Pahlmeyer

Pahlmeyer is a winery in the Napa Valley which, since 1986, has achieved cult status thanks to grapes grown on high-altitude vineyards and a team of legendary winemakers. The wines are unfiltered and unfined, and are made from grapes grown on some of the most challenging plots in the Vaca Mountains on the eastern edge of Napa.

History

Jason Palmeyer was a lawyer who arrived in the Napa Valley in the mid-1980s with a bold idea and, as is well known, with shoeboxes filled with contraband vine cuttings from Bordeaux. His aim was to create a ‘California Mouton’, a Napa wine modelled on Château Mouton-Rothschild. To produce the first red vintage in 1986, he hired Randy Dunn of Dunn Vineyards, and upon release, the wine received 94 points from Robert Parker. He was followed by Bob Levy of Harlan Estate, who launched the production of Chardonnay in 1991, whilst Helen Turley was in charge of winemaking for most of the 1990s. The 1991 Chardonnay later featured in a key scene in the 1994 film ‘Disclosure’, which led to a steady stream of telephone enquiries to the winery for many years.

In 2019, Katie Vogt became head winemaker, continuing the estate’s tradition of working with the finest specialists. Pahlmeyer is currently owned by E. & J. Gallo Winery.

Vineyards and terroir

The entire harvest comes from high-altitude vineyards situated on the rugged foothills and ridges of the Waka Mountains, with key sites in Atlas Peak, Pritchard Hill and Oakville. The estate’s own Waters Ranch vineyard in Atlas Peak was planted in 1998. The Wayfarer vineyard on the Sonoma coast, hidden behind mist and redwood trees, yields Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Mountain soils, altitude and significant temperature variations produce small, concentrated berries with a dense structure.

Grapes and winemaking

The red wines are made primarily from Cabernet Sauvignon, with additions of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. All grapes are harvested by hand, and the winemaking process focuses on gentle extraction. The wines are aged primarily in new French oak barrels, as well as in some 500-litre ‘punchon’ barrels. All wines are bottled without fining or filtration.

Wines

The flagship wine, Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red, is the winery’s signature wine. Pièce de Résistance is a limited-edition red wine produced only in exceptional vintages. Pahlmeyer Chardonnay and Wayfarer’s Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir complete the range of top-tier wines.

The Jayson by Pahlmeyer range offers affordable second-label wines: reds, Chardonnay and Merlot.