The 2021 Proprietary Red blends estate fruit from Stagecoach (37%) and the Pahlmeyer Estate Vineyard (24%) with purchased elements from Upper Range (34%) and Vangone (5%). The varietal composition is 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 2% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. Aging 18 months in 94% new French oak, it will be bottled unfined and unfiltered. Right now, it offers compelling fruit-driven aromas of ripe cherries, cassis, and blueberries—the oak is well concealed. Full-bodied and rich, this is dense and velvety on the palate, with a long, mouthwatering finish, despite an ample amount of dusty tannins.

Mainly off the estate vineyard and mainly Cabernet Sauvignon (77%), Pahlmeyer's 2019 Proprietary Red spent 18 months in almost all new French oak. Gentle herbal notes accent cherry and cassis on the nose of this full-bodied wine, which manages to be rich and velvety without ever being heavy. Waves of ripe fruit, cedary oak and savory loam linger on the long, elegant finish. This should drink well for up to two decades.

Composed of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec, the deep garnet-purple colored 2016 Proprietary Red Wine gives up bold notes of fresh blackcurrants, black cherries and wild blueberries with hints of cigar box, tilled soil, dried bay leaves and smoked meats plus a hint of lavender. Medium-bodied and fantastically intense in the mouth, it has a wonderful core of muscular fruit and a firm, ripe, fine-grained frame to match, finishing very long.

The proprietary red wine blend has always been dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, but it includes other Bordeaux varieties as well. It is kept 22-24 months in 100% new oak. The 2015 Proprietary Red Wine, a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot and the rest Malbec, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, has super concentration, a massive mouthfeel, heady, intense flavors of black and blue fruits, chocolate, wood spice and barbecue notes. It is a killer effort and, as so many of the 2015s, another magnificent vintage for Northern California.

"Fantastic aromatics with blackberries, blackcurrants and iodine. Licorice, too. Medium to full body, fine and velvety tannins and a very polished and gorgeous finish. Caressing and dialed in. Why wait? An intellectual wine here. Lovely now."