The Inaugural Vintage of Pym-Rae

Rarely does one find a movie goer who did not love the gifted actor and comedian Robin Williams.  He was truly one of American cinema’s greatest talents.  However, few would have heard of the grand plans Robin Williams had for his vineyard, Villa Soriso, (“the Valley of Smiles”), in Napa’s prestigious Mount Veeder Appellation.  He planned to release a premium wine named Pym-Rae, the combination of the middle name of two of his children (his son Zachery Pym, and his daughter Zelda Rae).  Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc have been planted at Villa Soriso since the 1990s. Before the actor was ready to release his own wine, his estate sold its harvest to noteworthy wineries such as Rombauer, Vineyard 29, and Robert Craig.

After Robin Williams’ tragic passing, his wine estate was sold to the Tesseron family from Bordeaux, the owner of Château Pontet-Canet since 1975.  Out of respect for the Hollywood legend and his vision, the Tessron family chose to keep the name of the wine.  The new French owner appointed Thomas Comme as the winemaker. His father, Jean-Michel Comme, is the technical director of Pontet-Canet and also consults for Pym-Rae.  The Tessrons further appointed Michel Rolland, the leading Bordeaux consultant, to lend his expertise to their new American adventure.

After four years of tireless work adopting the biodynamic dry-farming approach, the estate has released the inaugural vintage of Pym-Rae, 2016.  It’s no surprise that they knocked it out of the park, scoring a rating of 97 points by the critics at Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.  James Suckling rated it 98 points and named it as #24 on his Top 100 Wine List of of 2020.

Pym-Rae 2016 consists of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, and 7% Cabernet Franc.  The vines are 29 years old on average, growing at 1800 feet - a higher elevation as is typical with the Mount Veeder Appellation.

For the curious mind, the image used on the label of Pym-Rae is a direct homage to Robin Williams’ best friend and fellow actor, Christopher Reeve.  The two met while studying at The Juilliard School in the 1970s and remained best friends.  The unique design is based off the chandelier in the estate’s entryway.  It represents the logo for The Daily Planet.  For those in need of a refresher, in the Superman movie, The Daily Planet is the newspaper where Superman’s alter ego, Clark Kent, worked as a journalist.

At Laguna Cellar, we are very excited to present this extraordinary wine to our customers.  For those who desire the full package, the wine is also available in its original wood case when 3 bottles are purchased.

Tasting Notes

"A blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Franc, the 2016 Pym-Rae displays a deep garnet-purple color and reveals wonderfully fragrant notes of candied violets, wilted roses, damp soil and black tea over a core of red and black currants, black cherries and warm blackberries plus touches of cigar box and camphor. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is evocatively singular, offering that rock-solid structure of mountain fruit, yet these are wonderfully ripe, silt-like tannins that beautifully support the elegant red and black fruit layers, finishing very long and very perfumed." - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate (10/29/2018), Ratings: 97, Drink: 2020-2048