x
  • Country ranking ?

    275
  • Producer ranking ?

    11
  • Decanting time

    2h
  • When to drink

    now to 2030
  • Food Pairing

    St. Francis Mission Style Beef Stew

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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The Story

Synonymous with Pahlmeyer, Proprietary Red is the winery’s raison d’etre.

“All I wanted to do was to create my own ‘California Mouton’ – a rich, powerful Napa Valley Bordeaux blend, a wine that would drop wine lovers to their knees,” says Jayson Pahlmeyer.

1986 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red was the realization of Jayson’s dream. Anointed 94 points by Robert Parker, it was the first of an extraordinary legacy of critically acclaimed wines.

What is Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red? It is a classic Napa Valley Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Each variety is harvested and held separately throughout fermentation and barrel aging. The lots are aged an average of 18 months in French oak Bordeaux barrels, blended through a meticulous, time-honored artisanal process, and bottled without filtering or fining.

Produced in limited quantities, the Proprietary Red is a wine of superb power and density with commanding tannins and rich, dark flavors that become increasingly lush and seductive with age. Properly cellared, Proprietary Red will evolve magnificently for at least 25 years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Information

Origin

St. Helena, Napa Valley

Inside Information

Proprietary Red – Pahlmeyer / "Our mission is to produce wines with power and personality. Our strict viticultural regime combined with a risky but rewarding approach to winemaking creates wines having extravagant, concentrated fruit, polish and pizzazz. The dedication of Jayson Pahlmeyer, the commitment of our grape growers, and the talent of our winemaker Erin Green have converged to produce among the finest Bordeaux-style red wine, Merlot and Chardonnay anywhere. Pahlmeyer thus proudly contributes to the continual advancement of winemaking and viticulture in Napa Valley."

Jayson Pahlmeyer stepped into the world of wine while in law school when he founded a wine tasting group which included professors as well as fellow students. Finding himself reading more wine journals than law journals, trial attorney Jayson Pahlmeyer decided to pursue his dream of producing a California "Bordeaux blend." After several trips to France, Jayson, with the aid of professors of viticulture and oenology at the University of Bordeaux, isolated the best clones of each of the "classic" Bordeaux and red varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. Jayson, in turn, had the clones imported into California and used them to plant a Napa Valley vineyard in 1980. As he transitioned from lawyer to vintner, he developed vineyards in the Coombsville and Atlas Peak areas of Napa and on Sonoma's Lost Coast.
Under the winemaking direction of Randy Dunn, Jayson released his first vintage - the 1986 Pahlmeyer Red Table Wine. Dunn, who presided over winemaking until 1992, emphasized high extraction of fruit and flavor with no fining or filtering. Using the clonal varieties from France, Dunn created legendary Californian Bordeaux blends for Jayson and placed Pahlmeyer among the serious Cabernet producers.


In 1998 Jayson discovered a magical spot on the Sonoma Coast, two ridges in from the Pacific, where fog and sun chase each other through the seasons. They studied it; they planted it; they watched the cooling influence which is the rationale of great Pinot Noirs from around the world. This is their Wayfarer Vineyard. They began planting the vineyard in 2000 and continue to learn and adjust the practices to coax the most concentrated and elegant grapes that they can from this magical place.

In January of 2000 Erin Green became the Director of Winemaking for Pahlmeyer. Erin approaches winemaking in a way that is both traditional and cutting edge. She focuses on developing flavor from the planting of the vine through the bottling of the wine.
In 2003, Michel Rolland joined the team as an advisor. Rolland is considered by many to be one of the worlds most respected blending experts. He visits Pahlmeyer three times a year and works with Erin on both vineyard nuances and, by tasting hundreds of lot samples, refining the final blends before bottling.
 

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