External search
Google (images)
Wine Advocate
Wine Spectator
Burghound
Wine-Searcher
Vintages
2021
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
Show more
From this producer
Show all wines
All tasting notes
|
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.2 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 112 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by mclanew on 12/25/2022 & rated 91 points: Slow ox for one hour. Big nose of blackberries, violets and mocha comes through. The wine is full bodied, a little jammy and oakey, still youthful but packed pull of flavor and depth. This still has a way to go. Unclear though that it will really develop much complexity along the way. (778 views) | | | Tasted by OenophilistMN on 11/16/2021 & rated 91 points: One-hour decant through a screened and aerating funnel. Nonexistent nose during decant. No sediment. In the glass: clear wine deep purple in bowl lightening to ruby red on the rim and a moderate clear halo. Nose was very bretty with just a slight blackberry undertone. In the mouth: bold powerful blackberry and blueberry flavors (more like Howell Mountain fruit) with a good backbone and a long mocha finish. The brett never diminished over the two hours of post-decant dinner. Lovely wine that I would have scored higher if there had been less brett and more fruit in the nose. Flavor-wise, a treat to drink! (1751 views) | | | Tasted by OneOfTheBasicFoodGroups on 3/4/2021 & rated 97 points: One of my favorite wines and simply a stunner. Just the right balance of everything, with hint of tannin. Lovely mouth feel. Long, long finish. Not sure why some think this was done by 2019. And, I certainly believe there are several more years you will be able to enjoy this.
Sadly, the last one. Happily there is 2006. (2246 views) | | | Tasted by jimyeni on 6/12/2020 & rated 90 points: Dark, feeling last it’s prime (2703 views) | | | Tasted by OneOfTheBasicFoodGroups on 4/19/2020 & rated 96 points: Lush mouth feel. Everything nicely balanced. Long finish. Hints of mocha and chocolate. Love it. Notably improved on day 2 (used Vacu Vin). Will be good for several more years. (2547 views) | | | Tasted by VinoDiver on 3/15/2020 & rated 91 points: This needed 2 days of being open. Day one was thin and cloying sweet but after several hours it was improving. Day 2 this had rounded out and fruit had come into balance. (2231 views) | | | Tasted by jc510 on 3/4/2020 & rated 93 points: This wine is drinking really well, good nose of mocha & cassis, full bodied, well balanced, vanilla, chocolate covered currants, hint of pencil shavings, medium to long finish. After taste is balanced leaving me wanting another sip. Consumed over 2 hours, best at 1 hour to 90 minutes. (1744 views) | | | Tasted by djdaqm on 3/24/2018 & rated 92 points: Decanted and aerated for about an hour before drinking. On the nose there is dark berries along with some eucalyptus and Napa chalkiness. Juicy, rich and very drinkable. Decent acidity to balance the fruitiness. Not particularly complex or nuanced. Good wine for steak. (3098 views) | | | Tasted by msuwine on 1/3/2018 & rated 93 points: This Merlot has faded a bit since I tasted it two and a half years ago (6/15 - 94 points), but it is still an enjoyable and nuanced Merlot. Brick red in color, medium in body, nose of plum and cedar, with a hint of spices (along with a little funkiness that blows off with air - consistent with Maximum Satisfaction’s experience a few months ago). Tastes of prune, peppercorn, cocoa powder, and wet soil, with a sweet finish that has very few (and fine-grained) tannins. Blend of 89% Merlot and 11% Cabernet Sauvignon. 15.2% alcohol. Gets better after an hour of air.
This was probably at its peak a few years ago, and there’s no reason to wait: drink now. As a general observation, it’s remarkable to me that Pahlmeyer’s merlots age as well as they do, since I find it dicey to drink most good CA Merlot even 5-6 years after vintage. This is definitely now a combination of ripeness and dust, but it fits together enough to be quite enjoyable. (3516 views) | | | Tasted by MAXIMUM SATISFACTION on 8/4/2017: Still plenty of acidity but time to drink up. Needs a 30 minute decant to blow off some funk. Lots of earthiness backed by tart blackberry, milk chocolate, olive brine, and strawberry. Thin compared to other years but gained weight with time open. (3166 views) | | | Tasted by D.Callahan on 7/4/2017 & rated 93 points: One of California's best Merlots! Delicious black fruit, licorice and berry flavors fill the palate balanced by the good acidity, mineral and spice. nicely layered finish completes the picture of a high quality, long-lived wine with plenty of time yet to come. (3107 views) | | | Tasted by Bourgognefreak on 2/23/2017 & rated 91 points: So very much Merlot. Overwhelming bottle and overwhelming Merlot notes.
