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.