Pym-Rae - Napa Valley 2019
After searching for the right terroir for 4 years, the Tesseron family, owners of Château Pontet-Canet and Tesseron Cognac, purchased
Pym-Rae in January 2016, an exceptional 7,5ha (18,5 acres) large vineyard at Mount Veeder in Napa Valley. “Pym-Rae” is the name given by the founder of the estate, the late actor Robin Williams, after his two first children names. Respectful of this emotional story, the Tesseron decided to keep the name “Pym-Rae” for the wines, produced for the first time with the grapes of the estate only.
Here, both the soil (limestone) and the altitude (1800 feet) are essentials to bring depth and freshness. The natural « handmade » approach focuses on the vineyard and winegrower, rather than cellar and winemaker. Although first developed at Pontet-Canet, adapting biodynamics to this new terroir has led to another approach and methodology of expressing the unique character of this place. From a common DNA two distinct and incomparable wines are born.
Discover Pym Rae & its vineyard: https://youtu.be/6sf7Xu2yAZw
The 2019 vintage2019 is a vintage of balance, energy and tension. The beginning of the year was marked by abundant rains which preserved humidity in the clay soils until bud burst. A long and hot summer followed, punctuated by misty mornings, with no significant heat wave, and ending with a mild end of season. This climatic balance combined with the altitude of the vineyard allowed us to produce vibrant and expressive wines, preserving freshness and finesse to the fruit. The tannins are silky, the fruit exceptional and the texture ample, signs of a great vintage. The biodynamic culture follows its course.
2019 becomes our first vintage to be certified by Demeter USA.