Founded by Sir Peter Michael in 1982, this Knights Valley estate is among California's most consistently celebrated wineries. The high-elevation vineyards, ranging from 900 to 1,900 feet on the western slopes of Mount St. Helena, produce single-vineyard Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon of extraordinary precision and longevity, made since 2020 by winemaker Robert Fiore. Each vineyard is bottled separately under evocative French-language names; the wines are allocated primarily through a mailing list, and there is no public tasting room. One of the definitive references for what high-elevation Knights Valley can produce.
'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 1988 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 and 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.
There is no public tasting room at Peter Michael, but the family hosts a Private Tour and Tasting at the Knights Valley ranch by appointment: about two hours, a one-hour tour followed by a one-hour seated tasting, Monday to Saturday at 10 AM and 2 PM, for one to six guests with a private host. The fee is $150 per person, and visits are booked by phone or email. The ranch spans nearly 750 acres, only 149 of them planted, in blocks of rocky, volcanic rhyolite, and all three of the family's estates are certified by Fish Friendly Farming and the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance. Each of the winery's sixteen wines is offered once a year, in the Spring or Fall offer to the allocation list, which keeps a wait list for new members. Ma Belle-Fille Chardonnay is named for Emily Michael, the founder's daughter-in-law. Several bottlings regularly score in the 95 to 99 range with major critics.
