Tag Archives: Proprietary Red Blend

Octobers Collector’s Club

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Collectors Wine ClubPahlmeyer Merlot wine bottlePahlmeyer
Merlot 2021
Napa Valley, California

BOLD WINE STYLE

The Pahlmeyer Merlot is rich, elegant and beautifully structured. Blackberry and cassis leap from the glass with hints of black olive and dark earth. The palate is full and refined, layered with blackberry, boysenberry and black plum framed by polished tannins and a weighty yet balanced texture.  Lingonberry jam carries through the long finish, with lingering notes of cedar, fresh leather and sage.

Varietal: 100% Merlot
Appellation: Napa Valley, California
Vineyards: Waters Ranch, Stagecoach
Alcohol: 15.1% alcohol / volume
Winemaker: Katie Vogt 

WINEMAKING NOTES:
High-elevation Merlot blocks were hand-harvested at their most expressive moment. At the winery, the clusters were meticulously hand sorted and destemmed — with only the most perfect berries delivered to the tank. Fruit was gently and slowly extracted, spending up to 18 days on skins. Free-run juice was then collected overnight and aged separately from press cuts. The wine was aged in 89% new French oak barrels for 18 months. After careful blending of select lots, the wine was bottled in June 2023 for additional bottle age before release.

WINEMAKER NOTES:
“Our debut Pahlmeyer red from the stellar 2021 vintage is a thrill to experience, a wine that matches intensity with elegance, beautifully articulated and built to age. Aromas of blackberry and cassis leap from the glass with an underscore of black olive and dark earth. The palate is muscular yet refined, a lithe dance of richness and nuance. A focused core of fresh dark fruit—blackberry, boysenberry, and black plum—is enveloped in polished tannins that lend a weighty grip without overpowering. A lifting note of lingonberry jam runs long through the finish, interplaying with hints of cedar, fresh leather, and sage that echo long on the finish.” — Katie Vogt, Winemaker

Pahlmeyer Red BlendPahlmeyer
Proprietary Red Blend 2022
Napa Valley, California

BOLD WINE STYLE

The Proprietary Red is a rich, energetic expression of Napa Valley mountain terroir. Aromas of green and black peppercorn, tobacco leaf and forest floor lead to layers of cherry, blackberry and plum. Black licorice, chai spice and cocoa emerge on the palate, balanced by bright acidity, velvety tannins and a long, generous finish.

Varietal: 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot
Vineyards: 45% Upper Range, 30% Waters Ranch, 13% Round Pond, 6% Stage Coach, 6% Vangone
Appellation: Napa Valley, California
Alcohol: 15.1% alcohol / volume
Aging: 18 months in 90% new Taransaud barrels
Winemaker: Katie Vogt (see video below)

WINEMAKER NOTES:
“The 2022 Proprietary Red is an expansive and energetic expression of Napa Valley mountain terroir — rich with lifted aromatics and finely structured tannins. The wine opens with savory notes of green and black peppercorn, tobacco leaf, and forest floor, layered over a core of macerated cherry, blackberry, and plum. As the wine evolves in the glass, a dynamic streak of black licorice, chai spice, and cocoa emerges across the mid-palate, balanced by mouthwatering acidity and a long, generous finish. The tannins are already beautifully integrated, lending a velvet texture through the mid-palate. This wine is a compelling reflection of site, vintage, and thoughtful farming — beautiful upon release with the structure to evolve over the next 10–12 years.” – Katie Vogt, Winemaker.

WINEMAKING NOTES:
Over 22 days, individual blocks from the mountain vineyards were hand-harvested at night — selected only once the fruit reached optimal ripeness. The fruit underwent both hand and optical sorting before being gravity-fed to tank. Fermentations were carried out separately for each lot, with gentle extraction tailored to preserve aromatics and structure. Juice was gently extracted with a basket press before its final rack to barrel for cellaring. Dozens of individual lots were aged for 18 months in 90% heavily toasted new Taransaud French oak barrels. Cabernet Sauvignon is the heart of this wine; the finest Cabernet of the vintage was assembled from the many distinctive lots, and the blend was completed with the addition of other Bordeaux varieties. The final blend was bottled unfined and unfiltered in May 2024, enjoying additional bottle age before release.

VINTAGE NOTES:
The 2022 vintage was another low-yielding year, producing wines of exceptional concentration and opulence. The season began with late winter rains followed by a moderate spring and early summer, allowing for steady fruit development, with even ripening across vineyard blocks. Late summer heat spikes demanded extreme precision in vineyard management. Thanks to our mountain vineyard sites and responsive canopy strategies — including the use of misting technology — fruit integrity was preserved at critical moments. Waters Ranch with its deeper soils and Upper Range, in particular, delivered exceptional quality, balancing ripeness with structure and freshness.

