2011 Pinot Noir Clos du Ciel

Another gorgeous, perfectly balanced wine, although not quite as rich as the 2010, is the 2011 Pinot Noir Clos de Ciel. Lots of forest floor, underbrush, cola and red and black currant characteristics are present in this more evolved yet surprisingly powerful and dense 2011. Production was 530 cases, which is significantly more than in either 2009 or 2010. It should drink well for 6-7 years. (Not yet released) The Peter Michael estate has grown considerably with their vineyards in the Fort Ross-Seaview region of the Sonoma Coast region producing some remarkable Pinot Noirs, and their Chardonnay vineyards in Knights Valley having been at the top of the qualitative hierarchy for many years. Add to that their proprietary Bordeaux blend called Les Pavots, their remarkable Sauvignon Blanc and their Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon blend. Additionally, they have purchased a great parcel of vines in the Oakville Corridor near the well-known Dalla Valle property. Owned by Sir Peter Michael, this estate has employed a bevy of brilliant winemakers over the years, the current being the two Morlet brothers from the Champagne district in France. Nick Morlet is employed full-time as the main winemaker, and his brother, Luc, consults at Peter Michael. Both have brought French savoir-faire and applied it to extraordinary vineyard sites to produce world-class wines of extraordinary richness, intensity and complexity. Readers looking for some of the best Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, Sauvignon Blancs, Sauvignon/Semillon blends, and Bordeaux proprietary red blends can do no better than the wines from the Peter Michael Winery. Since I had not visited this estate in several years, I asked to do a complete retrospective of the last three vintages of Chardonnay and the last four vintages of Pinot Noir. The result was one of the most remarkable tastings I experienced over the last several years. First, Nick and Luc Morlet gave me a summary of their vintages. They were staggered by the quality of 2013 after what was clearly a great vintage in 2012. The three previous years were among the most challenging in recent years. Following one of the hottest years they had ever experienced, 2008, 2009 produced a small crop because of a cool year, 2010 was another small crop because of some rain issues, and 2011 was the most difficult vintage since 1998. Extremely cool, with no heat spikes, the 2011's microscopic crop had to be harvested extremely late, with many vineyards not finished with their harvest until the end of October or early November. The brilliance and flexibility exhibited by the winemaking team at Peter Michael has brought in a treasure trove of wines that readers will adore. All of the following Chardonnays are bottled without fining or filtration. From the hillside stony soils of La Carriere, the three Chardonnay vintages I tasted have a kinship to a great Burgundy grand cru from Chevalier-Montrachet or Corton-Charlemagne because of the wines- minerality. I hope these notes persuade a lot of readers of just what an extraordinary winery owned by the visionary Englishman, Sir Peter Michael, sits up in Knights Valley. From the beginning, Peter Michael has made Pinot Noir from grapes purchased from the Pisoni Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands, south of San Francisco. They also planted three manually cultivated parcels on incredibly steep sites on the second ridge in from the Pacific Ocean in the Fort Ross-Seaview area. These were planted with clonal material taken from famous vineyards in Vosne-Romanee as well as with the Calera clone from California-s Central Coast. Peter Michael has invested millions of dollars in this Pinot Noir project, and it appears to have finally reached pay dirt as these are some of not only California's, but the world-s greatest Pinot Noirs. Tasting through four vintages of the Pisoni Vineyard proves that this site seems to have far more irregularity and crop size variations than the Sonoma Coast sites. Tel. (707) 942-3200

The 2011 Pinot Noir Clos du Ciel, from the warmest Pinot site on the property, is captivating in its beauty. All the elements take shape beautifully in the glass. Sensual, rich and layered, the 2011 is laced with black cherries, hard candy, flowers, mint and rose petal, all of which meld together in a wine that is both opulent and structured. In 2011, the Clos du Ciel is arguably the most complete of these 2011 Pinots. A juicy, explosive finish rounds things out in style.

Vivid ruby. A heady, exotic perfume presents of candied red berries, cola, lavender and woodsmoke, with a spicy topnote. Fresh and focused but densely packed, offering sweet raspberry and cherry-cola flavors that pick up a deeper cherry pit quality with air. A powerful finish emphatically repeats the red berry note.