Pym-Rae Tesseron Estate creates new wine and honors Robin Williams
By Virginie Boone
NAPA VALLEY, Calif. — Pym-Rae Tesseron Estate is a biodynamic wine producer perched 1,800 feet high on Mount Veeder that recently launched its 2019 vintage. Alfred Tesseron of Tesseron Cognac and Bordeaux’s Chateau Pontet-Canet bought the 653 acres with an 18.5-acre vineyard site in 2016 from the estate of actor Robin Williams, who died in 2014.
The remote property is near the top of the Oakville Grade and then another slow mile or so north, tucked into the mountain bordering Sugarloaf Ridge State Park on the Sonoma County side.
“I think what makes Pym-Rae so special is specifically the singularity of the place,” noted estate manager Jérôme Ledit. “The combination of elevation and exposures, with this very specific and diverse geology, sandstone, schist and volcanic tuff, makes it unique.”
Williams never made wine from the estate, which he purchased in 1994, but he planted cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc some 30-plus years ago across two vineyard blocks — one at 1,640-feet and the other at 1,968 feet — selling the grapes to nearby producers such as Rombauer and Robert Craig. Craig helped plant the vineyard in 1990 and used to receive the majority of the grapes.
Tesseron converted the property to biodynamic and organic farming methods, hiring Ledit to make one wine, a blend of all three grapes, in consultation with famed enologist Michel Rolland.
A native of Alsace, Ledit also looks after the cows and goats that roam across the property in addition to its olive trees, pastures and woods.
“The organic and biodynamic way to grow, same philosophy as we have in France, sublimates even more the terroir and the place in the wines,” he said. “Having it be remote and close to a protected wildlife area (Sugarloaf Ridge) and away from any kind of pollution makes a lot of sense, as well.”
Why would a Bordelaise with such longstanding roots in France even be looking in the Napa Valley for a site? And what was it about Williams’ place that spoke to Tesseron? Turns out it was the age of the vines, a rarity for mountain properties in the New World. Tesseron was not at all interested in buying a house — though a grand one, the 20,000-square-foot Villa Sorriso (Villa of Smiles), exists — nor in preserving a particular legacy.
And yet that’s exactly what he has done by calling the estate Pym-Rae, combining the middle names of two of Williams’ children in a subtle nod to the actor, who found refuge in this place. How does one create something new out of something old and profoundly linked to one of California’s most beloved figures?
Tesseron knows something about legacy. He is the grandson of Abel Tesseron, the founder of Tesseron Cognac, begun in 1905, and the son of Guy Tesseron, who added Chateau Pontet-Canet in Pauillac to the family holdings in 1975. Alfred took over in 1994, converting the Bordeaux acreage to biodynamic and organic farming in 2005, making it the first Grand Cru Classé to be Demeter-certified in 2010.
Tesseron came to Napa looking for land soon after, zeroing in on Mount Veeder’s cool climate and sedimentary soils, a mélange of sandstone, blue shale and volcanic tuff. The wines greatly reflect the wildness and grandeur of this place.
Invested in the next generation, Tesseron looks to Pym-Rae as a way to involve his own children, Noe and Justine, and trade knowledge between Napa Valley and Bordeaux.
The 2019 currently released is full of acid-driven tension and vitality, fresh throughout, with a backbone of exceptional structure and refined tannins that coat a subdued capture of savory fruit and spice. Find out more about the wines and trade collector appointment-only visits at Pym-Rae Napa Valley.
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Virginie Boone has written about the Napa Valley for more than a decade. Follow her Instagram @virginieboone or visit virginieboone.com.
Any story about Pym-Rae should be sure to mention its founding team - consultant Jean-Michel Comme who worked with the Tesseron family in Bordeaux at Pontet-Canet, where he was the estate director (and where he famously introduced and successfully persisted in certified biodynamic farming at a time when this was rare in Bordeaux and non-existent in the Medoc) and Jean-Michel's son Thomas who was the estate director at Pym-Rae from 2016 to 2020. They made many valuable contributions to establishing and building the estate and should be recognized for those contributions. The Comme family today continues to consult for others to help them learn how to employ best practices in viticulture. They are internationally acclaimed.
Good article, Virginie. The poll question about Biodynamics and wine quality is a bit misleading. just as with other farming techniques, from my tasting experience, biodynamic wine quality ranges from wonderful to undrinkable. But I would rather take a risk and buy a wine made so intentionally crafted than much of the mass produced stuff. The important thing, I think, is that transitioning from the "green" revolution of post world war II chemical agriculture to any of the myriad of terms being used leads to more thoughtfulness, sensitivity, and intimacy with our environment. And hopefully a more sustainable "green" revolution.