1986 Ravenswood Pickberry Vineyard

BY ANTONIO GALLONI | FEBRUARY 19, 2019

Alessandro Masnaghetti and I arrived at Pickberry Vineyard
to find an array of bottles laid out&nbsp;on Cris and Lorna Strotz’s kitchen counter. Over the
years, the Strotzes have sold fruit from their Sonoma Mountain property to a
number of wineries. It may seem hard to believe, but Alessandro and I rarely taste when we are working on maps&nbsp;because
we are so focused on the task at hand. But it was the end of the day, and we
were tired of battling with the unrelentingly cold, rainy weather, so we
decided to take a little break. One label in particular caught my eye, the
1986 Ravenswood Pickberry Vineyard. Joel Peterson’s Ravenswood wines have a
track record of aging brilliantly, so I was intrigued to check in on this 30+ year-old Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc-based blend.&nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1550615916756-Map_cropped.jpg">

A view of Pickberry and surrounding vineyards, as seen in
the forthcoming The Vinous Map of the
Vineyards of Sonoma Valley by Antonio Galloni and Alessandro Masnaghetti,
scheduled for release in late 2019.

The 1986 Pickberry
Vineyard is utterly captivating from the very first taste. Remarkably deep,
especially for a wine of its age, the 1986 is simply magnificent. A whole range
of cedar, smoke, tobacco and black olive notes race across the palate.
Powerful, resonant and structured, the 1986 is at a glorious peak of expression
today. Even with quite a bit of time in the glass, the 1986 remains incredibly
rich and deep, which is remarkable given that these vines were just four years
old at the time! Joel Peterson opted for an unusual blend of 50% Cabernet
Sauvignon, 40% Cabernet Franc and 10% Merlot. The Franc really seems to add
an element of spice that is unusual in Sonoma Bordeaux blends. More than
anything else though, the 1986 Pickberry Vineyard is a wine of pure and total
sensory pleasure that shows just how pedigreed Sonoma’s best sites are. Readers
lucky enough to own it can look forward to another decade of exceptional
drinking. 95/2019-2029.

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