After some time in the glass it is more balanced and quite enjoyable. (3755 views) | | | Tasted by Jasonr1023 on 1/31/2017 & rated 90 points: Revisit 2020 (2938 views) | | | Tasted by fingers on 11/25/2016 & rated 93 points: Dark ruby with a dark garnet rim, clear legs and no sediment. Voluptuous nose of dark smoky fig and berries, juniper and roses, and a strong ocean seaspray. Smooth as silk on the palate, where layers of cocoa and redcurrant complete the bouquet. Absolute class and elegance. Very special and perfectly in the zone now and for the next couple years. 5+12+18+8 = 93 (3159 views) | | | Tasted by KenPlace on 3/7/2016 & rated 93 points: This wine is in a perfect drinking window. Well integrated, nice and smooth. (3670 views) | | | Tasted by cawineaux on 2/8/2016 & rated 93 points: Bottle decant 3 hours. In the decanter for about an hour before drinking over the next couple of hours. This is a rich, deep, velvety smooth merlot. Blue and black fruits, baking spices, and pipe tobacco (3383 views) | | | Tasted by winelover4008 on 1/22/2016 & rated 93 points: Took a while to open up. First taste was not good...closed and dry with lots of graphite tastes and lots of complexity underneath. I let sit for several hours and it opened up nicely. It balanced out nicely with fruit and jaminess up front, nice mid palate and great tannins at finish. (2997 views) | | | Tasted by wine4lux on 12/27/2015 & rated 95 points: This is a huge merlot- wonderful fruit, robust tannins, excellent extended finish. The last of three bottles (sadly) did not disappoint. One of the most memorable Napa merlots that I have had. (2900 views) | | | Tasted by rpenn77 on 11/5/2015 & rated 94 points: Rich dark fruit. Merlot on steroids! (3024 views) | | | Tasted by msuwine on 6/26/2015 & rated 94 points: A beautiful and layered Merlot that has aged gracefully. Amazing aromas of strawberry, chocolate, and cedar; more fragrant than any CA Merlot I have ever had, the nose was noticeable even as I walked by the decanter. Dark red, thick in body. Tastes of blackberry, leather, and graphite. Blend of 89% Merlot and 11% Cabernet Sauvignon. 15.2% alcohol. Drink now or in next year - this is quite special. (3024 views) | | | Tasted by KenPlace on 3/21/2015 & rated 93 points: Beautiful merlot, but still young. Wait 5 more years! The tannins have mostly integrated, but there is very little secondary development. Mocca, cassis, fine tannins. Excellent concentration and length. (3016 views) | | | Tasted by eyesnwine on 12/28/2014 & rated 89 points: a bit too much alcohol but since I opened with my coravin, its possible that decanting would help; probably the heaviest 750ml bottle I have ever encountered and would recommend saving the empty bottle as security against any would-be thieves (3480 views) | | | Tasted by rpenn77 on 11/29/2014 & rated 95 points: Rich earthy red with dark fruits and a long finish. Showed much better than I thought it might. Dynamite! (3257 views) | | | Tasted by benberube on 11/27/2014 & rated 85 points: Soft taste no strong nodes. Lots of sediment (3025 views) | | | Tasted by Jasonr1023 on 11/23/2014 & rated 88 points: Revisit dec 2015. (2885 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Pahlmeyer Producer website
Jayson Pahlmeyer, recently joined by his daughter Cleo Pahlmeyer, have been producing highly sought-after, seductive, hedonistic wines since 1986. Pahlmeyer's flagship wine is the Proprietary Red, a Napa Valley Bordeaux blend. Chardonnay, Merlot and Pinot Noir round out this stunning portfolio. These wines are produced from exceptional mountain vineyards in the Napa Valley and Sonoma Coast, including the Pahlmeyer family’s Waters Ranch (Atlas Peak AVA) and Wayfarer Farm (Fort Ross/Seaview AVA). These vineyards, coupled with winemakers Kale Anderson and Bibiana Gonzalez Rave's passion and talent, turn out wines with power and finesse.MerlotMerlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to be a diminutive of merle, the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color of the grape. Its softness and "fleshiness", combined with its earlier ripening, makes Merlot a popular grape for blending with the sterner, later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon, which tends to be higher in tannin.USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Napa ValleySt. Helena |
|
