98pts James Suckling

Aromas of hibiscus and other flowers with some rose petal and al dente strawberry. Orange peel. Like going into a flower shop. Medium body with superb focus and pinpointed fruit and acidity. So flavorful at the end. Goes on for minutes. Exciting. Drinkable but better in two or three years.

97pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2021 Pinot Noir Mother Rock is complex and expressive. It comes from east-facing Mt. Eden and 777 selection vines and was vinified using 15% whole clusters. Proprietor Cleo Pahlmeyer and winemaker Todd Kohn note that most of the wines in the Wayfarer portfolio are based on destemmed fruit, "but in this vintage, a touch more worked here." It takes some coaxing to release its aromas of strawberry and raspberry jam, shiitake, forest floor and wafts of cocoa. The palate is supple and mouthwatering with generous berry and spice layers, and the flavorful, juicy finish drives you to take another taste.

94pts Wine Spectator

This has very enticing plum, boysenberry and mulberry fruit flavors, laced with finely beaded acidity and backed by violet, hibiscus and red tea. The finish has latent length and is carried effortlessly by the acidity. If you're a fan of the fruit-driven style, you'll love this.

Winemaker Notes

Over ten vintages, The Traveler has shown it is a wine with extraordinary personality. A chameleon in the glass, Wayfarer does their best to taste wines blind, but its ability to transform gives it away. From roses to pomegranate, white truffles to dry flowers, blood orange to fresh herbs, this wine is constantly revealing itself, and it will age beautifully in your cellar for at least a decade.

Winery Notes

Wayfarer was founded as a secluded farmstead more than 40 years ago, before its locale was defined as the now coveted Fort Ross Seaview AVA. In 1989, Jayson Pahlmeyer's winemaker, Helen Turley, discovered the site for sale down the road from her Marcassin vineyard. She introduced Pahlmeyer, declaring it destined to become "the La Tache of California."

In tandem with his daughter Cleo and renowned winemaker Bibiana Gonzales Rave, Pahlmeyer drives to make intricate wines of transcendence, answering to powerful, ever-unpredictable climate that rewards only the most observant and meticulous. It is an endeavor of true passion, an experiment that pushes the exactitude of winegrowing and winemaking to the farthest limits.