We are pleased to share with you our seasonal newsletters.
Winter 2022
Season’s Greetings
After months of sheltering in place, the return of visitors to our beloved valley was so welcomed. The normal rhythms in the vineyards never ceased, but your presence was missed. Reconnecting with so many of our collectors, introducing our single vineyard designate wines to new guests, as well as having a chance to share stories has been appreciated more than anyone could ever imagine.
As 2021 nears its close, we reflect on the past year with thankfulness and look forward with anticipation to next year. In the second year of a global pandemic, Pulido~Walker continued its focus on the health and safety of our teams, our collector visitors, and the Napa Valley community. With our partners at Mending Wall Winery, we affiliated with St. Helena Hospital Foundation to provide Covid testing, vaccines, and boosters for vineyard, winery, and hospitality teams. In addition, we supported Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Helena and Calistoga, Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation, and Napa Valley Community Foundation to assist those impacted.
Mt. Veeder Estate Vineyard
During these times, Pulido~Wallker forged ahead and achieved a long-awaited milestone with the debut offering of our single vineyard designate Cabernet Sauvignon from the first-growth Mt. Veeder Estate Vineyard. After purchasing this exceptional raw land in 2006, we spent years studying its unique terroir with 100 soil pits, 5 years of weather station data, and correlation studies. All this information informed the rootstock, clonal selections, vineyard planting, and farming protocols. Of the 115 acres, we gained approval to plant 25 acres. In 2015, the best 15 of those acres were planted with 22,000 vines in 18 micro blocks, avoiding typical hillside swales and valleys, to ensure even ripening and exceptional quality. The 2018 inaugural release from this remarkable site earned 98+ from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.
Early in the year, we were humbled with our first 100-point score for the 2018 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon from Melanson Vineyard located on Pritchard Hill. This distinct recognition is another honor for our esteemed winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown as well as for the entire vineyard and winemaking team. Jeb Dunnuck wrote, “pure Napa Valley genius” to describe this perfect wine.
“The 2021 harvest was welcomed with accommodating weather and no fires. The 2021 Pulido~Walker grape harvest will be characterized by smaller than normal yields with superb quality.”
—Mark Pulido, Proprietor
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2022
The Winter releases will include 2019 Pulido~Walker Melanson Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (98 cases) and the debut offering of 2019 Pulido~Walker Policy Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (178 cases). With the very limited production of these two exceptional single vineyard designate wines, we are working on an allocation system for our loyal collectors with more details to come in the new year. In the Spring, the 2020 Pulido~Walker Chardonnay from Mt. Veeder Estate Vineyard will be available. The 2019 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon from Mt. Veeder Estate Vineyard will be released in the Summer.
Sadly, we will not release any of our 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon wines as this varietal from all three of our vineyards exhibited smoke damage from the 2020 wildfires.
Coming Soon: 2019 Vintage from Pulido~Walker
The 2019 Napa Valley vintage is proving promisingly similar to the vaunted 2016 vintage. Both began with considerable rainfall and saw few weather extremes during a long, mild summer; both growing seasons were remarkable for being largely unremarkable from a winemaker’s perspective; both produced beautifully structured wines.
2019 Pulido~Walker Policy Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Inaugural Release
Pulido~Walker’s Policy Estate Vineyard is located on State Lane in the center of 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.
Under the guidance of renowned vineyard manager Jim Barbour, Policy Estate Vineyard was planted in 2004/2006 to a careful selection of four elite heritage clones (6, 7, 337, & 341) 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.
The inaugural release of the Pulido~Walker Policy Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon vintage is the latest chapter in our journey to “Pursue the Possible” in crafting exceptional single vineyard designate estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon wines. This vintage is the first from the estate made entirely on Mark and Donna’s watch. Our winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown worked with Carmen and Gail Policy to plant it and has been making wine from this fruit since 2006.
Thomas Rivers Brown quickly determined that the wine from the Clone 7 vineyard block was the standout. Occupying roughly a third of the nine planted acres, that block has consistently produced the estate’s most concentrated, black-fruited, complex wines. It also imparts a slight blue-fruited top note suggestive of a cooler climate.
The 2019 Pulido~Walker Policy Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon showcases a nice mix of red and black fruits. Because the Policy Estate sits south of the Oakville-Yountville border, the wines tend to be a little more savory than those from farther up-valley — evident in notes of saddle leather, tobacco, and sage. As we would expect, this temperature difference means the wine is balanced more by acidity than tannin. That always makes them intellectually and gustatorily interesting—and presents an intriguing complement to the other Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvignon wines. (Limited 178 cases)
2019 Pulido~Walker from Melanson Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
In the Melanson Vineyard, we returned to the lower yields of pre-2018 vintages, probably (and ironically) made even less prodigious by the rains. Cooler temperatures meant the vines flowered much later than usual, and rain at the end of May disrupted fruit set. We saw this throughout the Napa Valley in hillside vineyards, which typically set later than those on the valley floor.
Despite the tiny amount of fruit we harvested, the 2019 Pulido~Walker Melanson Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is every bit as good as any wine we’ve made from this site thus far. Nature was wildly generous in quality, if not quantity, on Pritchard Hill. We feel this wine may be on par with the perfect-scoring 2018. (Limited 98 cases)
Pull a bottle of Pulido~Walker from your cellar
to share with friends over the holidays
Do you have friends and family gathering for dinner or happy hour over the holidays? Add something special with a customized Zoom Wine Tasting with the Pulido~Walker team.
Email the Pulido~Walker team to schedule a time to visit with you and your guests.
Our team will curate a personalized tasting plan, including tasting notes for your Pulido~Walker wines along with suggested food pairings.
Short Ribs with Polenta & Glazed Carrots
Recipe from Austin Gallion, National Sales Director
Paired with our 2018 Pulido~Walker from Mt. Veeder Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
2018 Pulido~Walker from Mt. Veeder Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Tasting Notes from Julia Wildt, Director of Hospitality, WSET Level 3 Advanced.