Extremely aromatic with flowers, currants, plums, and cocoa. Full-bodied with compacted fruit and ultra-fine tannins giving it a suppleness and finesse, yet it’s very structured and long. Turns to sandalwood, hazelnut and subtle currants. Round and velvety texture at the end. Slightly deeper and denser. 55% new French barrels and 45% concrete eggs for 18 months. 80% cabernet sauvignon, 15% cabernet franc and 5% merlot. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Needs four or five years. An excellent mountain wine from the family owners of Pontet Canet.
Robert Parker (96)
The 2019 Pym-Rae is made up of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Merlot, all aged in a combination of 45% new French oak barriques and small (260-gallon) concrete tanks. Impressively ripe and concentrated, it offers scents of cassis, violet and hints of dark chocolate on the nose, while the full-bodied palate is silky-smooth, framed by dusty tannins on the long, focused finish. Yes, it's somewhat Bordeaux-like in shape, but it's fully ripe, with black cherries emerging on the finish, along with the slightest touch of alcoholic warmth.
For those unfamiliar with the story, the Tesseron family is originally from Cognac. Working primarily as a négociant, they slowly built a reputation and fortune, until Guy Tesseron purchased Bordeaux fifth-growth Château Pontet-Canet in 1975. Alfred Tesseron (Guy's son), not content with running Pontet-Canet, was looking for another project, one outside Bordeaux, said his son, Noe Tesseron, when we connected via Zoom earlier this fall. "He'd spent a lot of time in the US," said Noe. "He worked six years at Southern."
The search for property in Napa Valley quickly zeroed in on mountain locations, because they wanted to dry-farm the vines, explained Noe. Finally, after six years, Robin Williams's estate on Mount Veeder came on the market. It came with a big property, a huge house and a small vineyard of 18 acres, located between 1,600 and 1,900 feet above sea level.
It's a location that allows for dry-farming and freshness," said Noe. "We like wines that have tension, that are balanced, and being up there facilitates that."
The Tesserons took over in January 2016, immediately converting to dry-farming, organic and biodynamic viticulture. Most of the vineyard is east-facing, planted to vines that are now 30 years old. Sitting above the usual fog line, the vineyard is planted to 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 7% Cabernet France. All the vineyard work is done by hand, under the supervision of General Manager Jerome Ledit, who previously worked at Pontet-Canet and at Chapoutier's Alsace venture before that.
Following hand-harvesting and sorting, fermentation takes place in small (10 hectoliter) concrete vats. After pressing, roughly half of the wine goes into new French oak, while the balance matures in concrete for 16 to 18 months. Roughly 15,000 bottles are produced each year, although Noe said the 2020 vintage—earmarked for release late in 2024—would be smaller than usual.
Wine Enthusiast (96)
This mountain-grown wine blended from Cabernet Sauvignon with 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Merlot is firmly structured, super-concentrated and heading for a long life. Aromas of dried plums, sunbaked black figs and black cherries are followed by a harmonious array of black cherries, blackberries, dark chocolate and subtle oak spice like tobacco and oak char. Expect this wine from the Tesseron family of Bordeaux to develop beautifully over time.
