We are pleased to share with you our seasonal newsletters.
- Newsletter
- In The News
- Pulido~Walker The Story of the Dancing Maidens
- Pulido~Walker Deepens Commitment to Napa Valley
- Wine Country Fires Update
- Highest Selling Debut Offering at Premiere Napa Valley Auction Breaks $1000/Bottle Barrier
- 2014 Premiere Napa Valley, Highest-selling Debut
- $500 A Glass?
- How Long Before Napa Cabs Top $1000 A Bottle?
- Pulido~Walker Olive Oil Wins Award
- Reviews
- 2016 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
Panek Vineyard - 2016 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
Melanson Vineyard - 2015 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
Panek Vineyard - 2015 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
Melanson Vineyard - 2014 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
Panek Vineyard - 2014 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
Melanson Vineyard - 2013 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
Panek Vineyard - 2013 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
Melanson Vineyard - 2012 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
Panek Vineyard - 2012 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
Melanson Vineyard - 2011 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
Melanson Vineyard - 2010 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
Panek Vineyard - 2010 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
Melanson Vineyard - 2017 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
Melanson Vineyard - 2017 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
Panek Vineyard - 2018 Pulido~Walker Estate Cabernet Sauvignon,
Mt. Veeder - 2018 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
Melanson Vineyard - 2019 Pulido~Walker Estate Cabernet Sauvignon,
Mt. Veeder
- 2016 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
- Restaurants is hidden in CSS
- Seasons of the Vineyard
Summer 2023
The Rarity of 100% Estate Grown
The Pulido~Walker vision to “Pursue the Possible” began nearly fifteen years ago with the purchase of grapes from renown vineyard sites and using a highly respected custom crush facility to produce our single vineyard designate wines. Step by step over the next decade, we collected data on the microclimates and soils of our Mt. Veeder property before meticulously planting the best 15 acres of this first growth vineyard site in 2015. That same year we opened Mending Wall Winery in partnership with our winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown and Frank Dotzler of Outpost so we had increased control of the quality from vine to the bottle. With the purchase of Policy Vineyard located on State Lane in the Yountville appellation north of Kapscandy in 2019 and signing a long-term contract that same year with Melanson Vineyard located on Pritchard Hill next to the Colgin Estate, we achieved the rare milestone of producing 100% Estate Bottled Wines.

Pulido~Walker Policy Estate Vineyard, Yountville
Estate bottled means 100 percent of the wine came from the grapes grown on land owned or controlled by the winery, and both the winery and the vineyard must be located within the boundaries of the labeled viticultural area as required and verified by TTB (U.S. Alcohol & Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau).
Pulido~Walker Acclaimed Vineyard Sites
Policy Estate Vineyard, Melanson Vineyard, Mt. Veeder Estate
Inspired by the notion of rarity based on disciplined weighing and measuring of choices, Pulido~Walker delivers wine with distinct personality, reflective of its place of origin from our three diverse Estate vineyard sites.
Policy Estate Vineyard
Pulido~Walker’s Policy Estate Vineyard is located on State Lane in the Yountville appellation north of Kapscándy, surrounded by spectacular views of the Mayacamas and Vaca mountain ranges as well as the Stags Leap Palisades.
The Policy Estate Vineyard site has a storied history dating back to the 1870s. Acquired by Pulido~Walker in 2019, this 14-acre property is tucked behind the base of one of the few valley floor knolls, which influences the special microclimate. The planted nine acres show dramatic soil variations ranging from Bale clay to very stony loam with highly compacted alluvial deposits, as well as an intricate underground drainage system throughout the entire vineyard, which provides optimal conditions for exceptional quality.
Policy Estate Vineyard was planted to a careful selection of four elite heritage clones of Cabernet Sauvignon, grown in individual blocks to offer winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown maximum control in crafting an extraordinary single-vineyard Cabernet that reflects the unique terroir of this remarkable site.
Melanson Vineyard
Between boulders clinging stubbornly to the steep slopes of Pritchard Hill, the Estate Grown Melanson Vineyard sits east of Oakville among some of the most highly regarded and closely held vineyard properties in the Napa Valley.
Melanson’s southwestern exposure is a distinct advantage, especially at elevations that translate to later bud break and harvest. Vines grow at elevations from 1,100 to 1,350 feet above sea level, in fractured serpentine and clay soils laden with igneous and seabed rock. Solar radiation is magnified at this altitude, while variations between high and low temperatures are moderated. The result is mountain fruit with thicker skins and higher tannins. The ink-black, super-concentrated berries are powerfully expressive of the site, with pronounced granite minerality. The higher tannins give the wine more structure with less weight on the palate and excellent aging potential.
