The proprietary red wine blend has always been dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, but it includes other Bordeaux varieties as well. It is kept 22-24 months in 100% new oak. The 2015 Proprietary Red Wine, a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot and the rest Malbec, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, has super concentration, a massive mouthfeel, heady, intense flavors of black and blue fruits, chocolate, wood spice and barbecue notes. It is a killer effort and, as so many of the 2015s, another magnificent vintage for Northern California. Pahlmeyer certainly has one of the most consistently superb resumés for the last 30 years that any winery could desire. (RP)

The 2015 Proprietary Red has turned out beautifully. Dark and fleshy, with plenty of immediacy, the 2015 looks like it will offer its best drinking over the next handful of years. Succulent dark cherry, plum, new leather mocha and spice develop in the glass. There is good up-front intensity, but the vintage did not allow for a wine built on layers, as is the norm here. (AG)

This blends 79% Cabernet Sauvignon with 16% Merlot, 3% Malbec and 1% each of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. The brawny nose opens in black currant and licorice, paving the way for the bold, rich flavors of lavender, blueberry and graham cracker to come. (VB)