Peirson Meyer and L'Angevin Wines are producing some truly
remarkable wines, including some of my favorite Sauvignon Blancs and an amazing
Pinot Noir. Our visit and tasting was
one of the most enjoyable and memorable events we have experienced in over forty
years of visits to hundreds of wineries.
Because they produce their wines at the Cuvaison Estate Winery in
Calistoga and do not have their own winery or tasting room yet, our tasting was
at the winemaker's home in Angwin.
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| Winemaker's home |
I had written to the winemaker, Robbie Meyer, telling him how much I loved his Peirson-Meyer
2010 Ryan's Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc and asking if there was any chance of
being able to taste some of his other wines.
He was gracious enough to extend an invitation to us. My favorite winery visits are always those
where I am able to meet and converse with the winemaker. Mr. Meyer's deep passion, love and enthusiasm
for wine, along with the superb quality of his wines, made this an experience
we will long remember.
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| Front yard |
In addition to being the winemaker, Mr. Meyer is part owner and
co-founder of the two labels Peirson Meyer and L'Angevin. L'Angevin (pronounced "lonj-ven.") is
actually named after his maternal grandparents and was his first label that was
founded with Alan Peirson in 2001. Their
initial release was a 2001 Chardonnay that was released in 2003. In 2005 they founded the Peirson-Meyer label
and their first release on that label was a 2005 Chardonnay released in
2007. All current releases are on the
Peirson-Meyer label now, but some L'Angevin Wines might be produced in the
future. Their wives, Lesley Warner-Peirson
and Shannon Meyer, are also actively involved, making both of these wineries
family owned and operated by the two families.
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| Back yard |
Mr. Meyer is very pleasant, quite articulate and exceptionally
knowledgeable, so we loved talking with him about wine and winemaking. He began learning about wines at a high-end restaurant
where he worked at age 16. By age 18 he
was a wine steward. After obtaining his
B.S. in Biology at the University of Georgia California and soon
enrolled at UC Davis where he obtained his Master's degree in Enology. He worked for five vintages at Peter Michael
Winery and for two vintages as winemaker for Lewis Cellars. In addition to being the winemaker for
Peirson-Meyer and L'Angevin Wines, he is a consulting winemaker for several
other wineries in Napa Valley Santa Barbara . But Mr. Meyer is more than simply another
winemaker. He has taken the intricate craft
of winemaking to the level of an art form.
He is an enological artist. (Alan
Peirson is also an artist, focusing on ceramic work and sculptures of clay,
wood, stone and bronze, plus vineyard management.) During our long meeting with
Mr. Meyer, he shared some of his artistic vision and ideas about wines and
winemaking, creating a unique experience for us that was very enjoyable and
highly informative. After we tasted his wines, we concluded that Robbie Meyer
is more than a craftsman and an artist; he is also an enological magician.
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| Robbie Meyer Winemaker and Co-owner |
Their focus is on four varietals: Chardonnay, Sauvignon
Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon (including a Cabernet blend) and Pinot Noir. Grapes are sourced from small, ultra-premium
vineyards in California . Their Chardonnay is either from Heintz Vineyard
in the Sonoma Coast Russian
River Valley Russian
River Valley Sonoma
Coast Sebastopol
where they have ten year old vines. All
of their Cabernet Sauvignon is from Napa
Valley
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| Back yard |
Our tasting began with the Peirson Meyer 2013 Ritchie Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc from Russian
River Valley
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| Back yard |
The second pour was the Peirson
Meyer 2012 Charles Heintz Vineyard Chardonnay from Sonoma
Coast
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| Front yard |
Our third wine was the fantastic Peirson Meyer 2012 Bateman Vineyard Pinot Noir at $60. I got mostly red cherry and floral aromas on
the nose. On the palate it was rather full
bodied and lush for a Pinot Noir but impeccably balanced. This is one of those rare wines with such
wonderful fruit, balance and nuance that it is a pure physical pleasure to
retain it in the mouth. I got rich, red
cherry, vanilla and honeysuckle with undercurrents of subtle floral notes,
accompanied by an incredibly long, beautiful, concentrated finish of rich, ripe
black cherry and vanilla that seemed to continued forever. My friend, who usually prefers Cabs to Pinots,
was simply floored by this Pinot saying, "Wow. This is just amazing!" (He purchased a case of it.) This is simply one of the finest California
Pinot Noirs I've tasted, and it should even improve with some age.
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| Front road |
Our final pour was the Peirson
Meyer 2012 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon at $90. I got mostly cherry on the nose followed on
the palate by juicy black cherry and black current that was very well balanced and
silky, laced with soft, smooth tannins.
Although very drinkable, this is still a young wine with some "baby
fat." Its freshness and balance
make it very appealing now, but it will continue to improve with time.
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| Back yard |
Needless to say, we very highly recommend Peirson Meyer and
L'Angevin Wines. Although we really
liked all of their wines, we especially loved the Sauvignon Blanc and the Pinot
Noir, two very special wines. Peirson Meyer and L'Angevin Wines is not open to
the public, but you may call or email them to inquire about a possible tasting. They are hoping to purchase a tasting room on
Highway 29 in Napa Valley
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| Where we tasted |
Phone: 707-944-1352
Date of visit: June 25, 2014
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