Winemaker Notes
Located a few miles west of Sebastopol not far from the Sonoma coast, Peters Vineyard is the backbone of our production. Planted with Pommard and 777 clones, Peters Vineyard produces the fruit for our first vineyard-designate wine. This former apple orchard is an ideal location for Pinot Noir, with cool ocean fog in the mornings and evenings and hot sunny days that bring the best flavor out of the grapes. We enjoy a close relationship with grower, Randy Peters, working together to produce this wonderful wine.
"...Here is a textbook example of the kind of deep fruit and juicy succulence that can only be found in the finest Pinot Noir, and the wine is uncannily successful in tempering its obvious ripeness with layers of sweet red cherries and perfectly measured oak..."
-Connoisseurs' Guide
Professional Ratings
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Home to a diverse array of smaller AVAs with varied microclimates and soil types, Sonoma County has something for every wine lover. Physically twice as large as Napa Valley, the region only produces about half the amount of wine but boasts both tremendous quality and variety. With its laid-back atmosphere and down-to-earth attitude, the wineries of Sonoma are appreciated by wine tourists for their friendliness and approachability. The entire county intends to become a 100% sustainable winegrowing region by 2019.
Sonoma County wines are produced with carefully selected grape varieties to reflect the best attributes of their sites—Dry Creek Valley’s consistent sunshine is ideal for Zinfandel, while the warm Alexander Valley is responsible for rich, voluptuous red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are important throughout the county, most notably in the cooler AVAs of Russian River, Sonoma Coast and Carneros. Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Syrah have also found a firm footing here.