Winemaker Notes

The Pinot Noir grapes were hand-picked at night to preserve freshness, and the fruit was delivered to the winery before sunrise. We hand-sorted and destemmed the fruit before fermenting the juice in neutral French oak barrels.  The wine aged sur lie for three months prior to bottling.

Tasting Notes

A shimmering pale salmon pink in the glass, the 2023 WF2 Rosé reveals fresh aromas of cut strawberry, crushed raspberry, white peach and perfumed orange blossom. The palate delights with refreshing and racy acidity, balanced by vibrant red berry fruit and finishing with a wet river stone minerality. The 2023 is well-suited for immediate enjoyment but can cellar for a few years if desired.

Vintage Notes

The 2023 vintage began with a cool and wet spring, delaying budbreak weeks later than usual. July and August brought warmth and sunshine with above average temperatures driving berry development and ripening, before transitioning into cooler weather in September.  The temperate yet sunny days post-veraison created beautiful flavor and tannin development while retaining freshness, vibrant acidity and complex savory notes in the finished wines.  The mild fall weather and late harvest in 2023 produced truly beautiful and classically styled wines with extended aging potential.

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.