Wines

94 Points! Their most limited cuvée for true connoisseurs, and also the warmest site of the three coastal vineyards, is the 2014 Pinot Noir Clos du Ciel. This is a vineyard planted on clay with a lot of rocks and basalt. The result is a Pinot Noir with plenty of earth, firm tannins, a touch of underbrush, spring flowers, and loads of raspberries and black cherry fruit. The acids seem well-integrated and the tannins moderate, but fine. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com

92-94 Points! The 2011 Pinot Noir La Caprice, which was harvested before any damaging rains arrived and is above the fog line on the Sonoma Coast, exhibits classic notes of black raspberries, graphite, flowers, red and black fruits, spice and forest floor. Not quite as rich or dense as the 2010, or as structured and chewy as the 2009, the evolved, seductive 2011 should provide enormous pleasure over the next 10-12 years. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com

94-96 Points! The deep ruby/plum-colored 2012 Pinot Noir La Caprice (1,440 cases) reveals aromas of rose petals, strawberries, raspberries, black currants and a hint of blueberries. This gorgeously rich, potentially complex Pinot Noir should drink well for 10-15 years. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com

97 Points! The 2016 Pinot Noir le Caprice is pale to medium ruby-purple colored with an incredible perfume of red roses, lilacs and cinnamon stick with a beautiful red berry core of wild strawberries, raspberries, cranberries and underbrush with touches of iron ore and wild sage plus a waft of cedar. The palate is medium-bodied, elegant and refreshing with loads of minerally layers and a long, uplifting finish. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, robertparker.com

96 Points! This label comes from Fort Ross-Seaview AVA, planted at 1,000-1,400 feet elevation to a “suitcase” clone on a soil type of clay with basalt rocks. Medium ruby-purple in color, the 2017 Pinot Noir le Caprice comes roaring out of the glass with pronounced redcurrants, warm cranberries and black cherries scents plus hints of violets, rhubarb and star anise with wafts of red roses, black tea and wild sage. Medium-bodied, the palate has a fantastic structure of firm, finely grained tannins with bold freshness supporting the incredibly energetic and expressive red berries and black cherries layers, finishing long and perfumed. Impressive! - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, robertparker.com

95-97 Points! I tasted the 2022 Pinot Noir Le Caprice from barrel shortly before it was due to be bottled. It has generous cranberry and red and black cherry on the nose, and as it spends time in the glass, it unfurls dramatically to tones of Angostura bitters, forest floor, fennel, iron, lavender and orange peel. The medium-bodied palate is structurally seamless, combining a silky texture and bright acidity. Its flavors shift continually, calling you back for another sip, and it has a very long, layered finish. - Erin Brooks, robertparker.com

96 Points! The 2016 Chardonnay La Carrière comes from volcanic ash soils which aren't too common in Knights Valley. It offers terrific notes of white peach, white flowers, oyster shell and undeniable minerality. Medium to full-bodied, pure, and elegant, it has beautifully integrated acidity, a silky, classic texture, and a great finish. This is mostly Hyde clone. - Jeb Dunnuck

97 Points! The 2017 Chardonnay La Carriere is a rich, powerful style of Chardonnay, yet it stays vibrant and fresh, with terrific balance. Notes of orange blossom, pineapple, caramelized citrus, and white flowers, as well as a touch of minerality all, emerge from this full-bodied, multi-dimensional, layered beauty that's going to evolve for at least a decade. - Jeb Dunnuck

97+ Points! La Carriere is situated at an elevation of around 1,200-1,700 feet with a rocky, shallow, volcanic soil that gives low fertility and is among the lowest yields of all the Peter Michael vineyards. The vineyard is planted to Dijon and Hyde (Old Wente) clone selections. This 2018 Chardonnay la Carriere starts off very citrusy, leaping from the glass with notes of fresh limes and grapefruit, before coming through with alluring honey-drizzled peaches, fresh ginger and preserved kumquat notes. The medium to full-bodied palate is super-intense with beautiful tension lighting up a shimmering palate of citrus and mineral layers, finishing long and steely. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, robertparker.com

