Fall 2025 Release Letter

FALL RELEASE

2023 Wayfarer Pinot Noir 'Mother Rock'
2023 Wayfarer Pinot Noir 'Golden Mean'
2023 Wayfarer Pinot Noir 'Paige's Ridge'
2023 Wayfarer Pinot Noir 'The Traveler'
2023 Wayfarer Chardonnay 'Cuvée Cleo'

Dear Friends,

Great things take time to reveal themselves.  Getting to know a person deeply, living in a place long enough that it becomes a community, truly taking in a work of fine art, savoring a wonderful meal – these things both take time and enrich our lives immeasurably.  And nothing is truer when it comes to wine. 

My father, Jayson Pahlmeyer, first set foot on Wayfarer in 1998, and taking with him the wisdom and experience gained since his first vintage in 1986, he completed planting Wayfarer Vineyard in 2002.  It wasn’t until 2012 that we harvested the first vintage for Wayfarer, and two more years before I wrote our first release letter. 

Every year we have been continuously learning to farm our vines more individually and holistically.  We are farming entirely organically now, something most thought impossible so close to the coast 23 years ago when the vines were first planted.  In the winery, we have learned to allow the vineyard to speak more clearly, constantly making slight adjustments to authentically portray the full dimension and nuance of our exceptional site. 

In 2023, Mother Nature took her sweet time, resulting in the latest harvest in our history.  The temperate yet sunny days of the markedly extended growing season created beautiful flavor and tannin development while retaining freshness and compelling savory notes in the wines.  The 2023 Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays shine with finesse and quiet power, truly nuanced, expressive wines with great aging potential.

Looking back on our journey that began almost 25 years ago, there is no better proof that great things take time to reveal themselves.  I am fiercely proud of our 2023s – both the Block Selections and ‘The Estate’ bottlings – and encourage you to include them in your collection.  Thank you for your support!  

Best regards, 

Cleo Pahlmeyer