Peay Vineyards

Peay Vineyards is situated on a ridge overlooking a river gorge near Sea Ranch, in the north-westernmost corner of California’s Sonoma Coast, just 6 kilometres from the Pacific Ocean. It is a first-generation family winery run by brothers Nick and Andy Peay, along with Nick’s wife Vanessa Wong, who is the winemaker.

History

Nick and Andy Peay purchased a 32-hectare plot in 1996, when it was an empty pasture with traces of old fruit trees and sheep. Nick had already worked at Schramsberg and La Jota before attending the University of California, Davis. Vanessa Wong came from Peter Michael Winery. They planted the first 12 hectares of vineyards in 1998, with a second planting in 2001 and a third in 2008. The first commercial harvest was in 2002.

The estate is currently certified organic and runs on solar power both in the vineyards and at the winery, whilst biodiesel is used for agricultural machinery.

Vineyards and terroir

The 21-hectare vineyard is situated on ancient marine soils on a hillside overlooking the river below. A constant afternoon breeze from the Pacific Ocean keeps temperatures cool and maintains the vines in an almost constant inversion layer of cold air. This is one of the coolest wine-growing locations in California, which promotes slow ripening and the development of firm, natural acidity. No ploughing is carried out on the estate; priority is given to the health of the roots and the soil. The estate is also certified for fish-safe farming and integrated pest management.

Grape Varieties

The 21 hectares of planted vineyards are distributed as follows: 14 hectares of Pinot Noir, 3 hectares of Syrah, 3 hectares of Chardonnay, 0.7 hectares of Viognier, and small plots of Roussanne and Marsanne.

Winemaking

Fermentation takes place using exclusively indigenous yeasts. The use of new oak barrels is kept to a minimum, with Chardonnay receiving 45% of them. The wines are bottled without fining or filtration.

Each plot is blind-tasted during blending so that decisions are based solely on quality. Barrels that do not meet the estate’s selection criteria are blended into the ‘Sonoma Coast’ cuvée.

Wines

The range includes four Pinot Noir wines: Scallop Shelf, Pomarium, Ama and the West Sonoma Coast blend; two Syrah wines: Les Titans and La Bruma; two Chardonnay wines: Estate and West Sonoma Coast; Viognier; and a Roussanne-Marsanne blend. The range is complemented by a single-vineyard Pinot Noir from the Anderson Valley, produced at the Savoy vineyard. Grapes are also sold to Williams Selyem and Failla for the production of single-vineyard wines.