Peter Michael Winery

'Les Pavots,' Knights Valley — The flagship Bordeaux-style blend (Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot) from the estate's mountain vineyard on the volcanic slopes of Mount St. Helena. Made since the debut 1989 vintage, it is intensely structured yet refined, built to evolve for two decades.

'L'Esprit des Pavots,' Knights Valley — A second Bordeaux blend from the Les Pavots vineyard, approachable in youth with black fruit, black pepper and silky tannins.

'Belle Côte' Chardonnay, Knights Valley — An estate, mountain-grown Chardonnay in the winery's Burgundian, barrel-fermented style.

'La Carrière' Chardonnay, Knights Valley — A second single-block Chardonnay from the high-elevation estate, mineral and precise.

'L'Après-Midi' Sauvignon Blanc, Knights Valley — A Sauvignon Blanc–Sémillon blend, whole-cluster pressed and barrel-fermented, fresh and zesty.

Founded in 1982 by Sir Peter Michael and inspired by the Chardonnay that triumphed at the 1976 Judgment of Paris, the winery built the first cellar in Knights Valley in 1989 and crafts estate, mountain-grown wines from high-elevation vineyards on Mount St. Helena.

Founded by Sir Peter Michael in 1987, this Knights Valley estate is among California's most consistently celebrated wineries. The high-elevation vineyards — ranging from 1,200 to 2,600 feet on the western slopes of Mount St. Helena — produce single-vineyard Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon of extraordinary precision and longevity, made by winemaker Nicolas Morlet (since 2007) in a Burgundian style emphasizing site expression. Each vineyard is bottled separately under evocative French-language names; the program is allocated entirely through a mailing list with no public tasting room. One of the definitive references for what high-elevation Knights Valley can produce.

There is no public tasting room at Peter Michael — the winery is a working estate with no retail visitor program, and access is by mailing list allocation only. Members receive periodic offers via written letter, with allocations of 3, 6, or 12 bottles depending on tenure. Wines are made from estate vineyards farmed exclusively on the property's volcanic and alluvial soils; the lineup typically includes the L'Après-Midi (Sauvignon Blanc), La Carrière, Ma Belle-Fille, Belle Côte, and Mon Plaisir Chardonnays, and the Les Pavots and Au Paradis Cabernet Sauvignon-based reds. Several of these consistently score in the 95–99 range from major critics. Travelers interested in tasting Peter Michael wines without an allocation should look for them on better Sonoma and Napa restaurant wine lists — SingleThread, Madrona, and similar high-end programs occasionally carry library bottlings.

Robert Fiore has been head winemaker at Peter Michael Winery since 2020, recruited from Tim Mondavi's Continuum to a property that is the only winery in the Knights Valley AVA. Founded in 1987 by British engineer-entrepreneur Sir Peter Michael and now run by his son Paul and daughter-in-law Emily, the estate farms steep, volcanic, high-elevation slopes on the flank of Mount St. Helena for single-vineyard, limited-production wines — the celebrated Les Pavots Cabernet blend and Burgundian Chardonnays among them. Fiore, whose background runs from geophysics to UC Davis enology and a formative stint in Volnay, follows a storied lineage of Peter Michael winemakers that includes Helen Turley, Mark Aubert, and the Morlet brothers.

Sir Peter Michael founded this Knights Valley estate in the early 1980s, after the British engineer and entrepreneur — whose ventures spanned Cosworth, Quantel, and Classic FM — spent six years searching for the right land. In 1982 he and Lady Maggie Michael bought 630 acres of volcanic ridges on the slopes of Mount St. Helena, guided by a “100 by 100” vision: full family ownership for at least a century. Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1989, he built a winery inspired by Burgundy and Bordeaux. His son Paul and daughter-in-law Emily carry the vision forward.