Big News

“Buy a bottle, feed a family” will run this holiday season 

Napa, CA- Pine Ridge Vineyards announced today their Buy a Bottle, Feed a Family Program. This holiday season, for every bottle of Pine Ridge and ForeFront by Pine Ridge purchased, they will donate $1 to a local food bank. This program will run from October through December of this year.

Roughly 13% of people living in the United States live in poverty and approximately one in four children live in homes that suffer from food shortage.[1]  Donations made possible by lovers of Pine Ridge and ForeFront by Pine Ridge wines will help feed thousands who are affected by hunger, which is particularly acute over the holiday season. This philanthropic program will occur throughout the nation in over 20 states and 30 cities. “Pine Ridge Vineyards has always helped the local Napa Valley community over the years and we are happy to support, and encourage others to support, communities in need around the country, through this program” said Michael Beaulac, Winemaker and General Manager at Pine Ridge Vineyards.

Any purchase of Pine Ridge or ForeFront, in stores, restaurants and online, will contribute to the Feed a Family Program. The program will be promoted through the winery’s social media sites including Pine Ridge’s Facebook and Twitter (@pineridgewine), as well as to customers who purchase wine online. Marketing materials will feature a QR code that points consumers to the Pine Ridge Vineyards Feed a Family Causes page to make a donation.

About Pine Ridge Vineyards

With meticulous attention to detail and a knowledge developed over 30 years of continuity, Pine Ridge Vineyards produces wines that showcase 200 acres of premier estate vineyards across five renowned appellations in the Napa Valley. Since its founding in 1978, the winery has specialized in Cabernet and other Bordeaux style red wines as well as handcrafted Chardonnay. For more information on Pine Ridge Vineyards and ForeFront by Pine Ridge please visit www.pineridgevineyards.com. For media inquiries, images and interviews please contact Emily Aschbrenner of Charles Communications Associates at 415-701-9463 or press@charlescomm.com.

The Napa Valley vineyard will donate portions of its Chenin Blanc+Viognier sales to plant up to 5,000 trees.

Napa, CA- April 11, 2011: Pine Ridge Vineyards announced today the launch of its Buy a Bottle, Plant a Tree campaign in partnership with American Forests. For the months of April-June of 2011, for every bottle of Chenin Blanc + Viognier purchased Pine Ridge Vineyards will donate $1 to American Forests to plant a tree, up to 5,000.

“We at Pine Ridge Vineyards are so fortunate to enjoy spectacular scenery here in the Napa Valley, but we know that, as stewards of the land, we have a responsibility to preserve it. We’re committed to protecting and restoring our environment, not only here but globally. After all, great wines come from a healthy environment! This campaign with American Forests provides us a unique opportunity to make a greater, global ecological contribution, and is perfectly timed with both Earth Day and Arbor Day in April,” explains Michael Beaulac, Winemaker and General Manager of Pine Ridge Vineyards.

This campaign was born out of Pine Ridge Vineyard’s steadfast commitment to preserving the environment and their recognition of the importance trees have to the overall health of the global community. As reported by American Forests, healthy trees reduce the buildup of greenhouse gases, contribute significantly to energy savings and improved air quality, help improve water quality, and reduce storm water flows. Studies have shown that every $1 invested in urban trees results in $2-4 in benefits from lowered energy costs, reduced storm water flows, improved aesthetics, higher air quality, and reduced carbon dioxide concentrations.

“We are delighted to team up with Pine Ridge Vineyard’s Buy a Bottle, Plant a Tree Campaign,” says Scott Steen, CEO of American Forests. “This creative, new partnership will contribute to American Forests’ Global ReLeaf program by planting trees in devastated forest areas, which will improve air and water quality, and provide vital wildlife habitat.”

The Plant a Tree campaign will be on display in national retail locations where Chenin Blanc +  Viognier is sold.  For more information, visit www.pineridgevineyards.com, accessed directly via a dedicated QR code.

