, but they are also part of the Crimson Wine Group, which since 1991 has featured carefully selected luxury wineries representing the best of California, Oregon and Washington appellations.
The prestigious Crimson Wine Group combines a traditional winemaking approach with a deep respect for terroir, an innovative approach and a commitment to sustainability. The merger of these wineries with the Crimson Wine Group has enabled them to exploit synergies in distribution, access to capital and the sharing of know-how, which has fostered their growth and strengthened and consolidated their position in the market. By sharing the same traditional values, both wineries have achieved a level of development that would have been difficult to achieve on their own.
Pine Ridge Vineyards
Pine Ridge Winery is located in the heart of Napa Valley, in the Stags Leap District. It currently owns a total of 160 acres of vineyards located, in addition to its home appellation, in other key Napa Valley areas of Howell Mountain, Oakville, Rutherford and Carneros. Such diverse terroir inspires winemakers to produce wines that reflect the exceptional characteristics of their distinct origins. Pine Ridge is a top producer of Cabernet Sauvignon that honors its origins with concentrated expression of terroir. Great examples include the 2019 or 2021 Napa Valley vintages.
Get to know Pine Ridge Vineyards
Stags Leap District Vineyards
Stags Leap District Vineyards features four vineyards, three established in the 1990s and one original. Stags Leap translates to Deer Leap. There are many legends as to how this area got its name. The most famous local legend says that a mystical deer leaped between the rock outcroppings, now known as the Stags Leap Palisades, to escape hunters. According to another legend, the original inhabitants relied on deer for food and left the deer alone to preserve the gene pool. When the first settlers arrived, they saw these magnificent animals and called the area Stags Leap. Or the name may simply refer to the large numbers of deer and elk that inhabit the local forests.
Andrus Estate Vineyard: an original, unique and very picturesque terraced vineyard established in 1978 by Gary Andrus on a steep hillside. At the end of the vineyard, a grove of pines rises skyward, providing the vineyard with pleasant afternoon wind and shady conditions that allow for a long growing season. The resulting wines are bright, with notes of red cherry, graphite and ripe plum.
Stag's Crown Vineyard: Stag's Crown Vineyard receives the most direct sunlight. The vines in this vineyard are managed by careful pruning to provide leaf shade for the grapes, allowing for evening ripening and bold, rich wines full of dark berries and baking spices.
Circle Hill Vineyard: Circle Hill is a heavily planted parcel that winds in single row vineyards around a hill. Each block is harvested separately at night and blended only before bottling. The Cabernet from this vineyard is bold and intense, with flavors of dark cherry, mocha and baking spice on the palate and a long, brooding finish.
Locked Horns Vineyard: A gently sloping alluvial fan with very deep soils consisting of layered gravel and sandy silt is the perfect soil for classic Stags Leap District wines with elegant acidity balanced by dark berry fruit and assertive tannins ready to age.
Rutherford appellation
The historic Rutherford area has been producing prized Cabernet Sauvignon wines since the mid-19th century and today accounts for more than half of the planted area. The Quintessential Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon is characterised by classic richness, lush black and red fruit character, fine tannins and an elusive mocha dust quality, known locally as Rutherford Dust.
Howell Mountain appellation
Howell Mountain rises to an elevation of nearly 2,000 feet at the northeastern edge of Napa Valley. Because of this elevation, this rugged area has significantly higher summer temperatures and colder winters than the valley below. The vines struggle to take root here, producing sparse clusters of small, thick-skinned berries that give the wines intense, full, deep fruit flavours with attractive savoury notes.
Oakville appellation
The Oakville appellation stretches across the valley from the Vaca Range in the east to the Mayacamas Mountains in the west. Cabernet Sauvignon thrives here on rich red volcanic soils and in a mid-valley location where morning fogs rolling north from San Pablo Bay are replaced by warm sunny afternoons. The wines from this appellation express their origins with bright red fruit character and finely integrated tannins.
Carneros Appeal
The vineyards of the Carneros appellation benefit from the maritime influence of the nearby San Pablo Bay. Cloudy mornings and cool afternoon winds contribute to the slow and steady development of the grapes, resulting in an optimal balance of sugar and acidity. The Carneros Merlot wines show subtle red fruit and bright acidity, while the Chardonnay wines have a complex expression of citrus and tropical fruit.
Their cuvées are also popular, with the white wines Chenin Blanc and Viognier being particularly excellent. This unusual blend of two varieties was created in 1995, originally as an experiment, but has since become one of the winery's most popular white wines. A bright and fresh wine at an affordable price. On the nose you will find fruity notes of white peaches, nectarines, ginger and orange blossom. The palate is round, citrus fruity and very attractive.
Respect for nature and sustainability
Sustainability is not just an empty word for Pine Ridge. Pine Ridge has long been committed to sustainable practices. The proof is in the Napa Green certification, which is also a commitment to responsible land management, conservation and preservation of the region's ecosystem.
All vineyards are Napa Green Land certified, with a fully customized conservation program for each site that promotes and protects biodiversity.
Fish Friendly Farming certification helps to protect and enhance natural stream banks along the property, preserve wildlife habitat, attract beneficial insects, and protect local watersheds from pollution.
Olive trees and tall grasses provide shelter for beneficial insects such as ladybirds that prey on other harmful insects. The boxes in turn help to increase the population of barn owls, which feed on small rodents. The rows of vines are sown with cover crops in the fall to protect against soil erosion and also serve as "green manure", improving soil health with beneficial nutrients.
