Pahlmeyer Napa Valley Proprietary Red

  

2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005

 

2008

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate #192, December 2010
The 2008 Proprietary Red Wine blend has a more opaque/purple color.  With more graphite, blueberry and lilac notes, sweet tannin, medium to full body, and an elegant, gracious feel, it is more restrained than previous examples but has no shortage of richness and concentration.  It looks to be a beauty in a Bordeaux style, with sweet tannins but loads of fruit – unmistakably California but French in structure.  Drink it over the next 15+ years.  93 points

Wine Spectator Insider, September 21, 2011
Offers a mix of tight, structured cedar, graphite, pure black cherry, currant and wild berry flavors, with touches of anise and crushed rock, ending with firm, ripe tannins and good length. Drink now through 2020.  –JL   93 points

Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar, May/June 2011
Good deep ruby-red. Complex nose melds briary black raspberry, black cherry, licorice, bitter chocolate and wild herbs. Concentrated, lush and intense, with very good purity to the nicely delineated dark fruit, spice and floral flavors.   A hint of wild herbs adds complexity.   The serious, broad tannins are sweeter than those of the merlot and arrive late.  93 points

 

2007

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate #186, December 2009
"Sensational... There is no doubting its extraordinary bouquet of subtle smoked meats, oak, mountain wild flowers, blueberries, blackberries, coffee, and cassis. Super-rich and full-bodied with noticeable, but stunningly sweet tannins, it possesses a rare minerality and definition, characteristics that seem to be found across the board in Napa’s 2007s. This dense, powerful red needs 3-5 years of cellaring, and should have 25 years of life ahead of it."  96+ points

Wine Spectator, September 30, 2010
"A rich, explosive style, packed with layers of currant, blackberry, wild berry and black cherry fruit woven together in a tight way. Full-bodied, turning supple and polished on the finish, where the fine-grained tannins are ripe and let the fruit flavors flow freely." –JL  95 points

 

2006

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate #180, December 2008
"Most of the fruit comes from the Stagecoach Vineyard and the Waters Ranch. Sweet, smoky, meaty aromas interwoven with melted asphalt, camphor, blackberry, cassis, and charcoal scents emerge from the complex aromatics. In the mouth, the wine is full-bodied, displaying sweet tannin, a concentrated mouthfeel, and a long, heady finish with substantial fruit, glycerin, and extract. It should drink beautifully for 20+ years."  95 points

Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar, May/June 2009
"Good medium ruby.  Musky aromas of black raspberry, mocha and smoke.  Ripe, lush, seamless and deep; broad for the vintage, with plenty of mid-palate stuffing to support its tannins.  This, too, is still youthfully unevolved and will need longer to express its inherent sweetness.  Like the 2006 merlot, this merited a score at the high end of my original projected range."  93 points

Wine Spectator, November 15, 2009
"Firm and structured, with a taut mix of dried currant, anise, sage, dusty berry and cedary oak.  Full-bodied, concentrated and marked by chewy tannins, this is closed and needs time.  This was the better of two bottles.  Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec.  Best from 2010 through 2016." -JL  90 points

 

2005

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate #174, December 2007
"The charismatic Jayson Pahlmeyer and his exuberant winemaker, Erin Green, who apprenticed for Helen Turley for many years, are turning out some fabulous wines. I terribly underestimated their 2005 reds. However, there's always time to correct these things, and I intend to do it with the following notes. The 2005 Proprietary Red is significantly better than what I tasted last year, although I certainly gave it a high score. This wine has fleshed out beautifully. The final blend (84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec) has a deep purple color, a beautifully sweet nose of blackberries and cassis intermixed with some meatiness, smoke, and a touch of pain grille as well as notes of espresso and licorice. Full-bodied, rich, with decent acidity, excellent delineation, and moderately high tannin, this is a beauty that should evolve for 25-30+ years. It is no wimpish wine at 15.2% natural alcohol, but that is buried beneath a cascade of gorgeous fruit and glycerin. This wine should be cruising along brilliantly in 2030+."  96 points

Connoisseur's Guide to California Wine, December 2008
"84% Cabernet Sauvignon; 11% Merlot; 3% Cabernet Franc; 1% Petit Verdot; 1% Malbec. Pahlmeyer will never be accused of undue winemaking restraint, and its latest re-wine opus is draughted in the deep, highly ripened, very big-bodied style for which the label is famed. An absolutely mouthfilling effort that is piled high with layers of curranty fruit, raspberries, sweet oak, caramel and loamy spice, it is so rich that it verges on sweetness at times. It wants for at least another five or six years of aging and, even then, it will need to be paired with the richest, most succulent meat dishes."  Three Stars

Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar, May/June 2008
"Good saturated red-ruby. Pungent aromas of cassis and violet, with a whiff of smoked meat. Densely packed, layered and thick; a step up in depth from the merlot. This boasts a chocolatey richness to its sweet dark fruit flavors. Finishes supple, lush, broad and long, with substantial sweet tannins and a lingering note of chocolate."  94 points

Wine Spectator, October 15, 2008
"Ripe, rich and complex, with layers of black cherry, wild berry, currant and cherry kirsch flavors that are bold, rich and persistent, ending with a long, intense yet elegant aftertaste. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Drink now through 2015. 6,245 cases made." -JL  94 points