Pine Ridge Vineyards Rings in 2011 with Cause for Celebration

Winery receives an unprecedented series of five scores above 90 points from the Wine Advocate

Stags Leap District, Napa, CA January 12, 2011 – The end of 2010 brought great cause to celebrate at Pine Ridge Vineyards when renowned wine critic Robert Parker released his reviews of California wineries awarding Pine Ridge five scores above 90 points, a first in the 32 year history of the winery.    This was particularly sweet news for winemaker Michael Beaulac who joined the winery in the spring of 2009 and had to wait the patient period of time before his talent and efforts could be brought to light given the 18-24 months it takes for one’s first release of wines to be launched to the world.   Top scores went to the 2008 Stag’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon 91+ points, the 2008 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon 93+ points, the 2008 Fortis Cabernet Sauvignon 94+ points, the 2008 Le Petit Clos Chardonnay 93 points and the 2009 Chenin Blanc + Viognier touted as a killer wine value with 90 points.

“These scores from the Wine Advocate are the best the winery has ever received,” stated Erle Martin, CEO for the Crimson Wine Group whose high-end wine portfolio includes Pine Ridge as well as Archery Summit in the Dundee Hills of Oregon and Chamisal Vineyards in the Edna Valley, California.   “They validate the hard work Michael and his team including vineyard manager Gustavo Avina have put into making these wines qualitatively and stylistically among the finest Napa has to offer,” he continues.

“Pine Ridge was one of the pioneering wineries in the Stags Leap district in the late 1970s when some of the most legendary names that embody top quality got their start,” states Winemaker & General Manager Michael Beaulac.   “I’m lucky to be working with distinctive vineyards within five AVAs in Napa to craft the wines of Pine Ridge.   Our approach is a combination of sensitivity to terroir and an art of assemblage, or blending.   We have great properties and our role is to guide the fruit from those vineyards towards becoming the wines they should naturally be.   Our fine tuning in the blending process allows the wine to find its own balance and equilibrium,” says Beaulac.

In his role at the winery, Beaulac oversees all grape-growing and winemaking operations as well as facilities management at the winery which is located on the famous Silverado Trail in the heart of the Stags Leap district.  The distinctive tree line of pines cuts a dramatic swath across the top of the ridgeline above the property, thus its namesake.

Pine Ridge specializes in producing wines that embody the unique characteristics of the Napa Valley appellation in which its 200 acres of estate vineyards are located.   Since its founding in 1978, the winery has specialized in Cabernet and other Bordeaux style red wines as well as hand-crafted Chardonnays.  For more information on Pine Ridge please visit www.pineridgevineyards.com and for media inquiries, images and interviews please contact Kimberly Charles of Charles Communications Associates at 415/701-9463 or press@charlescomm.com.

ForeFront Wines by Pine Ridge Vineyards launched

Saluting a spirit of exploration

October 28, 2009 – Napa, CA – A series of three new wines christened ForeFront have been released appropriately during harvest 2009 by the Crimson Wine Group, consisting of sister wineries Pine Ridge Vineyards (Napa Valley), Chamisal Vineyards  (Edna Valley) and Archery Summit (Willamette Valley). Inspired by the spirit of wine industry pioneer Gary Andrus who, together with his wife Nancy, established Pine Ridge Vineyards in 1978 in the legendary district of Stags Leap in Napa Valley, as well as Archery Summit Vineyards in Willamette Valley in 1993.  The wines are infused with the same foresight and innovation that the Andruses brought to the wine industry in its nascent days in the U.S. market. The Andruses were among the first to encourage tight vine spacing in the vineyard, implement gravity flow in the cellar, and hire a female winemaker in the 1970s, among many other innovations that have now become industry standards.

Not bound by convention or geographic boundaries, the sourcing for these wines includes a diverse selection of top American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) up and down the west coast, including the Napa Valley where Pine Ridge has established its reputation, the Willamette Valley, Dry Creek, El Dorado and the Edna Valley, where Chamisal Vineyards was the first vineyard planted in the region.   The portfolio of ForeFront wines includes a Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.  Attractively priced in the $16-$24 per 750 ml bottle range, these wines offer the quality and reputation of the winemaking at Pine Ridge, at a price point that makes these wines accessible every day.

