Peter Michael Sonoma California Chardonnay Pinot Cabernet Sauvignon

Everything about Peter Michael Winery, Sonoma Coast California, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon wine producer profile, wine tasting notes, wine and food pairing tips, best vintages, history of the property, information on their wine making techniques, terroir and soil. You can also read about the Grapes used for California wine and learn about the extensive History of Napa Valley, California Wines

Peter Michael History, Overview

The self named, Peter Michael winery was founded in 1982 with the purchase of 630 acres of volcanic ridges in the Knights Valley appellation. Peter Michael did not start out in the wine business. He earned his money from owning and selling a massive electronics company in England. The following year after starting Peter Michael, they began planting Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot in their Sonoma vineyards.

At the time of the purchase, Peter Michael became the first major winery in the Knights Valley area. In 1987, they hired Helen Turley as their winemaker. She was soon replaced by Mark Aubert, who eventually formed his own, self named winery. The debut Chardonnay wine from Peter Michael is still in production today, Mon Plaisir.

Peter Michael Vineyards, Wines, Winemaking

The family has continued to increase their holdings for the Peter Michael Winery. In 1998 they obtained an additional 400 acres in the Sonoma Coast. This was followed by another acquisition in 2009 of a 41-acre parcel overlooking the east side of Napa’s Oakville appellation. The hillside vineyard, located off the Silverado trail was planted in 1988 by Kal and Dorothy Showket. Prior to the purchase by Peter Michael, the grapes were sold to Shafer, Dalla Valle and Caymus. These new holdings are planted to Bordeaux varietals. The wine is called Peter Michael Au Paradis, which made its debut with the 2010 vintage.

For the production of Peter Michael white wines, all the wines from the Peter Michael winery are fermented using only indigenous yeast. Malolactic fermentation is only aided by native yeasts as well  For the white wines, the fruit is hand sorted at the whole cluster level before pressing. Peter Michael white wines are barrel fermented and aged on their lees.

For the Peter Michael Winery red wines, the berries are sorted 3 three times, first by hand at the cluster level and twice after being destemmed. Alcoholic fermentation takes place in tanks before being transferred to French oak barrels for malolactic fermentation. The wines are aged in French oak. The amount of new oak varies from vintage to vintage.

The Peter Michael Winery produces several different Chardonnay wines as well as a plethora of Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon based wines. Of their vast Chardonnay portfolio, Point Rouge is their top wine, which shows and interesting sense of humor, as that is a white wine. Adding to the mix, for a few vintages during the early 1990’s, the estate made a red wine from Bordeaux varietals and called it Point Blanc! With over 150 acres under vine, the Peter Michael winery is quite large. Their average annual production is more than 15,000 cases per vintage.

Serving and Decanting Peter Michael Wines with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips

Peter Michael Wine wines are best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift. Young vintages of their red wine can be decanted for 1-2 hours, depending on the character of the vintage. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.

The red Peter Michael Wine is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, ribs, hamburgers, barbecue, roasted, braised, grilled dishes and stews. Peter Michael Wine is also good with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, salmon, mushrooms and pasta.

The white wine of Peter Michael is best served with all types of seafood and shellfish, sushi, sashimi, chicken, veal, pork and cheese.

www.petermichaelwinery.com