In 2016 the Tesseron family (Alfred and his two nieces, Mélanie and Philippine), purchased actor Robin Williams estate at the end of Wall Road on Mt Veeder. Alfred Tesseron and his family are the owners/operators of Chateau Pontet Canet, a Grand Cru Classe estate in Pauillac that has long been heralded as a leader in Biodynamic and Organic farming/winemaking. Alfred has brought that same mentality to the production at PYM RAE. Since the purchase of the estate, the vineyards have received their biodynamic certification from Demeter in 2018. Some of the practices already in use at Château Pontet-Canet were adopted, but tailored to this terroir. They have revamped the Mt Veeder estate’s vineyards and production, focusing on dry farming and minimal intervention practices. 2016 is the inaugural vintage for the PYM-RAE Estate.
Pym-Rae was the name that Williams originally gave to the vineyard portion of the estate – choosing to honor his first two children Zachary Williams and Zelda Williams by combining their middle names.
Winemaker Notes: Depth, balance and freshness: every detail is carefully considered to reveal the potential of this rare vineyard, and gracefully highlight its unique character. The first vintage of Pym-Rae stays true to the spirit of the Tesseron family, and is both the culmination of a long journey as well as the beginning of a new adventure.
Blend: 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc98 Points James Suckling: This is the debut vintage of this wine from the esteemed Bordeaux owner, Alfred Tesseron, who bought the property in the Napa mountains in 2016. Aromas of plums, wet earth, fresh herbs and tobacco. Some green olives. Turns to blueberries and blackberries. Full-bodied, yet reserved and layered with chocolate, walnuts and plums. Firm yet polished tannins give a framed sense to the wine. Savory. Racy and beautifully structured, it’s extremely drinkable already. Real wine.
97 Points Wine Advocate: A blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Franc, the 2016 Pym-Rae displays a deep garnet-purple color and reveals wonderfully fragrant notes of candied violets, wilted roses, damp soil and black tea over a core of red and black currants, black cherries and warm blackberries plus touches of cigar box and camphor. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is evocatively singular, offering that rock-solid structure of mountain fruit, yet these are wonderfully ripe, silt-like tannins that beautifully support the elegant red and black fruit layers, finishing very long and very perfumed.
This unit includes 1 bottle (750ml) of the 2016 PYM RAE, Cabernet Sauvignon
