2016 Tesseron Estate, Pym-Rae Red, Mount Veeder, Napa Valley, California, USA
Critics reviews
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon is the first wine from the Tesseron family's Mount Veeder estate, the property that once belonged to comedian Robin Williams. It is certainly an impressive debut. Inky and dark, the 2016 possesses tremendous textural richness. At the moment, the 2016 is driven by its deep, luscious fruit. I imagine more site character will emerge over time. In my view, the French oak is a bit strong at this stage, but I imagine that will sort itself out in future vintages. The Pym Rae Cabernet is made by Thomas Comme, whose father Jean-Michel, spent more than twenty years at Pontet-Canet. I was impressed by the potential of this site during a visit a few years ago. This is certainly going to be an exciting project to watch.
Drink 2024 - 2038
Antonio Galloni, vinous.com (Jan 2021)
Drink 2024 to 2038
Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux (October 2021)
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.
Drink 2020 - 2048
Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Advocate (Oct 2018)
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.
James Suckling, jamessuckling.com (Jan 2020)
The 2016 Pym-Rae continues to show well, with a rich, meaty, powerful style as well as loads of chocolaty black fruits, tobacco, black olive tapenade, and leather-like aromas and flavors. It's beautiful on the palate, with massive concentration and depth as well as terrific balance. This gorgeous, deep, opulent beauty is going to benefit from another 4-6 years of bottle age and live for 3-4 decades.
Drink 2025 - 2067
Jeb Dunnuck, jebdunnuck.com (Dec 2021)
About this WINE
Tesseron Estate
Acquired by the Tesseron family in 2016, Tesseron Estate, also known as Villa Sorriso, has a unique and heartwarming connection to the famous actor Robin Williams, who once owned the property. In honour of his legacy and the love he had for his children, the Tesserons decided to preserve the vineyard’s history by naming their wines after the middle names of Robin Williams’ children, “PYM” and “RAE.”
Located in the Napa Valley of California, Tesseron Estate was carefully chosen by the Tesseron family due to its exceptional reputation and potential. However, they didn’t settle for just any spot in the valley. They sought a location combining the valley’s generous climate with locally cool conditions. This led them to choose a high-altitude vineyard in the Mount Veeder region.
The soil was one of the critical factors for producing the deep and balanced wines that the Tesserons desired. They needed sedimentary soils with historic marine deposits that had gradually evolved over millions of years. Mount Veeder offered these ideal soil conditions, enabling the vines to thrive and produce exceptional grapes.
The choice of grape varieties was crucial, and the Tesserons decided to plant Bordeaux varieties, drawing from their expertise with these grapes at Pontet Canet. To ensure the highest quality of grapes, the Tesserons also recognised the importance of mature vines. This dedication to vine maturity would result in full, complex wines that reflect the vineyard’s unique characteristics.
Cabernet Sauvignon
The most famous red wine grape in the world and one of the most widely planted.
It is adaptable to a wide range of soils, although it performs particularly well on well-drained, low-fertile soils. It has small, dusty, black-blue berries with thick skins that produce deeply coloured, full-bodied wines with notable tannins. Its spiritual home is the Médoc and Graves regions of Bordeaux where it thrives on the well-drained gravel-rich soils producing tannic wines with piercing blackcurrant fruits that develop complex cedarwood and cigar box nuances when fully mature.
The grape is widely planted in California where Cabernet Sauvignon based wines are distinguished by their rich mixture of cassis, mint, eucalyptus and vanilla oak. It is planted across Australia and with particular success in Coonawarra where it is suited to the famed Terra Rossa soil. In Italy barrique aged Cabernet Sauvignon is a key component in Super Tuscans such as Tignanello and Sassicaia, either on its own or as part of a blend with Sangiovese.
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Description
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon is the first wine from the Tesseron family's Mount Veeder estate, the property that once belonged to comedian Robin Williams. It is certainly an impressive debut. Inky and dark, the 2016 possesses tremendous textural richness. At the moment, the 2016 is driven by its deep, luscious fruit. I imagine more site character will emerge over time. In my view, the French oak is a bit strong at this stage, but I imagine that will sort itself out in future vintages. The Pym Rae Cabernet is made by Thomas Comme, whose father Jean-Michel, spent more than twenty years at Pontet-Canet. I was impressed by the potential of this site during a visit a few years ago. This is certainly going to be an exciting project to watch.
Drink 2024 - 2038
Antonio Galloni, vinous.com (Jan 2021)
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