2001
Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red
80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec
- Winemaker
- Erin Green
- Alcohol
- 14.8%
- Harvested Start Date
- September 4, 2001
- Harvested End Date
- October 15, 2001
- Bottled Date
- May 7, 2003
- Release Date
- October 1, 2004
Winemaking Notes
Harvested by the end of October from hand picked lots, the whole berries were fermented in short open-topped stainless steel tanks, cold soaked and using native yeasts. The wine then continued through malolactic fermentation in 100% new French oak barrels for 18 months and was bottled neither fined nor filtered.
Full ruby. Roasted currant, black cherry and bitter chocolate on the slightly medicinal nose. Penetrating fruit flavors of roasted plum and currant, complicated by notes of leather and bitter chocolate. Comes across as a bit more vibrant than the merlot despite possessing an even high pH. Then finishes firm and bright, with major tannins and late notes of currant, leather, mocha and tobacco.
A big, rich, yet elegantly styled wine that manages to serve up lots of complex flavors without being ponderous. The core currant, vanilla, blackberry, cedar and coffee grounds provide plenty of complex flavors and it finishes with a long, persistent aftertaste. Ample tannins for medium-term cellaring.
It exhibits a dense, thick, black/purple color as well as emerging aromas of cedar, black currants, ink, graphite, charcoal and forest floor. This full-bodied, packed and stacked Cabernet offers a sexy, open-knit opulence on the attack followed by noticeable tannins. However, the latter component is clearly balanced by the wine’s stunning concentration, texture and overall depth. Drink it over the following 25-30+ years.
