Peay Vineyards
Peay is in the middle of nowhere. Literally. Reaching the sprawling, rugged estate is an adventure in and of itself. A collection of hillside sites with mulriple exposures set within underveloped forest, Peay is one of the most marginal sites for growing grapes, even within the conetxt of the Sonoma Coast. Two tonnes per acre, the bare minimum for most vineyards, is a rare occurrence. The wines though, are usually terrific, and often magnificent. Readers who have not discovered Peay owe it to themselves to do so. The Pinots, in particular, are worthy of note. ANTONIO GALLONI
Run by Andy and Nick Peay and Nick's wife Vanessa Wong (winemaker), the trio's attention to detail in the vineyards and prosecution of their unique isolated site in the northern reaches of the West Sonoma Coast just a few miles from the Pacific creates a formidable combination of site and talent.
In everything here there is detail...not just the wines. For the Pinots for example, the 35-acre site is split into 20-25 blocks based on clonal selection, elevation and exposure. The wines are then vinified separately (25 different vinifications) before being blended into the three estate pinot noirs, Pomarium, Scallop Shelf and Ama. Importantly, each wine is combination of 5-6 clones and blocks and do not represent a specific area of the vineyard but instead are an expression of Pinot noir from the vineyard. Everything that doesn't make the
cut goes into the Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir.
Chardonnays number two wines, an Estate and the Sonoma Coast bottling. The wines are an antidote to the common perception of USA Chardonnay being fat and lush. Here, both wines have elements of decadence, but it is so beautifully subsumed into a more refined structure that the combination makes for balanced wines above all else.
Run by Andy and Nick Peay and Nick's wife Vanessa Wong (winemaker), the trio's attention to detail in the vineyards and prosecution of their unique isolated site in the northern reaches of the West Sonoma Coast just a few miles from the Pacific creates a formidable combination of site and talent.
In everything here there is detail...not just the wines. For the Pinots for example, the 35-acre site is split into 20-25 blocks based on clonal selection, elevation and exposure. The wines are then vinified separately (25 different vinifications) before being blended into the three estate pinot noirs, Pomarium, Scallop Shelf and Ama. Importantly, each wine is combination of 5-6 clones and blocks and do not represent a specific area of the vineyard but instead are an expression of Pinot noir from the vineyard. Everything that doesn't make the
cut goes into the Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir.
Chardonnays number two wines, an Estate and the Sonoma Coast bottling. The wines are an antidote to the common perception of USA Chardonnay being fat and lush. Here, both wines have elements of decadence, but it is so beautifully subsumed into a more refined structure that the combination makes for balanced wines above all else.
