Tesseron, Pym Rae, Napa Valley

Truly wonderful. Like Pontet-Canet with Mt Veeder vibes.

2016 vintage

One hour decant. Very deep ruby garnet color (already showing noticeable rim fade). Plum, cassis, violet, blueberry jam, slate, cocoa, black truffle, dried tangerine, and subtle cinnamon tea. Dry, satiny palate, with fine, silty, tongue coating acidity. Plush tannins on the long finish. This is likely drinking at its peak. There’s wonderful complexity here. The acid and tannins have wonderful texture, but they are relatively soft at this point. The fruit is elegant, but already subdued.

2016 vintage

Really darn and roasted fruit to thr nose.

2016 vintage

At Park City. St. Regis. Y’all know I love this wine but this note is to call out the OMGs that were going around the table. Shared some with chef and rewarded with some freebies. Good karma. This is really a great wine and even though this was the first released vintage after the Tesseron family acquired the property it’s is all that. I wish it was less expensive but when you consider that they spare no expense in making …

2016 vintage

The wine looks violet colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like blueberry, blackberry and vanilla. It tastes like blackberry and vanilla. The body is medium. The wine has silky texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has medium acidity.

2016 vintage

One hour decant. Deep dark ruby magenta color, with lighter outer band of rim fade. Black cherry, coriander dusted dark chocolate, black plum, carrot cake dough (with real carrot slivers), graphite, and chamomile tea. Dry, dusty palate. Firm, gritty, medium intensity tannins on the longish finish. This had more spiciness than my last bottle (six months ago). Some would like that more than I did. This has terrific complexity and mouthfeel, but the nose took a step backward for me. …

2016 vintage

Opened, allowed to breathe for ~30 minutes while waiting on dinner. At first tasting the wine presented highly alcohol influenced notes. Likely due to being served slightly too warm. As the house and wine cooled throughout the night, and as the wine was exposed to more oxygen it really came alive. Lovely notes of dark cherries, chocolate and burnt earth. Great wine. Good enough structure to age long term but drinking well enough that if you can’t resist the urge …

2016 vintage

Delicious wine, at first opening had an ember, burning fire taste, not really smokey, but like a fireplace. Also had some toffee in there, a sweetness, as it has aged over the last several hours, it has softened up, I'm a huge Pontet-Canet fan and as the wine softens it resembles to me much of what Pontet-Canet tastes like. Some pencil lead, and green pepper, but from the first taste it was Pontet-Canet with a Napa flair...I have the 2017 …

2016 vintage

One hour decant. Deep dark ruby magenta color. Plum, French silk pie, boysenberry syrup, mushroom, and subtle oregano. Smooth, dry, medium+ to full bodied palate. Fine, lingering acidity. Plush tannins on the longish finish. This has maintained its peak for at least a couple of years now. The others at my wife’s birthday party felt it had more herbal character than I was noticing. They liked the ‘19 VHR more. I totally disagree. The VHR was great, but this is …

2016 vintage

With the yummy Ooni pizzas being enjoyed, we kept getting thirsty. I highly recommend this pretty, elegant, beautifully built Mt Veeder wine that has so much suave. Incredible notes of pine needles, mint, chocolate chip cookie, eucalyptus with red and black fruits. It’s not big and flashy but it has great structure and finesse.

2016 vintage

Two hour decant. Very very deep ruby garnet color. Blackberry, dark raspberry, black walnut, violet, sugar-dusted Swedish pancake, blood orange rind, and subtle dried mushroom. Dry, plush palate, with nice, mouth filling acidity. Firm, full, medium intensity tannins on the long finish. This is consistently beautiful from all angles. Really only needs an hour decant (and would not do more than two). May lack a special/unique factor, but that’s quibbling.

2016 vintage

This '16 PYM-RAE from the newly re(created) vineyard by the fantastic Tesseron Family. This bottle may have had the most concentrated green olive / olive tapenade note that I've tasted out of NV. Additional notes of blueberry, graphite, and fresh saddle leather. Hard to not love this and want more, more, more. Structurally, definitely New World style with Old World characteristics. Vibrant yet balanced acidity. I scored this wine 97 points.

2016 vintage

Classic lush Napa cab, but decent structure. Needs some air (1-2 hours) but beautiful fruit, plush tannins and long finish that pair beautifully with red meat. Last few sips were really dessert. Fantastic.

