2019 Pahlmeyer Wayfarer Vineyard Pinot Noir The Traveler
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
From vine cuttings that travelled across the Atlantic, this is supposedly the most vibrant Pinot Noir. Hand-picked clusters delivered to the winery before sunrise. Fruit hand-sorted and destemmed before transfer to tank where five to seven days of cold maceration preceded more than two weeks of 100% ambient-yeast fermentation. The free-run wine was transferred to French oak (two-thirds new) for 15 months. Very precise, focused with crisp acidity and fine tannins supporting the sweet raspberry and red-cherry notes on the palate. Oak is very subtle and will integrate further with another 12 months' maturation. Ripe, generous yet also fresh and vibrant. A delicious combination! (AWH)
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Lastly, the 2019 Pinot Noir The Traveler, from a suitcase clone selection in the vineyard, is more in the style of the Paige's Ridge and Golden Mean with its more linear, focused, incredibly pure personality. Bright wild strawberries, framboise, candied orange, spring flowers, and exotic spice notes all emerge from the glass, and it’s incredible on the palate, with a medium to full-bodied, flawlessly balanced, multi-dimensional mouthfeel that keeps you coming back to the glass. This is pure gold and one of the top 2-3 wines in the vintage. It will benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age (it's far from unapproachable today) and knock your socks off over the following decade.
Medium ruby, the 2019 Pinot Noir The Traveler offers explosive amaro-like scents with blackberries, iron, iodine and classy new oak spices. The palate is dynamic with intense, broody, pure fruits packed into a lithe, smooth frame. It finishes with bursts of freshness and sparks of crushed stone and flowers. It will have so much more to offer with another 2-3 years in bottle.
The 2019 Pinot Noir The Traveler is bright and nicely lifted, although today it has a bit less flesh than has been the norm in the past. Acids in 2019 are the highest ever here, and that contributes to the wine's energy and overall vivacity. Red berry fruit, blood orange and wild flowers linger. The Traveler was done with fully destemmed fruit.