2003 Hidden Ridge Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 55% Slope Sonoma County 750 ml

Customer Favorite: A Collector’s Cabernet to Drink Today

If you’ve checked your e-mail in the past week, you’ve likely seen “Hidden Ridge” in your inbox, and today we’re back with more. But this is no ordinary Cabernet Sauvignon—today’s Wine Access Exclusive on the 2003 Hidden Ridge 55% Slope Cabernet Sauvignon is a perfectly cellared, wildly complex Cab that’s a full 16 years old and drinking in its prime.  This Hidden Ridge release is also a decade older than the chart-topping 2013 Wine Access Members have rated over 4 out of 5 stars and called “First Growth Quality,” and “Fantastic.” ​

Whether you open this alongside the new release, or orchestrate a dinner party for this fabulously aged Cabernet (trust us, this red warrants the red carpet), it’s sure to dazzle from the moment the cork is popped.

From 100-point winemaker Tim Milos, the 2003 Hidden Ridge 55% Slope proves Cabernet’s reputation for aging gracefully is well-deserved. Complex aromas of leather, cedar, and spice mingle with cherry jam, plum, and cassis before velvety tannins segue into a long and spicy finish. We can’t say it loud enough: Wine Access loyalists adore Hidden Ridge, and today’s release offers more of the decadent fruit and perfectly integrated tannins that have made this wine a favorite.

Because of our longstanding relationship with Hidden Ridge (and Wine Access members’ knack for buying up entire vintages of the 55% Slope release) we managed to secure this limited library release—and we’re the only merchant in the country with access to this crimson red.

Now, for the story:

Hidden Ridge is set amidst Mayacamas Mountain terrain so remote and rugged, their 48 planted acres of Cabernet Sauvignon can only be accessed via four-wheel-drive trucks and helicopters. Terroir this outstanding produces wine that’s just as awe-inspiring, as Robert Parker was quick to point out, calling it “a modern-day classic that could compete with the very finest Cabernet-based wines in the world.”

Up a twisting, jagged path, this special plot exists in a land of extremes on the Sonoma County side of Spring Mountain, 1,700 feet above sea level, where Cabernet vines search deep into the sandy loam and volcanic basalt that make up slopes, which are indeed slanted at a 55 degree angle—steep enough to make you look over your shoulder at the abyss below and double-check that your boots are flat on the ground.

The vineyards, out of necessity, are tended only by hand. Since the site is located above the fog line, sprawl terracing ensures that a mix of shade, mountaintop sunshine, and stiff breezes endow the grapes with their powerful tannic structure and firm acids.

If you can swing half a case, do it. It’s truly one of the most breathtaking vineyards we’ve laid eyes on in Northern California. Again, we’ll quote Parker, who bequeathed to Hidden Ridge a perfect 100-point score in 2013 and seven 96- to 98-point scores in recent vintages: “These are clearly world-class Cabernets and should be considered by any serious collector for their cellars.”

Today, the work of cellaring was done for you. All you have to do is enjoy