ABOUT PAHLMEYER WINERY:
Through more than 35 years of winemaking excellence, Pahlmeyer has established itself as a paragon of Napa Valley winemaking, uniting tradition with innovation in every bottle.  Rooted in audacious dreams and nurtured by meticulous craftsmanship, Jayson Pahlmeyer’s legacy continues to evolve, striving to reach new heights with each vintage. Learn more about Jayson’s story here>

Photos and information © Pahlmeyer  – All Rights Reserved.

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November Wine Club Pairing Recipe

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Rich and Simple French Onion Soup Recipe

French,Onion,Gratin,Soup

INGREDIENTS:

  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 cups sliced onions
  • 4 (10.5 ounce) cans beef broth
  • 2 tablespoons dry sherry
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 pinch salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 slices French bread
  • 4 slices Provolone cheese
  • 2 slices Swiss cheese, diced
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Melt butter with olive oil in an 8 quart stock pot on medium heat. Add onions and continually stir until tender and translucent. Do not brown the onions.
  2. Add beef broth, sherry and thyme. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer for 30 minutes.
  3. Heat the oven broiler.
  4. Ladle soup into oven safe serving bowls and place one slice of bread on top of each (bread may be broken into pieces if you prefer). Layer each slice of bread with a slice of Provolone, ½ slice diced Swiss and 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese. Place bowls on cookie sheet and broil in the preheated oven until cheese bubbles and browns slightly.

© Recipe courtesy of Lori Levin from All Recipes. 

NOVEMBER WINE CLUB:

Mellow style logoEstate-Cellars-Red-BlendEstate Cellars
Proprietary Red Blend
Central Coast, California

MELLOW WINE STYLE

The Estate Cellars’ Proprietary Red Blend is a Bordeaux Style and a true representation of a California Meritage.  It is crafted out of the finest lots of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot from Central Coast vineyards. Blends are a true representation of the winemaker’s craft and the best possible wine they can make. Utilizing each of the varietals for different components rounds out the blends mouth feel and creates balance in the final product.

TASTING NOTES:
It’s a medium to heavy bodied wine that is dark purple in color with aromas of dried herbs, blueberry and tea leaf. On the palate, there are flavors of cocoa powder, currants and white pepper.

Varietal: 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 15% Malbec, 15% Petit Verdot
Appellation: Central Coast, California
Analysis: 14.5% alcohol / volume
Aged: 16 months on 30% New French Oak, 70% Neutral French and American Oak
Harvest Date: Sept. 30 – Nov. 2
Average Brix at Harvest: 25.0
pH: 3.62
TA: 0.63
Sugar: 0.20 g/L
Food Pairing: Pot Roast, French Onion Soup, Italian Sausage Pasta
Cheese Pairing: The November Cheese Club selections.

California Certified Sustainable logoWINEMAKER NOTES:
The Estate Cellars Red Blend grapes were handpicked, and hand sorted prior to a 48-hour cold soak at 40°F. During fermentation, the wine is pumped over four times per day during peak fermentation to maximize extraction. Post fermentation the wine is held on skins for 24 hours to extend maceration and provide even more color and tannin extraction. The Red Blend is the best representation of a winemaker using all the tools they have to make the best wine possible. This wine is crafted over several tasting sessions with the winemaking team, fine tuning all aspects from flavor and aromas, to structure and mouthfeel.

HARVEST NOTES:
The 2019 Estate Cellars’ Red Blend, similar to the previous two years, was notated as one of the latest starts to their season’s harvest. The winters have prolonged their growing seasons as the increasingly wet soils allow the vines time to mature at a healthy rate. The above average rainfall in the spring gave rise to a later than average bud break and bloom, which allowed the weather time to warm up and decrease any concerns of destructive frost. The summer temperatures were well below the seasonal average with only four days of 100+ degree temperatures (in previous years, they saw 11-16 days over 100 degrees). These even and mild temperature changes gave the winery an ideal growing season that pushed them well into November. They believe this hang time has shaped up to provide high quality wine and one of their best vintages to date.

Clos LaChance logoABOUT THE WINERY:
Estate Cellars is a secondary brand to Clos LaChance, a family owned and operated winery in the Northern Central Coast region of California. After perfecting their portfolio, they wanted to reach additional markets by creating unique labels while still maintaining their same attention to high quality wine. Clos LaChance Winery started in 1987 when co-owners, Bill and Brenda Murphy, decided to plant a few rows of Chardonnay in their Saratoga backyard. By 1992, they grew into a commercial winery releasing their very first vintage. Today, Clos LaChance Winery and Estate Vineyard is proud to be Certified Sustainable by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance. Learn more here.

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