On the off chance you were wondering how the powerhouse Pina winery fared in the challenging 2011 vintage, I can say with a degree of certainty that it powered right through the crummy weather. This example from the Firehouse Vineyard in Rutherford is living proof. It’s a rich, muscular, mouth-filling Cabernet that’s complex and layered, showing notes of cassis, cedar and mocha, with a thread of intriguing minerality and firm tannins that shorten the finish a bit — a condition that will resolve over time, allowing the finish to soften and lengthen.
Pina, Rutherford (Napa Valley) Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
By Robert Whitley