Nose
At once, you’ll be taken by the intense aromatics. Scents of blackberry and dark roasted coffee bean complement the wine’s huge, supple tannins.
Palate
As the wine slips to the back of your palate, its powerful finish comes on full-bore, bringing to mind fresh-picked raspberries dipped in dark chocolate. The solid tannin backbone should allow this wine to age effortlessly over the next 15 to 20 years
Growing Conditions
On a perch overlooking the Napa Valley, high above the fog line, our estate vineyard is the rocky home to our Bordeaux varieties and Chardonnay.
Varieties Grown: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Chardonnay
Year Planted: 1999
Acres Planted: 72
Elevation: 1,500 to 2,100 feet
Soil: Rocky outcropping in the higher elevations; Bressa-Dibble (rocky loam) in the lower elevations
Row Orientation: Northeast to Southwest
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2005 is the second vintage of Pahlmeyer Pièce de Résistance. A blend of our best 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, it is the only 100% Cabernet Sauvignon produced by Pahlmeyer – an experience of this varietal in its purest form.
Bottling
It was bottled unfined and unfiltered on April 28, 2007.
Winemaking
The grape clusters were hand-sorted, and once de-stemmed, the berries were sorted again by hand on the way to tank. After four to five days of pre-fermentation cold maceration in small open-top fermentors, the fruit began 100% native yeast fermentation. Two to three weeks later, the fruit was gently pressed and moved to barrel where it finished primary and secondary fermentations.
Aging
The wine continued to age in 85% new French oak – a combination of Taransaud and St. Martin barrels – for eighteen months.
Appearance
At first, you will notice the dark amethyst color of the wine as it pours into the glass.
