93-95 Points - The Wine Independent. Pahlmeyer made the most of the glorious 2021 Napa Valley Merlot vintage a year that seems destined to rival or even eclipse the extraordinary 2013, 2018, and 2019 havests. The grapes for the Pahlmeyer Merlot 2021 were grown on high-elevation blocks and were hand-harvested, allowing for rigorous vineyard selection and gentle handling. Once in Pahlmeyers state-of-the-art winery, they were given a further hand sort and destemmed, with only perfectly ripe fruit selected for pressing. As is Pahlmeyers way, winemaking was slow and gentle with the berries spending 18 days on their skins with the free-run juice being vinified separately from the press juice. Ageing took place in small French oak barrels, 89% of which were new, for 18 months. Once racked and bottled, the Pahlmeyer Merlot 2021 was aged in Pahlmeyers cellars until June 2023 to allow its complex components to harmonise before release.

Vivino Rating: 4.4 (Nov 2024)

Wine Press Ratings

93-95 Points - The Wine Independent (2021 Vintage)

"The single-varietal 2021 Merlot comes 62% from Waters Ranch and 38% from Stagecoach Vineyard and is due to be bottled very soon. Deep garnet-purple in color, it comes barreling out of the glass with bold expressions of juicy blueberries, Morello cherries, and wild blueberries, leading to wafts of rose oil, cardamom, and cumin seed with a waft of fragrant soil. The full-bodied palate delivers a very fine-grained yet firm backbone of ripe, rounded tannins and beautiful tension to support the black fruit and floral layers, finishing long with a spicy lift."

95 Points - Wine Enthusiast (2021 Vintage)

"Delivering power through poise, this Merlot offers flavors of blue and black fruits with pleasing spices. An additional layer of earthiness brings depth. The tannins here melt in the mouth, balanced by juicy acidity that carries into a long finish. Full-bodied, mouthwatering, and delicious."

Taste 

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW gave the Pahlmeyer 2021 Merlot 93 95 points in The Wine Independent, praising its, beautiful tension to support the black fruit and floral layers. Tasting it, its easy to see why she has awarded it such a high score. With its inviting, deep garnet colour, lustrous sheen, and aromas of blueberries, red and black cherries, rich vanilla, and Asian spices, its a winner from the off. The palate is full-bodied and bold, yet theres delicacy and nuance here too. Flavours of cardamon, bitter chocolate, olives and a touch of earth intersperse layers of big, black and red-skinned fruits. Surprisingly accessible now, its firm acidity and polished tannins foretell a long, long life ahead.

About the Producer

Pahlmeyer has gone from being one mans dream to being one of the finest producers of Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa Valley. Founder Jayson Pahlmeyer started with a shoebox of smuggled Bordeaux vine cuttings and a mission to create a California Mouton - a rich, powerful Napa Valley Bordeaux blend, a wine that would drop wine lovers to their knees. Taste the Pahlmeyer Jayson 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon and youd have to say mission accomplished. The establishment of his own vineyard in the late 1990s in Atlas Peak in eastern Napa Valley from where the fruit for the Jayson comes, was a game-changer.