Pippin Hill 2021 Ridge Reserve LIVE

VARIETIES

Producer

Pippin Hill

Wine

Ridge Reserve

Vintage

2021

Region

Virginia, USA

Appellation

Monticello AVA

Cabernet Franc 99%

Malbec 1%

MATURATION

18 Months

New French oak 50%

Neutral oak 50%

Oak influence on flavor

STRUCTURE

Acidity

Tannin

Alcohol 13.1%

Body

Sweetness

FLAVOR NOTES

Red Cherry, Crushed Raspberry, Pepper, Cocoa.

About

Pippin Hill 2021 Ridge Reserve

Wine Style

Elevator Pitch

The Ridge Reserve Cabernet Franc takes this variety to new heights. Joining our lineup of premium selections, like the Wild Acre, the Ridge Reserve 2021 vintage is the result of careful craftsmanship and dedication.

Cabernet Franc is one of the most widely planted varieties in the world and one of the six noble Bordeaux grapes. While terroir plays a significant role in shaping its character, our viticulture practices focus on managing meoxypyrizine malate in the grapes to bring out the peppery tones rather than green bell pepper flavors.

While our past varietal Cabernet Franc wines were typically aged for 8 months, the Ridge Reserve spends 18 months in barrel, with a higher proportion of new French oak than we usually use. This extended aging creates a more age-worthy wine with a richer, more complex flavor profile enhanced by the oak.

Cab Franc but richer. The fruit is riper, the nose is super aromatic, and everything is balanced perfectly.

Perfect for anyone who loves the typical flavors of a Cab Franc, but with a bit more power.

Pairings

In a Pinch

Charcuterie, soft and salty cheeses, and cuts of meat.

Deeper Dive

One of the best qualities of a varietal Cab Franc is how approachable they typically are, and this bottle is no different.

Just about everything in this wine is balanced at medium, which means it can stretch over a wide spectrum of pairing options from roast chicken to herb-crusted lamb.

The best options are going to be dishes that don’t over power this wine with too much fat or rich sauces. Look for grilled meats or anything with herbs and spices (not heat).

Stand out features: Bright red fruit, soft tannins, rich mouthfeel.

Pairing Scale

Steer Clear

Anything too rich or fatty or too light and delicate. Also, leave the chocolate for the dessert wines since a dry wine like this will make the chocolate taste bitter.

Cheeses

Recipe Ideas

Service

Which Glasses?

A good All-purpose glass should work great here.

Should I decant this?

Why "Up to you"?

This wine definitely opens up after some exposure to oxygen, but tasting through the development here is part of the enjoyment.

The wine is great right out of the bottle, but if you’re looking for a reason to use the decanter, go for it.

How long?

Generally you would want to decant a younger wine for longer to help it open up and be cautious of exposing older wines to oxygen for too long. There are always exceptions of course, but this is a pretty good rule to follow.

Serving Temp

The correct serving temperature is important to show a wine’s true potential, but don’t stress over getting the temp exactly right. Use the chart below to try to get in the right ballpark.

Aging

When should I open this?

If a wine has been released by the producer and is available for sale, it means it is ready to drink. Wines don’t necessarily get “better” with age, they just change. Typically, this change involves things like losing fresh fruit flavors in exchange for more savory notes.

The moment you should open the bottle depends on your preference, so it’s more important to understand the evolution and the life span of the bottle than it is to try to time its opening perfectly. (It’s far better to open a bottle too early than too late.)

This bottle should probably be opened between:

2024 – 2032

Vintage

2021

This was a pretty typical vintage for most of Virginia.

There was a bit of late spring frost throughout the state, but overall, it did not severely damage most crops.

A warm and dry summer with few major rain events provided a pretty standard growing season for the grapes, allowing some to ripen to full potential.

Yield was lower than normal, but for the most part the quality of fruit was high and should produce very good wine.

Producer

Our Approach to Winemaking

Crafting the finest Virginia Estate wines is our passion and our purpose. Pippin Hill is delighted to partner with Michael Shaps of Virginia WineWorks to oversee our boutique-scale production. After harvesting at their prime, our grapes go through “custom crush” processing – the initial crush, quality evaluation, stainless and French oak barrel fermentation, blending, filtering, and bottling.

MONTICELLO WINE TRAIL

We at Pippin Hill tip our hat to Thomas Jefferson, “America’s first distinguished viticulturist.” And we are thrilled to have realized the dream that Mr. Jefferson never achieved—producing world-class wines in his native state. Pippin Hill is honored to be among 25 other vineyards and wineries on the Monticello Wine Trail here in the Birthplace of American Wine.

Sustainable Viticulture

Pippin Hill is committed to protecting and preserving the rural agrarian health and beauty of our vineyard and farm environs. We proactively embrace and follow environmentally sound and supportive viticulture practices, minimizing chemical repellents and optimizing natural sprays to keep our vines productive and our land healthy.

Terroir

“Terroir” in French winemaking terminology means the holistic interface of environment and earth. In other words, the elements and conditions in which wine is produced (elevation, sunlight, soil, topography, water, climate). Pippin Hill’s ideal terroir features a stable foundation of granitic pre-Cambrian formation, a deep groundwater aquifer and soils from two ancient and four alluvial fans.

Dean & Lynn

As the CEO and co-founder of Easton Porter Group– Opens in a new tab, Dean Andrews knows the nitty-gritty of five-star hospitality as well as anyone. Before launching EPG, Andrews served as senior operating officer for Orient-Express Hotels, Ltd., overseeing some of the world’s most exclusive properties. He’s acquired, repositioned and operated resorts, small and large luxury hotels and acclaimed restaurants across the globe, helping elevate the standards of hospitality excellence worldwide. Today he loves nothing more than honing the finer points of EPG’s boutique properties, because that’s what three decades in the hospitality industry has taught him:
every detail counts.

As creative director and co-founder of Easton Porter Group, Lynn Easton brings her exceptional design eye and event expertise to complement Dean’s business acumen. All EPG properties bear her signature style imprint. As founder of Easton Events– Opens in a new tab, a leading event planning and design company, Lynn’s classic taste, bespoke events, and weddings have earned her a devoted following as well as a nod as one of Vogue’s Top 5 Event Planners. Her work has been widely published including Martha Stewart, Town & Country, The Knot, Southern Weddings, and Southern Living Weddings.

Contact

5022 Plank Rd North Garden
Virginia 22959 USA

1-434-202-8063

INFO@PIPPINHILLFARM.COM

www.pippinhillfarm.com

Pippin Hill

Ridge Reserve

2021

Virginia, USA

Monticello AVA