95 Points! On the nose, the 2020 Chardonnay La Carriere is flush with sunny primary fruit of peach, ripe pineapple, and flinty minerality. The body is full, with a glycerin-rich mouthfeel, and ripe with cantaloupe, custard, and lemon candy. Drink this over the next 10 or more years. - Jeb Dunnuck

98 Points! The 2016 Chardonnay Ma Belle Fille slowly unfurls in the glass to reveal vibrant key lime pie, lemongrass, pink grapefruit and white peaches scents with suggestions of crushed stones, clotted cream, almond croissant and orange blossoms. Medium to full-bodied and with a fantastic intensity of citrus and stone fruit layers giving way to loads of mineral accents, it finishes long and creamy. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, robertparker.com

98 Points! Ma Belle Fille is the highest of the Peter Michael vineyards, located at 1,200-1,800 feet. Planted to a field selection of Hudson, Old Wente, Montrachet and Calera clones, it is also the earliest ripening vineyard. The 2018 Chardonnay Ma Belle Fille comes skipping out of the glass with vibrant, youthful scents of lemon tart, mandarin peel, green mango and crystalline citrus peel with emerging nuances of wet slate, candle wax and freshly cracked hazelnut. Medium to full-bodied, the palate features a satiny sheen and a wicked backbone of freshness galvanizing the mineral and citrusy flavors into an electrifying finish. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, robertparker.com

96 Points! The 2019 Chardonnay Mon Plaisir from Knights Valley reveals a medium gold hue as well as beautiful golden delicious apple, white flowers, toasted bread, and almond paste-like nuances. It’s medium to full-bodied and has a layered, textured mouthfeel, nicely integrated acidity, and straight-up stunning length on the finish. It builds nicely with time in the glass and, if anything, was even better on the second day, so don't be afraid to give this some air. It will evolve for at least 8-10 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

94 Points! From younger vines and what could be considered the entry-level Bordeaux blend of the estate, the 2015 L'Esprit des Pavots is still a gorgeous, gorgeous wine. Blackcurrants, black cherries, tobacco leaf, and cedar wood characteristics, full-bodied richness, seamless, elegant, silky tannin, no hard edges, and a blockbuster finish make for a wine that's better than most top wines. - Jeb Dunnuck

95 Points! This wine has filled out very nicely. Nearly 3,000 cases were produced of this flowery, tar, camphor, incense, blackberry, black currant, espresso and chocolate-scented beauty. A blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, a whopping 22% Cabernet Franc and the rest Merlot and Petit Verdot, this full-bodied, opulent 2003 is just entering its plateau of full maturity. It is better at age ten than it was early in life from cask and post-bottling. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com, 2013

95 Points! The 2005 Les Pavots (3,600 cases of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Cabernet Franc, 12% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot) is a sensational wine, with a style that suggests a hypothetical blend of a great St.-Emilion and Pomerol. Chocolatey cassis notes intermixed with incense, licorice, and a hint of black olive are present in this wine. When it hits the palate, it comes across as very Pomerol-like, with lushness, full body, and opulence. The tannins are sweet, the pH high, and the wine gorgeously full, pure, dense, and long. It’s a terrific example of non-interventionalist winemaking that has turned out a beautiful, silky-textured wine that should age effortlessly for 15+ years. Like so many 2005s, this wine has really put on weight since I tasted it last year. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com

95 Points! Peter Michael’s Bordeaux program is built around their flagship Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine, Les Pavots. The 2008 Les Pavots, a blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Cabernet Franc and 11% Merlot, offers up notes of roasted coffee, cocoa, chocolate fudge, black currants, licorice and a hint of truffles. This full-bodied, beautifully rich red boasts an opulent texture, impressive purity and a long finish. Impressively made with impeccable attention to detail (it is sorted berry by berry rather than grape bunch by grape bunch), this 3,500-case cuvee should drink well for two decades or more. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com

96 Points! The 2009 Les Pavots, a 3,440-case blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot, comes from Knights Valley. It exhibits a distinctive truffle, chocolate, blackberry and cassis-scented bouquet, a full-bodied mouthfeel, and fabulous concentration, purity and density. This magnificent effort’s open-knit style was surprising as most Northern California 2009s made from Bordeaux varietals are somewhat austere and closed at present. This wine should drink well for another two decades or more. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com