Pahlmeyer

Pahlmeyer is among the top echelon of Napa wineries and the label is synonymous with consistently superb Chardonnay, Merlot and Bordeaux-styled wines. Like other luminous Napa wineries such as Joseph Phelps and Del Dotto, Pahlmeyer has ventured to the far western reaches of Sonoma County to farm Pinot Noir on the edge. In 1998, Pahlmeyer found Wayfarer Farm, a small organic fruit and vegetable farming operation owned by Dorothy and David Davis who sold organic produce to San Francisco Bay Area restaurants such as Chez Panisse and Greens. The ranch extended over 70 acres and according to Pahlmeyer President Ed Hogan, was a “fairytale landscape of slopes, with not a single flat stretch in sight.” Like other notable vineyards in this region such as Flowers and Hirsch (Hirsch can be seen looking south from Wayfarer Farm), the property is situated two ridges in from the Pacific Ocean. The elevation is 1,125 feet. The vineyard is a 45 minute drive along twisting narrow two lane roads from Jenner, where the Russian River Valley empties into the Pacific Ocean. I can vouch for its isolated but scenic location as I visited Wayfarer Farm in 2009 with then Pahlmeyer winemaker Erin Green.

After purchasing Wayfarer Farm from the Davises, Jayson Pahlmeyer set out to re-create ”La Tache” in California’s Sonoma Coast. It was immediately apparent that the daily fog which rolls in each evening and burns off each morning cools the area and recharges the vines each evening. The vineyard planting began in 2000. Winemaker Erin Green chose 12 different clones of Pinot Noir, (including 115, 667, 777, 828, Wente, Mt Eden, Swan and Calera selections, and Pommard) which were field grafted onto four different types of rootstock. Close spacing at 3 x 6 feet was employed, and the vineyard was laid out to mesh seamlessly with the topography. The vineyard is homogenous from a soil standpoint with sand, loam and deeper maritime fossils. Planting has been done in stages, and a total of 30 acres is now under vine. The first harvest was in 2005, but production is still very low, with some parts of the vineyard not yet established. The first two harvests produced very small berries with intense flavors.

Farming in an isolated region like this is no picnic. Fortunately there are enough vineyards in the area now that vineyard management companies have crews in the area. Ulises Valdez is the vineyard manager. Pahlmeyer’s viticulturalists (headed by Amy Warnock) check on the vineyard weekly .

In 2012, Pahlmeyer announced that Kale Anderson (formerly Cliff Lede Vineyards) would direct winemaking for its Napa Valley vineyard and operations, and Bibiana Gonzalez Rave (formerly Lynmar Winery) would become the consulting winemaker to oversee the Sonoma Coast operations.

Pahlmeyer released its first two Pinot Noirs in 2007. The 2005 Jayson Pinot Noir and the 2005 Pahlmeyer Pinot Noir. The wines as yet are not truly estate in that other vineyards supplied some of the fruit. As the vineyard matures, other sources will gradually be phased out. The wines are sold through a mailing list and well-distributed to fine wine stores.