2020 Tesseron Estate, Pym-Rae Red, Mount Veeder, Napa Valley, California, USA
Critics reviews
The 2020 Pym-Rae is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and 25% Cabernet Franc. Opaque purple-black color, it’s a little closed and broody to start, offering earthy/savory notes of tar, black olives, black truffles, and Sichuan peer, giving way to a core of red currant jelly and blackberry pie, plus touches of underbrush and dried lavender. The full-bodied palate delivers a rock-solid structure of grainy tannins and bold freshness to support the taut, muscular black fruits, finishing long and earthy.
The spectacular 2018 and 2019 vintages from this estate were always going to be tough acts to follow, especially given all the challenges of 2020. Nonetheless, this is a delicious beauty that speaks of place and time.
Owned by Château Pontet-Canet owner, Alfred Tesseron, the Pym-Rae vineyard consists of nearly 20 acres of mature Cabernet Sauvignon (75%), Merlot (18%), and Cabernet Franc (7%) vines, planted in 1990. Tesseron named the estate and wine Pym-Rae out of respect for the original name given to the vineyard by Robin Williams (Pym and Rae are the middle names of two of Williams’s children). The site is perched in a secluded location at an average altitude of 1,500 feet (500 meters) on Mount Veeder. Until Tesseron purchased the land, the fruit from the vineyard was sold to large wineries and blended away in Napa Valley AVA wines. Currently, the wines are made at a dedicated cellar on Howell Mountain.
Drink 2025 - 2040
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent (September 2024)
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 blend
Cabernet Sauvignon lends itself particularly well in blends with Merlot. This is actually the archetypal Bordeaux blend, though in different proportions in the sub-regions and sometimes topped up with Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.
In the Médoc and Graves the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend can range from 95% (Mouton-Rothschild) to as low as 40%. It is particularly suited to the dry, warm, free- draining, gravel-rich soils and is responsible for the redolent cassis characteristics as well as the depth of colour, tannic structure and pronounced acidity of Médoc wines. However 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines can be slightly hollow-tasting in the middle palate and Merlot with its generous, fleshy fruit flavours acts as a perfect foil by filling in this cavity.
In St-Emilion and Pomerol, the blends are Merlot dominated as Cabernet Sauvignon can struggle to ripen there - when it is included, it adds structure and body to the wine. Sassicaia is the most famous Bordeaux blend in Italy and has spawned many imitations, whereby the blend is now firmly established in the New World and particularly in California and Australia.
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Description
The 2020 Pym-Rae is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and 25% Cabernet Franc. Opaque purple-black color, it’s a little closed and broody to start, offering earthy/savory notes of tar, black olives, black truffles, and Sichuan peer, giving way to a core of red currant jelly and blackberry pie, plus touches of underbrush and dried lavender. The full-bodied palate delivers a rock-solid structure of grainy tannins and bold freshness to support the taut, muscular black fruits, finishing long and earthy.
The spectacular 2018 and 2019 vintages from this estate were always going to be tough acts to follow, especially given all the challenges of 2020. Nonetheless, this is a delicious beauty that speaks of place and time.
Owned by Château Pontet-Canet owner, Alfred Tesseron, the Pym-Rae vineyard consists of nearly 20 acres of mature Cabernet Sauvignon (75%), Merlot (18%), and Cabernet Franc (7%) vines, planted in 1990. Tesseron named the estate and wine Pym-Rae out of respect for the original name given to the vineyard by Robin Williams (Pym and Rae are the middle names of two of Williams’s children). The site is perched in a secluded location at an average altitude of 1,500 feet (500 meters) on Mount Veeder. Until Tesseron purchased the land, the fruit from the vineyard was sold to large wineries and blended away in Napa Valley AVA wines. Currently, the wines are made at a dedicated cellar on Howell Mountain.
Drink 2025 - 2040
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent (September 2024)
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