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The Pahlmeyer label has long been known to wine collectors and connoisseurs as an under-the-radar gem, standing out for its high quality in the glass and ageworthy quality in the cellar.
The story starts in 1981 when then-lawyer Jayson Pahlmeyer and his business partner John Caldwell smuggled 'suitcase clones' of Bordeaux cuttings into the United States and planted them in Napa Valley’s Coombsville AVA, where Caldwell and his family already owned a parcel of land. Pahlmeyer's dream was to emulate the great First Growths of the Old World - to create, in his words, his own "California Mouton."
With the 1986 vintage, Pahlmeyer released the first vintage of Proprietary Red - the flagship wine of the estate - and garnered immediate acclaim from Wine Advocate. From the February 1988 issue: "This immensely impressive wine has outstanding depth and length and looks like a candidate for 5-15 years of cellaring. Quite impressive."
Randy Dunn produced the first seven vintages of Pahlmeyer before handing the reins to the Helen Turley, who had recently left Peter Michael. While the brands first few decades of life would prove formative under the winemaking tutelage of Dunn and Turley, Pahlmeyer’s popularity reached new heights when a bottle of its Chardonnay became a critical plot point of 1994’s “Disclosure,” starring Michael Douglas and Demi Moore. The brand exploded from there and has never lost momentum.
Today, Pahlmeyer continues to source fruit from a small collection of mountain vineyards - most crucially Waters Ranch and Stagecoach vineyards, with Katie Vogt oversees sourcing and winemaking.
A graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, Vogt carries on Pahlmeyer’s pedigree with expertise, artistry, and keen understanding. Building on the eminence Pahlmeyer has earned over three decades, Katie approaches each new vintage as an opportunity to honor the extraordinary success of her predecessors while continuously raising the bar.
“I’m not making individual wines, I’m continuing a legacy,” Katie says of the winery she joined in 2019.
“Pahlmeyer wines demand attention. They are truly inspired, showcasing the consideration and thought behind every choice and every detail. We farm deliberately at Pahlmeyer — we’re taking vineyards to the edge and exploring the tension. When you’re making this caliber of wines, you are fiercely selective. The fruit that becomes Pahlmeyer is nothing short of phenomenal, with incredible balance, intensity, and power.”
Today’s Mayacama wine offer celebrates one of the most iconic wine brands in Napa Valley while providing members access to both current release and library vintage bottlings, straight from winery’s well-kept cellar.
2021 Pahlmeyer Chardonnay, Napa Valley (98 points, James Suckling) -- The Chardonnay from Pahlmeyer shows typical richness that comes from high-quality vineyard sources, but it's the energy and freshness it maintains that sets it apart, along with a saline, savory finish. Fruit for this wine comes from several vineyard sources, including the Antica vineyard in the Atlas Peak AVA (owned by the Antinori family) which ranges in altitude from 1400-1800 ft asl, as well as the Haynes vineyard, which was planted in 1967 and houses some of the oldest Chardonnay vines in Napa Valley.
2019 Pahlmeyer Merlot, Napa Valley (97 points, James Suckling) -- Pahlmeyer's Merlot is a plump and juicy expression, more round and available than the Proprietary Red, but not lacking in its own ageability. Also sourced from high-elevation vineyards, fruit for this wine comes from Waters Ranch and Rancho Chimiles, which ranges from 900 - 1000 ft. One of the oldest ranches in Napa County, Rancho Chimiles is owned and operated by the Wilson family. The ranch straddles the ridge between Wooden Valley and northern Gordon Valley, and includes benchland in both valleys. The original land grant was awarded by Governor Pio Pico, the last Governor of Mexican California, to Jose Ignacio Berryessa in 1846, and purchased by William Gordon and Nathan Coombs in 1851.
2018 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red, Napa Valley (97 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous) -- Pahlmeyer's flagship wine is a Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc, sourced exclusively from mountain and hillside vineyards in the Napa, Atlas Peak, and Rutherford AVAs. The wine represents Pahlmeyer's most powerful and structured expression, with an aging capacity for 30 years or more.
Also available in limited quantities are the following library wines, shipping directly from the winery.
2013 Pahlmeyer Merlot, Napa Valley 1.5L (96 points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate) -- An absolute epic wine is the 2013 Merlot. It is no wimpy wine either. A gorgeous nose including roasted espresso, melted black chocolate, blackberry, plum and cassis offers an exceptional set of aromatics. The wine has beautiful ripeness, headiness and a long finish of close to 45+ seconds. This is a beauty of terrific purity, texture and personality. Few California Merlots will ever be capable of equaling this. Drink it over the next 25-30+ years.
2013 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red 1.5L (96 points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate) -- An absolute stunner is the 2013 Proprietary Red Wine. This is all mountain fruit. Beautiful floral, smoky, blackcurrant notes mixed with acacia flowers and forest floor jump from the glass of this dense, full-bodied, concentrated and age-worthy wine. Like most 2013s, this is a 30-year wine with remarkable concentration, color and fruit extract. Forget it for another 3-4 years and drink it over the following 30+ years.
As always please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions regarding these amazing wines.
Thank you for your continued support.
Cheers!
Carey Vanderborg, Wine Director |