Mt. Veeder Estate Vineyard
Stunningly situated in rugged mountain terrain above the fog line at the southern end of the Mt. Veeder appellation, this first-growth Pulido~Walker Mt. Veeder Estate Vineyard commands views of the Napa Valley from within the Mayacamas range.
Nearly a decade after acquiring these extraordinary 115 acres and collecting data on its microclimates and soils, the best 15 acres were meticulously planted to 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Chardonnay.
Dividing the vineyard into 18 micro blocks gave winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown total freedom in clonal selection. Thomas maintains full control over all aspects of farming quality and harvest dates in order to yield an exceptional wine greater than the sum of its parts.
2021 Vintage Overview
From Winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown
Despite a second consecutive year of drought, and nerve-racking memories of some similar challenges in 2015, the 2021 Napa Valley growing season produced what are proving to be great wines. Yields were tiny for the most part, because many vineyards just didn’t have the water resources to develop the full canopy necessary to ripen a typical load of fruit. You really had to be paying attention to get fruit to the finish line in good shape, but the reward was excellent quality across the board: small berries teeming with tannin, complexity, and pure aromatics.
Policy Estate Vineyard
As a valley floor site, it doesn’t experience the runoff we see in hillside locations, and the vines here are more mature, with more developed root systems. Additionally, 2021 highlighted a significant difference between cane-pruned and cordon-pruned vines. The Policy Estate Vineyard is cordon pruned, and those vines tend to warehouse more resources, giving them an advantage in challenging years.
For these reasons, the vineyard canopy wasn’t greatly diminished in 2021 and yields were only 5 to 10 percent lower than historical averages. Seemingly unfazed by growing conditions and with our continued focus on farming improvements, this vineyard continues to amaze us, producing better and better wines every year.
Melanson Vineyard
The lack of groundwater to mitigate irrigation was naturally a chief concern, especially in a hillside vineyard with little soil to speak of. But like the Policy Estate Vineyard, the Melanson Vineyard is cordon pruned, which allowed the vines to conserve resources and stood them in good stead through the season’s challenges, despite the fact that they grow in stony ground. Vine maturity in the blocks we pull from also helped. The dramatic reduction in fruit that we saw valley-wide didn’t apply here—yield from this site was about average.
What 2021 drove home to us again about the Melanson Vineyard is that when the site is great, that quality shines through, even under less-than-ideal conditions. With its Pritchard Hill pedigree, the 2021 Pulido~Walker Melanson Cabernet Sauvignon is another incredibly strong offering.
What others are saying about the 2021 Vintage
“Fortunately, 2021 looks to be a bounce-back year for Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons and blends. It was another dry year, so small berries and plentiful tannins are the rule, but the winemakers who were able to pick balanced grapes and manage those tannins were able to make some magnificent wines that should age long and well.”
–Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate, June 8, 2023
“….it’s clear that 2021 is a very strong, if not exceptional, vintage for Napa Valley. Coming from a historically dry, yet sunny, warm growing season that resulted in tiny berries and low yields, the wines are concentrated and structured, with building tannins and age worthy profiles.”
–Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, February 2023
The Napa Valley Vintners exclaim the “Joy is Back!” The 2021 vintage will be remembered for low yields with intensely-flavored, small-sized berries and a smooth and uneventful harvest season. The season started off with very little rain, leading to the second year of drought conditions in Napa Valley, Harvest began early with white wine grapes picked on July 30 and red wine grapes beginning on August 31. While concerning in the long term, the drought of 2021 resulted in a more natural load on the vines, requiring less pruning and dropping of fruit. The resulting grapes are packed full of flavor. Winemakers across the valley are excited about the prospects of the 2021 wines and it is likely the smaller yields per vine and smaller berry size will result in another amazing vintage from Napa Valley.
“Napa Valley’s 2021 vintage was so great, you could just feel the excitement all over the valley. My preliminary tastings reveal quite majestic wines with huge structures wrapped around a core of lovely dense fruit. These are wines that will indeed evolve and unfurl themselves over decades. I think they’ll reveal their complexity slowly and beautifully.”
–Karen McNeil, NapaValley.Wine, March 2022
SAVE THE DATE: Tuesday, August 8, 2023
2021 Pulido~Walker Melanson and Policy Estate Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Release
We moved up the 2021 vintage release. Bottled in May 2023, the wines will be shipped in October/November (weather permitting) with critics anticipated to taste and review wines by year-end.
