2021 Cuda Ridge Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve – Best of Class Winner at San Francisco Wine Competition 2025
Photo from Cuda Ridge Wines Facebook page
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Being recognized as Best of Class at SF Chronicle is a major achievement by any winery and Cuda Ridge could not be more pleased with the accolade. First on the eyes this wine is dark in the glass and medium-heavy viscosity. Once in the glass, intense and powerful aromas of violets, lavender and dark fruits engulf the senses. On the palate, black cherries, plums and eucalyptus swirl about in a grand waltz being confident and bold in the mouth. Secondary flavors of raspberry, graphite and mocha come into play. On the incredibly long and dry finish the grippy tannins are present on sides and roof of the mouth. Blackberry fruit helps caress and manage the tannins to complete this elegant tasting experience.
This wine is from three different vineyards and varieties with 90% Cabernet Sauvignon coming from Galles Vineyard, 5% Thatcher Bay with Merlot and 5% Smith Ranch Petit Verdot. It was aged 30 months in French oak. The wine came in at 14.7% alcohol and is $65/bottle for a memorable tasting! This wine from the first sip made my annual Best Wines Tasted for 2025. A great job by Larry Dino.
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Tonight’s dinner was fit for a King! My wife brought her culinary skills to the kitchen with a perfect Chateaubriand steak. It was seasoned with kosher salt, ground black pepper and canola oil, then browned in a skillet and then baked to medium rare. The sauce included shallots, parsley, unsalted butter, fresh thyme, red wine and a demi-glace. The demi-glace was the key and consisted of bay leaf, dried thyme, fresh parsley stems and peppercorns. The demi-glace ingredients included clarified butter, chopped yellow onions, chopped celery, chopped carrots, flour, low sodium beef stock and Kosher salt. Lots of heating of the sauce and demi-glace. A sachet was prepared with spices and tied up with cooking twine to create the sachet d’ Épices. Then added to the sauce when done and strained via cheesecloth after simmering. Many more steps and work to get this completed but what a wonderful meal. The meat literally melted in the mouth. Accompanied by Brussel sprouts, drizzled with balsamic vinegar and mashed potatoes with chives.
Pairing the 2021 Cuda Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon was a perfect match for this delicious and scrumptious meal.
Background
Photo from Cuda Ridge Wines Facebook page
Perhaps an odd winery name but you must understand how Larry Dino came up with the name. Larry and Margie Dino are the proprietors with Larry being the winemaker, were discussing what to name their newly formed winery. Larry was in the process of restoring a 1970 Barracuda (or ‘Cuda) and one of his friends mentioned his Cuda and the ridge that was off in the distance. Voila the winery name was formed. Now for looking under the hood about Cuda Ridge Wines.
The Winery
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The winery was formed in 2007 in Livermore at 2400 Arroyo Drive, Livermore, California. The vision for Cuda Ridge Wines has been from the onset to produce premium wines that are small lot and hand-crafted Bordeaux-style wines. Cuda Ridge’s current production is 2400 cases. Cuda Ridge Wines produces the following Bordeaux varietals: Sauvignon Blanc, Rosé, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Carménère, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. He also has a non-Bordeaux wines which include Sangiovese, New-World style Cabernet Sauvignon, and an S&M blend. I have tasted many of his wines over the years but until recently never sat down and went through a complete tasting and I was so pleased with the experience.
To view the list of their awards by varietal click this link: https://cudaridgewines.com/awards_notes/
Sláinte,
Michael