PAHLMEYER

A dream to rival the best of Bordeaux

Following his dream, Jayson reconnected with a longtime friend whom he met in law school and happened to be the owner of a 55-acre site in southeast Napa Valley. The two shared a devotion to Jayson’s audacious dream of creating a ‘California blend that would rival the best of Bordeaux.’ The key, they were sure, lay in planting the finest French clones of the red Bordeaux varieties - a considerable roadblock since importing clones is an international offense. After three years of trial and exploration, they smuggled their ‘suitcase clones’ of the five Bordeaux varieties through Canada. Planted in 1981, the French cuttings adjusted to their new home at a snail’s pace. In 1986, Randy Dunn, one of California’s foremost winemakers, asked to purchase the entire crop which Jayson agreed to on one condition: that Randy make Jayson’s first ‘Pahlmeyer’ Red Napa Valley Bordeaux blend.

Today Winemaker Katie Vogt carries on Pahlmeyer’s pedigree with expertise, artistry, and keen understanding. Building on the eminence Pahlmeyer has earned over three decades, Katie approaches each new vintage as an opportunity to honour the extraordinary success of her predecessors while continuously raising the bar. Perfect balance requires risk and extremes while demanding calibration and calculation. At Pahlmeyer, balance comes with rugged mountain top vineyards and meticulous fieldwork. It’s achieved through precision winemaking merged with masterful blending. Balance occurs with time in the finest barrels and age in the bottle, beautifully revealing itself with the pull of the cork, vintage after vintage.