Crisp, bright, lively blend led by chenin blanc with enough viognier (20%) to give it lush mouthfeel. It ranked #27 in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 wines of 2025.
Low calories (80 cal per 100mL), under one gram of sugar, lower alcohol, vegan friendly, gluten free. Relatively simple wine, also simply delicious and excellent value. Wide distribution. $12-16
Dry, though fruitiness gives impression of honey sweetness; bright acidity. Medium body with dose of oiliness. Blend of 80% chenin blanc and 20% viognier (hence the attractive oiliness component). Chenin blanc sourced from Clarksburg and picked at low sugar levels to preserve brightness and keep alcohol low. Viognier sourced from Lodi at 24 Brix—high for a white wine—for body, alcohol, and viognier’s viscosity-oiliness. Fermented in stainless steel with no malolactic conversion or oak exposure. Environmentally sound—lightweight bottle (404 grams, 20% lighter than industry average); certified Napa Green with a program to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050. 11.5% ABV
Gary Andrus and his wife, Nancy, founded Pine Ridge Vineyards in 1978. Andrus was an unlikely winery founder. An avid skier, he served on the U.S. downhill ski team from 1976-1979 and was vice president of Copper Mountain Ski Resort in Colorado. But the wine scene in Napa captured Andrus and he acquired property in what is now the Stags Leap District on a steeply terraced hillside flanked by a ridgeline of pine trees—thus the name. The winery became a marquee name in cabernet sauvignon.
In 1993, in partnership with Ian McNeil Cumming, Andrus founded Archery Summit Winery, which became a prominent pinot noir producer in Oregon’s Dundee Hills. Cumming was the founder of Leucadia National Corporation, a sprawling conglomerate across multiple industries that was worth $1.4 billion at the time of the Andrus-Cumming Archery Summit partnership. Although famous for estate cabernet sauvignon in Napa and estate pinot noir in Oregon, in the late 1990s, Andrus took a flier on a whimsical blend of chenin blanc and viognier sourced from vineyards outside of Napa. It quickly became a hit. Today, Pine Ridge makes 180,000 cases a year of the wine.
In the early 2000s, Gary and Nancy divorced and divested interests in the wineries, which became wholly owned by Leucadia. Leucadia established the Crimson Wine Group in 2007 as its luxury wine portfolio. In 2013, Leucadia spun off the Crimson Wine Group. Today, Crimson is an independent company with headquarters at the Pine Ridge estate in Napa. In addition to Pine Ridge and Archery Summit, Crimson now includes several premium brands—Chamisal Vineyards, Seghesio Family Vineyards, Double Canyon, Seven Hills Winery, and Raeburn.
Pine Ridge owns 160 acres of vineyards across five Napa Valley appellations: Stags Leap District (four sites), Howell Mountain, Oakville, Rutherford, and Carneros (three sites). The current winemaker is Josh Widaman, who previously made wines at Lewis Cellars, including the Wine Spectator’s #1 Wine of the Year in 2016, the Lewis Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2013.
Pine Ridge Vineyards Chenin Blanc-Viognier White Blend 2024: Medium gold color; tangerine, lemon, lime, honeydew melon, lemongrass, grapefruit, kiwi, ginger spice, white flowers, honeysuckle on the nose and palate.
Pairing—Grilled shrimp, shrimp tostadas, spicy shrimp; oysters, ceviche; Thai curry, spicy Asian noodle bowls. Green salads, asparagus with lemony risotto, vegetable boards. Frittata, roast chicken, salumi appetizers; pork tenderloin with apple/stone-fruit chutney. Cheese—Goat cheese is classic; Chabichou du Poitou, mild chèvre with crackers and olives.
