2009 Vintage

94-96 Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar May/June 2011
Inky purple. Dark berries and cherry-cola are complemented by notes of cracked pepper and a hint of candied licorice on the nose. Then concentrated and velvety in the mouth, with nicely delineated flavors of red- and blackcurrant, smoky herbs and bitter chocolate. Deep but fine-grained cabernet with firm structure, intense finishing thrust and a surprisingly refreshing coda of tangy acidity. This should be a keeper.

2008 Vintage

94 Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar May/June 2011
Inky purple. Highly perfumed aromas of blackcurrant, cherry-cola, cracked pepper, roasted coffee and rose oil. Then suave and expansive in the mouth, with an alluring sweetness to the complex flavors of dark berry preserves, candied licorice and tobacco. This rich but energetic cabernet really stains the palate but shows no excess weight. Finishes sweet and extremely long, with resonating floral and cherry notes.

93 Wine Spectator, June 30, 2011
A rich, potent, tightly wound and focused effort, with tiers of mineral, currant, dried berry, sage, black licorice and toasty herb flavors. This unfolds slowly, opening gradually to more layers and dimensions. Best from 2013 through 2022.

93-95 Robert M. Parker Jr.'s The Wine Advocate, December 2010
Not surprisingly, the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Pedregal has also improved after a year in barrels. A wine of undeniable richness and intensity, this blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Petit Verdot exhibits notes of graphite, blackberries, black currants, scorched earth/burning embers, white chocolate and cedar. It tastes like a hypothetical blend of a Bordeaux Pauillac and Graves, but with the intensity and opulent fruit of Napa Valley well-displayed. It should be more approachable than the 2007 when it is released, yet last just as long, 20-30+ years.

2007 Vintage

95 Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar May/June 2010
Dense ruby. Drop-dead gorgeous aromas of cherry compote, potpourri, sandalwood, woodsmoke and vanilla. Fine-grained, alluringly sweet red and dark berry preserve flavors are given spine by zesty minerality and become spicier and sweeter with air. Candied rose and violet notes build and carry through an impressively long, juicy, focused finish. Plenty going on already but this is still a baby. This saw 100% new oak but is carrying it admirably.

96+ Robert M. Parker Jr.'s The Wine Advocate, December 2010
From a valley floor site just below Dalla Valle in the Oakville Corridor, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Pedregal is an intriguing blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon and 18% Petit Verdot. Aromas of creme de cassis, Christmas fruitcake, cedarwood, loamy soil, blackberries and coffee are followed by a young, concentrated, intense wine that should be forgotten for 3-5 years, and consumed over the following two decades.

96 Wine Spectator October 15, 2010
Ripe and powerful, rich and chewy, with a dense core of loamy earth, caraway, dried currant, savory herb and mineral notes. Full-bodied, intense, chunky and deep, with a rich, persistent finish. Best from 2011 through 2017.

93 California Grapevine. Vol. 36, No. 6, December 2010-January 2011
Medium-dark to dark ruby; attractive, big, rich, intense, cassis and sweet red berry fruit aroma with cedary notes and a hint of pepper; full body; intense, concentrated, cedary, cassis and very ripe black cherry fruit flavors with initial supple, plumy richness and outstanding depth and length; firmly structured; full tannin; turning a bit tough on the finish; lingering aftertaste. May be Ramey's best Cabernet to date. Approachable now though deserving a good five more years of bottle aging. Very highly recommended.

2006 Vintage

95+ Robert M. Parker Jr.'s The Wine Advocate December 2008, Issue 180
Ramey has discovered a fabulous source in the Oakville Corridor, and the (sadly, only 310 cases sensational 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Pedregal Vineyard produced) is a blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Petit Verdot. Inky purple to the rim, with sweet crème de cassis, roasted meat, and blackberry fruit notes, juicy succulence on the attack, full-bodied power, plenty of glycerin, sensational purity, and a hint of bouquet garni, this is an enormously endowed Cabernet Sauvignon that builds incrementally on the palate, finishing with a blast of power and sweet tannin. Give it 4-5 years of cellaring, and drink it over the following 25+ years.

89 (one puff) Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine, Volume 33 Issue 10: August 2009
The biggest and most outgoing wine of the three very ripe Ramey Cabernets, this dense, exceptionally full-bodied effort is awash in dark berries, milk chocolate and sweet and slightly toasty oak spice. Like each of its mates, it is a wine utterly unconcerned with finesse, and, while it can be criticized as being hotter than needs be at the finish, it more than makes up in richness and substance and sheer fruity stuffing for what it may lack in manners.

Four stars Ronn Wiegand's Restaurant Wine, Issue #130, March/April 2009
A rich, supple, complex Cabernet, that is very ripely flavored (tasting nearly sweet), moderately oaky, and long on the finish, tasting of cassis, black licorice, toast, black olive, tobacco, and berry jam.[2011-2016]

2005 Vintage

95  Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar May/June 08
Opaque ruby. Exotic perfume of dark berries, kirsch, bitter chocolate and espresso. Deep, supple and sweet, with impressively concentrated cassis and cherry compote flavors. The tannins are substantial but are buried beneath the massive fruit. Sticks to the palate like glue, eventually finishing with strong echoes of bitter cherry and high-octane chocolate. I'm not sure what you'd serve this with as its sheer depth and intensity will overwhelm all but the most full-flavored foods. That said, there's nothing heavy about it whatsoever. Pretty remarkable wine.

96  Robert M. Parker Jr.'s The Wine Advocate December 2007
Readers looking for a Screaming Eagle look-alike should check out David Ramey's 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Pedregal (85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Petit Verdot), a wine that has put on amazing richness and intensity since last year. Beautifully pure crème de cassis fruit interwoven with notions of spring flowers, espresso roast, and truffles jump from the glass of this wine. Wonderfully sweet, expansive fruit flavors, a massive, full-bodied palate, and superb elegance as well as purity suggest this stunner should drink well for 20-25+ years.

2004 Vintage

95+ Robert M. Parker Jr.'s The Wine Advocate 12-22-06
Another killer wine from David Ramey comes from the Pedregal Vineyard. This is one of my favorite sites for Cabernet Sauvignon in all of Napa, right on the Oakville crossroads on the eastern side of the valley, just adjacent to Rudd and slightly down the hill from Dalla Valle and the Phelps Backus vineyard. Rocky, iron-rich, red soils seem to produce terrific Cabernet Sauvignon, and certainly this is a knock-out. Sadly, there are only 325 cases of the 2004 Pedregal, a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Petit Verdot. Dense purple with notes of crème de cassis, cedar, truffle, and crushed rocks interwoven with extravagant levels of graphite, black currants, and scorched earth, this dense, powerful, rich wine is a real connoisseur's selection as it will need 3-4 years of bottle age and should keep for 20-30+ years.

95 Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar May/June 07
Saturated ruby. Assertive red- and blackcurrant aromas are accented by strong mineral notes and complicated by licorice, espresso and tobacco. Deep, concentrated and powerfully sweet, with liqueur-like dark berry flavors and firm but integrated tannins. Gains weight with air but maintains remarkable structure, finishing with palate-enveloping sweetness. Stunning stuff.