Melanson Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
For some of our collectors, this may be the first time that you have had the opportunity to add Pulido~Walker’s Melanson Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon to your cellar. The 2018 vintage yielded a slightly higher production level than normal and coincided with achieving our first 100-point review. Subsequent vintages have been challenging with only 100 cases produced in 2019 and no wine bottled in 2020 due to the fires of that year and risk of smoke taint. Many of you have eagerly awaited for the return of this exceptional wine from this iconic vineyard site.
Thomas Rivers Brown, Winemaker, notes “The perpetual star of our Melanson vineyard blocks is Clone 7. The 2021 Pulido~Walker Melanson Cabernet Sauvignon once again leads with this clone, which makes up about two-thirds of the blend. Clone 337 continues to impress, and accounts for the remaining third. The wine is characterized by crushed rock, black olive, liquid minerals, and white flowers—flavors and aromatics typical of the eastern Oakville Hills that lend an incredible seriousness. This is a wine that commands your attention.
We were careful about extraction to make sure the tannins didn’t become overbearing. Where we typically press our wines after 16 to 18 days in tank, we knew to leave this wine on the skins for no more than 14 days. The result is a nicely structured wine, with ripe and well-integrated tannins that help strengthen the focus and prolong the finish. This is a wine that will linger in memory, not for the vicissitudes of the vintage, but for its arresting presence.”
Policy Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
“Made entirely from Clone 7, the 2021 Pulido~Walker Policy Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon occupies a beautifully complex arena that is somewhat atypical for this area of Yountville. But this wine is full of surprises.
A mix of red and black fruits is here in equal proportion. The palate has a density that doesn’t translate as heaviness; it’s impactful, and then lithe, almost ethereal. The wine sits on the palate in an exceedingly pleasant way. It is not an over-extracted sledgehammer of a wine—it simply checks every box on the list of what you’re looking for in a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
Pulido~Walker Policy Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon intends to keep on amazing us, it seems. Just when we think this wine has reached the pinnacle of expression, it gains a higher peak.”
–Thomas Rivers Brown, Winemaker
Come Visit Us
For those of you who are planning a visit to the Napa Valley, please know that we are eager to host you for the Pulido~Walker Experience at Mending Wall Winery. You’ll enjoy a highly curated, personalized tasting of our exceptional single vineyard designate wines and have an opportunity to learn more about why and how we “Pursue the Possible” – from patiently selecting remarkable vineyard sites to establishing all Estate Grown single vineyard wines.
All of our wines are produced at Mending Wall, a winery we built in partnership with winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown and Frank Dotzler, founder of Outpost. If you or your family and friends would like to arrange for your own Pulido~Walker Experience, please call 707-226-1900 or email [email protected] to make a reservation.
We remain grateful for and humbled by your long-term support. As we carefully nurture each new vintage to maturity, there is one overriding goal at Pulido~Walker: through a tenacious commitment to quality, craft exceptional estate-grown wines that capture the distinctive terroir of each carefully selected vineyard site.
Thank you again for being part of our journey as we continue to “Pursue the Possible” every day of every season.

MARK PULIDO & DONNA WALKER
Seasonal
Newsletter
- Newsletter
- In The News
- Pulido~Walker The Story of the Dancing Maidens
- Pulido~Walker Deepens Commitment to Napa Valley
- Wine Country Fires Update
- Highest Selling Debut Offering at Premiere Napa Valley Auction Breaks $1000/Bottle Barrier
- 2014 Premiere Napa Valley, Highest-selling Debut
- $500 A Glass?
- How Long Before Napa Cabs Top $1000 A Bottle?
- Pulido~Walker Olive Oil Wins Award
- Reviews
- 2016 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
Panek Vineyard - 2016 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
Melanson Vineyard - 2015 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
Panek Vineyard - 2015 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
Melanson Vineyard - 2014 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
Panek Vineyard - 2014 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
Melanson Vineyard - 2013 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
Panek Vineyard - 2013 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
Melanson Vineyard - 2012 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
Panek Vineyard - 2012 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
Melanson Vineyard - 2011 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
Melanson Vineyard - 2010 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
Panek Vineyard - 2010 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
Melanson Vineyard - 2017 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
Melanson Vineyard - 2017 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
Panek Vineyard - 2018 Pulido~Walker Estate Cabernet Sauvignon,
Mt. Veeder - 2018 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
Melanson Vineyard - 2019 Pulido~Walker Estate Cabernet Sauvignon,
Mt. Veeder
- 2016 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon,
- Restaurants is hidden in CSS
- Seasons of the Vineyard