Summer 2025 Release Letter

SUMMER RELEASE

2023 Ways of Wayfarer Pinot Noir Prince Hill Vineyard
2023 Ways of Wayfarer Chardonnay Waters Ranch Vineyard

Dear Friends,

I am delighted to introduce to you a new chapter in my family’s legacy in wine: Ways of Wayfarer. 

Venturing beyond our Wayfarer estate vineyard, Ways of Wayfarer explores new exceptional cool-climate hillside sites, chosen for their established track record of excellence in farming and distinctive fruit character.  Significantly, these vineyards are also deeply important to me.

The first Ways of Wayfarer releases are the 2023 Waters Ranch Vineyard Chardonnay from Atlas Peak in Napa Valley and the 2023 Prince Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir from Dundee Hills in Willamette Valley.

Ways of Wayfarer Chardonnay Waters Ranch Vineyard honors the first chapter of the Pahlmeyer legacy.  Planted in 2000 by my father, Jayson Pahlmeyer, and designed by renowned vineyard developer David Abreu, Waters Ranch Vineyard is situated on the eastern mountain range of Napa Valley in the Atlas Peak AVA.  On a mountaintop at 2,200 feet with shallow, rocky volcanic soil and sightlines to San Francisco drawing cool winds from the bay, Waters Ranch is a cool spot in the otherwise warm region, creating structured Chardonnay rich in texture and vibrancy.  Making Chardonnay from the vineyard that made my dad famous (in the wine world, at least!) is both exciting and meaningful to me. 

The Prince Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir breaks new ground in my family’s story in wine, a long-held dream of mine brought to life. I have deep connections to Oregon; I spent summers there as a child, where I met my future husband, and today, with our three kids, we live part time in Neskowin on the Oregon coast, just minutes from Willamette Valley’s most prized vineyards.  As such, I leapt at the opportunity to work with fruit from the historic Prince Hill Vineyard in the esteemed Dundee Hills AVA.  Famed Willamette Pinot Noir pioneer Dick Erath planted the property in 1983 with his signature Clone 95, a cutting he brought to Oregon from Clos Vougeot in Burgundy.  With its red volcanic Jory soils and sun-catching southeastern exposure in this otherwise cool and damp region, Prince Hill Pinot Noir is distinctive for its expressive elegance and silky, powdery tannins.

Thank you for supporting my family’s journey in wine.  I hope you find Ways of Wayfarer wines as inspiring as I do.  

All my best,

Cleo Pahlmeyer