Gallo Purchases Pahlmeyer

[Eric_Lundblad]

I understand the Pahlmeyer vineyard is in Atlas Peak. Is it near Stagecoach?

They’re roughly the same distance, on either side, of Atlas Peak. Their position, relative to everything else (i.e. weather influences), isn’t identical, but seem moderately similar.

The soils aren’t the same either, but they share similar characteristics…esp that they’re both extremely rocky soils…and that they have a not too dissimilar soil chemistry.

I could see Gallo look at the two vineyards and think that they could make Stagecoach work in a Pahlmeyer like way, but want a backup position (several year contract for pahlmeyer fruit) to give them some room to work out the details.

[John_Glas]

Don’t hate Pahlmeyer but for me I would rather buy Anderson’s Conn Valley across the board for less money.

[Bryan_Price]

Blake Gray’s article on this deal, including some interesting observations on what drove it:

Gallo Swoops for Napa's Pahlmeyer | Wine-Searcher News & Features

Interesting that they bought the name and not the vineyards. It makes sense if the point is to sell brands without relation to the sources of the grapes. But it doesn’t seem logical for this particular purchase. A brand like the Prisoner or Meiomi has a big following and a name recognized by many people. Pahlmeyer is much smaller and in spite of the fact that the wines were “only” $150, they’re not supermarket wines and they’re way out of range for most people who aren’t wine fanatics. The people who do know the name are likely to know that it’s just a brand now, and one assumes they would therefore be less likely to shell out the $150.

As far as whether it’s owned by Gallo or a smaller player, that doesn’t need to be relevant. If they cared to, Gallo can certainly hire the same talent that Colgin or Harlan or Pahlmeyer can. I don’t know how Gallo does it, but people who’ve been bought have told me that Jackson often leaves them alone to make wine but helps out with investment, marketing, and distribution.

[Steve_Gautier]

Had a wonderful ‘93 Proprietary Red last night

• 1993 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red - USA, California, Napa Valley (11/24/2019)
  Decanted for an hour and drank over the next hour. Very similar on initial decant and two hours later. Color is deep and rich and belies it’s age. Palate is classic aged Bordeaux blend that would seem French if served blind. Cherry and plum behind pencil shaving with leather and some earth.

Posted from CellarTracker

[Anton_D]

Anton, how does Gallo’s purchase make Palmeyer any less local or larger scale? Its just ownership. If they ramp up production at the cost of quality, sure, bail on them. Maybe Palmeyer needed Gallo to move forward.

As GregT said…“Interesting that they bought the name and not the vineyards.”

If Gallo buys MacDonald, but not the vineyard, I’d be out, as well.

Same for several others.

[Wes_Barton]

Nathan, an interesting take. What makes Gallo Evil , Inc.? Did they do something truly evil or just the assumption that large corporations are inherently evil?

They’ve been one of the major players being the anti-wine shipping lobby.

[Jason_T]

Nathan, an interesting take. What makes Gallo Evil , Inc.? Did they do something truly evil or just the assumption that large corporations are inherently evil?

They’ve been one of the major players being the anti-wine shipping lobby.

That certainly qualifies as evil.

[MikeMy]

If we only knew how many Gallo owned labels contained Monte Rosso juice. Stagecoach will be another vineyard to ponder over.

[Dan_Kravitz]

I’ve had mixed feelings about Gallo for 50 years.

Gallo at one time was the largest organic farmer in the world, with 8000 acres (don’t know about now). Of course, they didn’t give a shit about organic, it was just cheaper to hire undocumented labor than to buy chemicals.

As mentioned, they fight direct sales tooth and nail, and prohibiting direct sales is unethical if not unconstitutional.

When Louis Martini was in financial difficulties, they bought it at a fair price, kept on Michael Martini, gave him resources, and today, IMO, Louis Martini Sonoma Cabernet is one of if not the single greatest value in consistently fine Cabernet, easily available in most if not all American markets. I can’t tell you how many glasses of it (and also Gallo Chardonnay) I’ve downed in airport and hotel bars when I wanted a glass of something drinkable at a fair price.

I could go on…

Dan Kravitz

[bradkaplan]

Just had my first Pahlmeyer, a 2014 merlot, and it was really nice - well balanced, deep, plenty of fruit, nothing over the top - a very good pairing alongside some thyme and rosemary lamb chops. No complaints, and no idea how this sits relative to more recent vintages.

[DougS]

Nathan, an interesting take. What makes Gallo Evil , Inc.? Did they do something truly evil or just the assumption that large corporations are inherently evil?

They’ve been one of the major players being the anti-wine shipping lobby.

Yes, and it goes way beyond that. Anyone saying it doesn’t make sense to not buy Gallo products is either uninformed or has reason to not acknowledge certain facts about Gallo’s business practices. I’m not saying it’s the only reasonable decision to not buy from them, but it certainly is a reasonable decision.