2021 Pym-Rae

Auslieferung im Frühjahr 2026!
Delivery in spring 2026!

(Mount Veeder, Napa Valley; 75% Cabernet Sauvignon; 10% Cabernet Franc; there are just 7.5 hectares of vines here in a property of over 300 hectares, a recipe for natural biodiversity; in effect, 2 separate vineyards, at 500 and 600 metres respectively, so an average altitude of around 550 metres; tiny yields here too and this is entirely ‘dry farmed’, the irrigation was removed on purchase in 2016; aged in a combination of concrete tanks and French oak barrels, mainly new; aged in a combination of new oak (50%) and concrete vats (50%); 15% alcohol; certified organic and biodynamic; the vines are now around 35 years of age; tasted with Noé Tesseron at the offices of their courtier). The 6th vintage produced and the vines now have around 35 years of age. The altitude produces a natural freshness that is rare in the vintage. Bright. Lifted. Very floral. Lavender. A touch of peony and iris. Crunchy in its fruit signature. I love the vivid sensation of rose petals, painted as if by a grand master in still life. The precision grows with each vintage and this is spectacular. It’s very Bordeaux in its style and yet it expresses the Mount Veeder terroir so well. Cedar. A little red liquorice but it’s not dominant. Subtle and gently layered, it’s as if the layers reveals themselves one by one in a gentle cascade – like a slowly descending set of steps. Ample and full in the mouth but always lithe and lifted and aerial. The dry farming gives this a depth and profundity that is rare and that expresses the terroir so brilliantly. A wine that fills out in the mouth as it opens, gathering and gaining in richness and becoming more and more Californian as it does so. But there’s also no escaping the sense that this is built on Bordeaux wine-making principles. I love that combination. This is right up there with Opus One in terms of sheer quality in the vintage.
99/100 Colin Hay; The Drinks Business

Dark berry colour, with a swirl of cocoa bean, sage, violet, lavender, cassis, freshly cut herbs, slate-textured tannins, providing relief and contrast to the supple and silky fruits, with a fresh crushed mint finish. Aged 50% new oak, 50% concrete vats, 7ha of vines running 450m to 600m, the yields are naturally rising as the vines are getting used to dry farming. Annouck Morel d'Arleux assistant technical director now joined Mathieu as of 2024. Julien Viaud and Michel Rolland consultants. First full year with Jerome Ledit as winemaker, third vintage of being certified biodynamic, harvest September 22 to October 13.
95/100 Jane Anson

‘Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2021 Pym-Rae bursts with bold notes of crème de cassis and blueberry compote, followed by hints of dark chocolate, licorice, menthol, and Chinese five spice. The dense, full-bodied palate shimmers with tremendous energy and freshness, supported by firm, fine-grained tannins and great tension, finishing long and opulent. The blend is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Franc, aged 50% in new French oak barrels and 50% in concrete vats’.
100/100 Lisa Perrotti-Brown