Three new wines christened ForeFront were released during harvest 2009 by the Crimson Wine Group, which consists of Pine Ridge Vineyards (Napa Valley), Chamisal Vineyards  (Edna Valley) and Archery Summit (Willamette Valley).

Wine industry pioneers Gary and Nancy Andrus established Pine Ridge Vineyards in 1978 in the district of Stags Leap, and Archery Summit Vineyards in 1993. The Andruses were among the first to encourage tight vine spacing in the vineyard, implement gravity flow in the cellar and hire a female winemaker in the 1970s.

The portfolio of ForeFront wines includes a cabernet sauvignon, sauvignon blanc and pinot noir, all priced in the $16-$24 per 750 ml bottle range.

The 2007 cabernet sauvignon is blended with syrah from El Dorado and Edna Valley and small amounts of Bordeaux varieties sourced from the 225 estate acres from five different AVAs owned by Pine Ridge in Napa.

The 2008 sauvignon blanc is a blend of fruit from the Dry Creek and Napa AVAs. The 2008 pinot noir, 100 percent sources from Willamette Valley, primarily the Dundee Hills AVA.  For more information on the wines including a video overview visit http://forefrontwines.com/wines.html.

The wines were crafted by Michael Beaulac, who is at the home vineyard of Pine Ridge.