Pym-Rae Napa Valley Tesseron Estate 2019

98 POINTS

Jonathan Cristaldi - Decanter

The Pym-Rae wines I tasted with Alfred Tesseron and Estate Manager Jérôme Ledit (2016-2019) all possess some measure of intensity, elegance, excellent balance, and freshness. Encompassing all those qualities is this 2019 vintage, seamless and simply mind-boggling. Pure blackberry fruit, creme de cassis, and graphite are nuanced by garrigue and cocoa nibs laced with orange essence. Medium to full-bodied with youthful blue fruit, spiced plum, and violets that meld together, creating a profoundly symphonic and lyrical fruit melody that is impossible to resist. The vines are surrounded by a pristine wilderness and many native California shrubs; those qualities emerge in the wine as sagebrush, fragrant Bay Laurel, and layers of ironstone mineral and earth. A kind of soy-soaked cedarwood rounds out this meticulous wine. The Tesseron family, owners of Château Pontet-Canet, purchased the estate in 2016. It was owned by the late actor Robin Williams, who had planted the vines in the late 1990s. Jérôme Ledit is the Estate Manager and Michel Rolland is the consultant oenologist. The vineyards are planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc and have been dry-farmed since the first day in 2016 that Alfred Tesseron set foot on the property. It is already unquestionably one of Napa Valley's greatest understated assets.

97 POINTS

James Suckling

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. Try after 2026.

96 POINTS

Jim Gordon - Wine Enthusiast

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. Best from 2028–2040.