2016 vintage

Few hours decant and sipped slowly. Nice complexity in this wine. Notes ranged from dusty dark fruit to grainy cocoa nibs to pine needles, conifers, crunchy leaves, and truffles. It has a lovely array of notes without feeling heavy. Good acid, soft tannins on long finish. Excellent wine. The only problem is it’s way too pricy at 350$ or so, so that sucks. I luckily found it cheaper but I can enjoy more wines at prices 100-150$ less than this …

2016 vintage

First bottle of a 3-pack purchased last year. Decanted for 2-3 hours before going back into the bottle to transport to Chops for dinner with Gabriel and Linda visiting from Miami. Pnp into the decanter revealed a room filling nose of deep, dark perfumed fruit. At the restaurant, the color is dark purple and opaque in the glass with the same nose, just a little less strength to it. The fruit is dense, dark and deep in layers and quite …

2016 vintage

Had it blind thanks to Mark and Carol at Chops Statehouse in Naples. The wine is dark red, vibrant, lively acidity, pretty strong and bold at this point. I only guessed right Cabernet and was wrong in everything else. The wine is starting its drinking window, it has enough of everything to go the distant. I will hold for another 3-5 years to gain more complexity... Finish is LONG and SOO GOOD!!!! 96+ HOLD.

2016 vintage

Nearly three hour decant. Deep dark ruby color, with a very thin rusty rim. Black cherry, blackberry, truffle-infused milk chocolate mocha, chamomile, raspberry jelly, and graphite. Smooth, dry palate, with cottony/chalky tongue enveloping acidity. Firm, full tannins on the long finish. This is a rare combination of rich and elegant. There’s almost a tactile quality to the nose. There were more notes than I recorded here and they come and go in varying combinations.

2016 vintage

Decanted briefly. This is a stunning Bordeaux blend with dense, beautiful Mt. Veeder fruit made in a very structured style. The conundrum with Napa Cabs is that while you can build them to age, you eventually lose that beautiful primary fruit. Certainly drinkable now, very youthful, and curious to see what this is like at the 20-year mark.

2016 vintage

One hour slow ox, followed by a two hour decant. Nearly opaque ruby magenta color. Plum, rosemary, orange-infused tobacco, white pepper, toasted coconut, and tangerine rind. Smooth, dry palate. Firm tannins on the long finish. This was the final wine for my wife’s 50th birthday party. Great night of somewhat expensive wine. I’m glad each one was as good, or better, than expected. Almost worth the money. ;)

2016 vintage

Two hour decant. Nearly opaque bloody ruby magenta core. Black cherry, sugar plum, shortbread, dried thyme, and subtle fresh sliced mushroom on the nose. There’s also some date and/or Jamaican spice in the background. Smooth, dry palate, with plush, tongue coating acidity. Firm, full, medium intensity tannins on the long finish. Beautifully balanced and great complexity. Another terrific Napa meets Bordeaux. This is my third bottle and they’ve been very consistent.

2016 vintage

This is a wonderful wine from Pontet-Canet - Pauillac who have a winery in Mt Veeder. The frustrating part to me is that the winery (The French) refuse to identify the wine as Mt Veeder because they believe globally it won't be recognized. They say Napa. Meanwhile this wine is higher priced then the French Wine which clearly would not be called "Bordeaux". They have no problem saying Pauillac. The Mt Veeder wine deserves the respect of the Mt Veeder …

2016 vintage

A brilliant high end wine that Jaime @AgElvis generously brought for us at French Laundry dinner. The wine was poured in a Zalto decanter and served in Zalto glasses. So much suave, finesse, elegance built in. There is a ton of complexity and it kept evolving every 20-30 minutes. Pairing with various foods brought out various notes as well. Medium purple fruits, rose petals, violets, sweet tobacco and mild cigar. I can’t do justice, just need to experience. Cheers!

2016 vintage

Splash decant. Very deep dark hazy magenta color. Roasted blackberry, plum, bell peppers, honey, and spearmint on the nose. Silky smooth, plush palate, with chalky acidity. Firm, full, lower intensity tannins on the long finish. This is terrifically elegant and super complex. My notes don’t do it justice. Much like Checkerboard, it’s almost worth it’s very high price. It’s worth the splurge once in a while. Brought this to a dinner at The French Laundry. It was my first time …

2016 vintage

Excellent. Decanted for about an hour. Will benefit from more time in storage. Big and bold. Beautiful wine.

2016 vintage

Spring 2022 Dream Napa Trip; 4/11/2022-4/12/2022 : Bigger and more powerful than its 17’ sibling. Lots of earthy notes, wet leaf, black fruit, and a bit of a departure from Napa. Blind, I would have never pegged this as Napa. There is some definite Bordeaux influences in this wine. Hold for now.

2016 vintage

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Tesseron, Pym Rae, Napa Valley

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