Drip irrigation minimizes the use of water that goes directly to the roots. Using solar meters, the water level in the soil is monitored and sensors can determine exactly how much water is needed. Irrigation is most often carried out at night to prevent evaporation.
Respect for the unique viticultural needs of each of the vineyards in the five different appellations, care for the ecosystem and sustainability, the ever-changing demands of each new vintage, and meticulous attention to detail allow for the creation of great wines that express their distinctive terroir with power, elegance and structure.
Seghesio Family Vineyards
The family winery was founded in 1895 by Italian immigrants who planted the first Zinfandel grapes in the Sonoma area. The story of the Seghesio winery could be said to represent the true American dream. Every bottle produced is the fulfillment of the dreams and aspirations of Italian immigrant Edoardo and his wife.
After all, family has been important to the winery for five generations. And it's not just the family you're born into, but the one you choose. The most important values for Seghesion Family Vineyards are humility, caring for the community, and caring for the natural resources of Sonoma, which has been home for five generations.
Italian immigrant's American dream
Edoardo Seghesio, whose roots were in the vineyards of Piedmont, Italy, came to Sonoma County, an Italian-Swiss colony. to follow his passion for wine. He married, had five children, and together with his wife, they purchased a house with the first 56 acres of land, on which they planted, among other things, the first Zinfandel grapes, which their descendants still farm today. In 1910, they purchased additional acres of land on which they planted the typical Italian varieties Sangiovese, Canaiolo Nero, Trebbiano and Malvasia. In fact, this vineyard today represents the oldest planting of Sangiovese in North America, and the heirloom clones are found nowhere else in the world. Before Prohibition came to the US, the business was thriving and flourishing. This changed in the 1920s. Seghesio survived Prohibition only by refocusing its production on the sale of grapes, grape juice and grape concentrate.
After Prohibition ended, the winery supplied grapes and bulk wine to all the major wineries in California. The key to their success was the railroad running through the family's land. This allowed the wines and grapes to be delivered quickly to wineries throughout California. Demand grew rapidly and the winery prospered. To meet it, they purchased a second winery in Healdsburg, The Scatena Brothers Winery, which is still home to the Sehgesio family today.
In the 20th century, the development of winemaking increased rapidly until in 1993 the Sehgesion family reduced production to "only" 30,000 cases and focused on producing quality wines exclusively from farmed and owned vineyards. As a result, the Seghesio family winery has risen to become one of the world's leading producers of Zinfandel.
In 2011, Crimson Wine Group took Seghesio Family Vineyards under its wing. This acquisition gave Crimson Wine Group an established Zinfandel brand and nearly doubled the production volume of their portfolio. CEO Pete Seghesio stated that Crimson Wine Group shares a philosophy of nurturing brands and has the vision, strong distribution network and access to capital to allow the winery to grow to a level that would be difficult for a family business to achieve on its own.
Today, thanks to the acquisition with Crimson Wine Group, Sehgesio Family Vineyards is also a leader in the production of Zinfandel of the highest quality. At the same time, it produces great Italian wines from sustainably farmed vineyards that the family has collected over the centuries and which consist of many blocks of old varieties and clones that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. In fact, sustainability has become a central tenet of farming and winemaking practices, with an eye to the continued health of the vineyards and the next five generations.
Zinfandel as an American variety
Zinfandel is said to be not for the faint of heart. It may be easy to drink, but it is certainly not easy to grow. That's what they say about Zinfandel in Seghesio. And they can afford to say that, because the winemakers' experience of growing this variety is truly extensive. Over five generations, the Seghesio family have become experts and leaders in Zinfandel and have persevered through Prohibition, earthquakes, fires and droughts.
The Seghesio's believe that Zinfandel can create fascinating wines that are bold, complex, ageable and have something to say. With five generations of Italian roots, they pride themselves on making bold wines that also don't shy away. The wines are made in small batches to reflect the best sites and vineyards for growing Zinfandel in Sonoma County, and the winery's original style is defined by a commitment to making wines that are balanced, pure and characterful. Examples include the Cortina Zinfandel 2019 nebo Home Ranch Zinfandel 2021.
Seghesio Family Vineyards is fully committed to the stewardship and preservation of old vineyards, so much so that in 2011 they purchased the historic Montafi Vineyard in the Russian River Valley in large part to ensure that the 94-year-old Zinfandel vines planted there remain in the ground. The site produces a small amount of wine exclusively for their tasting room and wine club.
Their commitment to managing and growing old vines (at least 50 years old) comes from a belief in the ability of these vineyards to produce truly exceptional wines with incredible concentration, complexity and interest. Although their yields may be low, the quality of the fruit of the old vines they grow provides reliable fruit of excellent quality that raises the profile of many of the characteristic Zinfandels. For example, you will find here the Zinfandel Old Vine 2021 or the excellent Old Vine 2022.
Caring for ecosystems for future generations
At Seghesio, they are aware of their responsibility to future generations and have ensured that a commitment to sustainability influences all aspects of our farming practices. They continually strive to minimize the impact on the land and ecosystems that feed their vineyards and sustain the company, from how the land's resources are used to how they treat their co-workers in the community.
Whether you choose tradition combined with modern practices at Pine Ridge, or prefer to reach for the exquisite Zinfandel that is the embodiment of the Seghesio family's American dream, you can't go wrong. Enjoy the first rays of spring sunshine with a glass of California's finest wine and be inspired by the traditional values that unite the two wineries.
6.3.2025