The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon from one of the best vintages in three decades in California is blended with Syrah from El Dorado and Edna Valley as well as small amounts of classic Bordeaux varieties sourced from the 225 estate acres from five different AVAs owned by Pine Ridge in Napa. The diversity of appellations and varieties combine to create a wine that is thoroughly modern in style and complex in structure. The 2008 Sauvignon Blanc is a blend of fruit from the Dry Creek and Napa AVAs which offer contrasting styles that ultimately serve a Sauvignon Blanc well, namely distinct aromatics, racy acidity and a rich mouth feel.  The 2008 Pinot Noir, 100% Willamette Valley sourced, primarily the Dundee Hills AVA, is a classic expression of Oregon Pinot Noir with an emphasis on red fruits and supple tannins.  For more information on the wines including a video overview please visit http://forefrontwines.com/wines.html.

Crafted by noted winemaker Michael Beaulac, who is at the home vineyard of Pine Ridge, these wines express the art of blending and the deep knowledge that Beaulac has working with these varietals in over 20 years of winemaking at Laurier, Murphy Goode, Markham and most recently St. Supery.  These wines are being released this October in select US markets including CA, NY, NJ, TX, MA, FL, IL, MN, AZ, CO, GA, NV, OR, MI, OH, DC, SC and NC with a national rollout expected over the next year.

For samples, images and media information, please contact Kendall Johnson at Charles Communications Associates kendall@charlescomm.com or 415 701 9463 www.charlescomm.com.

Pine Ridge Vineyards Appoints Michael Beaulac as Winemaker and General Manager

Stag’s Leap District, Napa Valley, CA – Michael Beaulac has been appointed Winemaker and General Manager at Pine Ridge Vineyards after a long and thorough search to find the successor to a winemaking history dating back to 1978 when the winery was founded.   Inheriting the role shaped by Stacy Clark for over 25 years, Beaulac will bring his expertise in winemaking with an emphasis on Bordeaux varietals from his eight years as winemaker at St. Supery Vineyards and Markham Vineyards prior to that. “Pine Ridge has a tremendous portfolio of outstanding wines that capture the essence of our exceptional estate vineyards, thanks to Stacy and her dedication over the last few decades,” says President and CEO of the Crimson Wine Group, Erle Martin. “Stacy was instrumental in bringing the winery to where it is today, and we are excited to now have Michael on board to build off of our legacy and usher Pine Ridge into a new and exciting era.”

Since its founding, Pine Ridge Vineyards has been recognized and singled out for its excellent, expressive Cabernet Sauvignon from its 225 acres in five AVAs within the  Napa Valley http://www.pineridgewinery.com/Winery-Appelations-and-Vineyards. As a complement to the Cabernet Sauvignon and a testimony to the strength of its vineyards, the winery has also excelled in Chardonnay and other red Bordeaux varietal offerings, as well as the charming Chenin Blanc/Viognier blend.

In his new role, Beaulac will be overseeing all grape growing and winemaking operations as well as facilities management at the winery, located on the famous Silverado Trail in the heart of the Stag’s Leap district. “With the winery’s exceptional reputation and collection of estate vineyards, this position is a winemaker’s dream. I look forward to working with the seasoned team here to continue to produce classically proportioned wines that are the hallmark of Pine Ridge,” says Beaulac.

Pine Ridge Vineyards is one of the gems in the collection of the Crimson Wine Group, a leading high end wine portfolio representing diverse varietals and AVAs in some of the most renowned winegrowing regions in California and Oregon. The portfolio also includes Archery Summit, a pioneer winery in the Dundee Hills appellation of Oregon, whose first vintage was 1993 and is known as a premier producer of Pinot Noir from its 120 acres of vineyards, along with Chamisal Vineyards, 80 acres that were the first vineyard planted in the Edna Valley in 1973.

For media inquiries and sample requests, please contact Kimberly Charles of Charles Communications Associates, press@charlescomm.com or 415/701-9463.