Peter Michael Winery

"Iconic wines from the Mayacamas Mountains"

Peter Michael Winery is one of the defining names in modern Californian top winegrowing. The winery was founded in the early 1980s by Sir Peter Michael, a British entrepreneur with a great passion for Bordeaux and Burgundy.

Together with his family, he realised the idea of a winery in the hills of the Mayacamas Mountains in Sonoma County that would combine the precision and elegance of top European wines with the climatic possibilities of California.
The vineyards are mainly located in the high altitudes of Knights Valley at the western foothills of the Vaca Mountains. This is where volcanic soils, strong temperature differences between day and night and the cooling influence of the Pacific Ocean meet. This combination ensures an exceptionally long growing season and produces wines with maturity, concentration and remarkable freshness. In addition to the vineyards in Knights Valley, the winery also owns renowned Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vineyards on the cooler Sonoma Coast and in the Fort Ross-Seaview area.

The Peter Michael Winery became internationally renowned above all for its Chardonnays and Cabernet Sauvignons. Wines such as "Belle Côte", "Ma Belle-Fille" and "Mon Plaisir" have been among the most sought-after Californian wines in their categories for years. Stylistically, the wines are often more orientated towards Burgundy or Bordeaux than opulent Californian clichés. Despite great density and concentration, they possess a precise acid structure, mineral tension and a high ageing potential.

French influence has played a central role from the very beginning. Several oenologists and consultants with roots in Bordeaux and Burgundy shaped the style of the house. At the same time, Peter Michael focussed early on uncompromising work in the vineyard with low yields, selective hand-picking and parcel-specific vinification. Many of the steep vineyards can only be cultivated by hand with great effort. They are located between Mount St. Helena and the iron-rich soils of the Oakville Terrace.

The wines enjoy cult status in the USA in particular, but they are also recognised internationally as a reference for an elegant, terroir-influenced Californian style that combines power and finesse.