94pts Wine Spectator

A flamboyant style, rich and showy but complex at the core, with black cherry, mocha espresso and spice flavors that glide toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2033. 2,291 cases made.

94pts Decanter

93pts Wine Enthusiast

Pahlmeyer Merlot quickly became a Napa icon. Here, the 2023 shows off what makes it one. Mixed berries, dark fruits, flowering herbs, graphite, and a pithy finish stimulate the palate while offering generosity and plenty of structure to serve a meal as well as continue to develop in bottle. 

92pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2022 Merlot relies more on the Waters Ranch (70%), as it has some deeper soils than Stagecoach and the irrigation at this 60-acre site may've been more efficient, according to winemaker Katie Vogt. Ripe cherries and deep loam notes lead the way, with this vintage not showing much in the way of herbal complexity on the nose. The wine is full-bodied, open-knit and velvety yet avoids any coarseness, finishing with ample length and hints of mocha.

Tasting Notes

The 2022 Pahlmeyer Merlot is generous yet structured, a dynamic interplay of intensity and vibrancy. Aromas of brambly blackberry, macerated black cherry, and wild raspberry rise from the glass, underscored by crushed peppercorn, fresh sage, and a hint of forest floor. On the palate, a rich core of dark plum and fresh fig is wrapped in plush, velvety tannins, while savory, earthy notes emerge with time: tobacco leaf, cocoa nib, and plowed earth. The finish is long and lifted, carried by the wine’s natural energy and a lingering touch of violet and warm spice. With its dark fruit core amplified in its youth, this wine will evolve beautifully over the next decade, developing further nuance and refinement.

Winemaker's Notes

We hand harvested each of our high-elevation sites in the cool of night. At the winery, the clusters were meticulously hand sorted and destemmed, with only the most perfect berries delivered to the tank. Fruit was gently and slowly extracted, spending up to 18 days on skins. Free-run juice was then collected overnight and aged separately from press cuts. We aged the wine in 82% new French oak barrels for 18 months. Select lots were carefully blended, with a touch of Malbec lending even more plushness and depth. The wine was bottled without fining or filtering in May 2024, enjoying additional bottle age before release.

Winery Story

'Nearly four decades ago, Jayson Pahlmeyer embarked on a daring journey, arriving in Napa Valley with a bold dream and shoeboxes filled with smuggled Bordeaux vine cuttings. A trial lawyer by profession, Jayson, captivated by the allure of First Growth Bordeaux, was driven by a singular ambition: to create a Napa Valley wine that could stand shoulder to shoulder with Bordeaux’s finest. “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,” he explains.

With a bit of ingenuity, Jayson and his accomplice and friend, John Caldwell, surreptitiously planted his “suitcase” clones on John’s Coombsville property in 1981. The exceptional quality of fruit in Caldwell Vineyard soon caught local attention, and by 1986, storied Napa Valley winemaker Randy Dunn – agreeing to make Jayson’s first wine in exchange for access to his fruit – crafted the debut Proprietary Red. Comprising five of the red Bordeaux varieties that Jayson had planted, the wine garnered 94 points from Robert M. Parker, Jr. upon its release and launched Pahlmeyer’s reputation for excellence.

In the late 90s, Jayson looked to the rugged mountaintops to establish his own vineyard. “My closest advisors, Helen Turley and John Wetlaufer, told me, ‘If you want to be a first-growth, you have to have your own vineyards,’” says Jayson Pahlmeyer. “I found this property in Atlas Peak, in the eastern hills of Napa Valley — an incredible parcel with views of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco skyline.

After John analyzed the soil and David Abreu studied the terrain, Helen Turley spoke for all of them when she declared the site “paradisiacal.” Rocky and desolate with low vigor and good drainage, it was perfect for growing intense, expressive Bordeaux varietals. Jayson hired David Abreu to develop it, and Helen and Erin Green, Helen’s protégé and longtime Pahlmeyer winemaker, selected the clones, which included those smuggled from Bordeaux.

Today, Pahlmeyer wines are crafted through a steadfast commitment to the principles of site, discipline, and high quality of First Growth Bordeaux coupled with the signature richness, power, and depth of Napa Valley. Pahlmeyer wines are built on a foundation of extraordinary mountain vineyard sites and confident, discerning viticulture choices that demand maximum flavor intensity.'

Blend: 98% Merlot, 2% Malbec