2016 Pym Rae

The inaugural vintage release of Pym-Rae, interesting to taste alongside the 2017, as the 2016 vintage was a little more balanced. This is gorgeous, flecked with wild herbs, campfire smoke, liquorice and sun-baked black fruits. The high Cabernet Sauvignon comes through in a eucalyptus and black pepper spice to the finish. Plenty of tannins, this can be approached with a few hours in a carafe but will soften further over the next few years. First year of biodynamic conversion and first year of dry farming. Fermented in 10hl concrete tanks, with all destemming done by hand, as at the family's Pontet Canet estate back in Pauillac. Winemaker for this was Thomas Comme, now replaced by Jerome Ledit. 70% new oak. The estate is located on Mount Veeder, on the border with Sonoma and is one of the highest vineyards in Napa.

The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon is the first wine from the Tesseron family's Mount Veeder estate, the property that once belonged to comedian Robin Williams. It is certainly an impressive debut. Inky and dark, the 2016 possesses tremendous textural richness. At the moment, the 2016 is driven by its deep, luscious fruit. I imagine more site character will emerge over time. In my view, the French oak is a bit strong at this stage, but I imagine that will sort itself out in future vintages. The Pym Rae Cabernet is made by Thomas Comme, whose father Jean-Michel, spent more than twenty years at Pontet-Canet. I was impressed by the potential of this site during a visit a few years ago. This is certainly going to be an exciting project to watch.