Tom Eakin on Peter Michael Winery

Posted by Dicksie Tamanaha 
on Mar 27, 2015
 

The Knight of Knight's Valley

 
Peter and Maggie of England met when Pete left his Judo class to join Maggie’s ballroom dance class to become a Bronze Medal dancer in order to woo and win his talented Gold Medal dancer wife.  And it took him all of six years!  An electrical engineer with an MBA, Peter started his first tech company in 1972 and is credited with the invention of the Quantel Paint Box — a revolution in television technology that converts analogue signals to digital and is still used today.
Traveling back and forth between England and Silicon Valley, Peter would escape the “lunatics” of Silicon Valley and travel to the North Bay.  In 1976, while attending a Peggy Lee show at the Fairmont, Peter ordered a bottle of French wine, which he found to be off.  Even the second bottle was bad too.  He asked the sommelier what the locals were drinking and discovered California wines, which were much better than he expected and would soon out perform French wines in both red and white varietals in the famous 1976 Judgment of Paris.  And so was born the idea and motivation for the Peter Michael Winery.
Knight’s Valley was relatively unknown in 1982, when Peter and Maggie bought a 630 acre cattle ranch for their vineyard and winery.  In 1989, the same year the winery was built, Pete Michael at the age of 51 was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.  In 1987, a Chardonnay, Mon Plaisir “My pleasure", was the first wine produced by the winery from Alexander Mountain Estate grapes.  By 1988, Les Pavots, a signature blend of red Bordeaux varietals with two thirds or more Cabernet Sauvignon, equal parts Cabernet Franc and Merlot, and a touch of Petit Verdot was produced from grapes from the Peter Michael vineyard.  This custom blend represents a true reflection of the Knight’s Valley vineyard “in the glass” and is named for the California Poppies that grow wild on the Estate.
Peter Michael Winery and their chef Janelle Weaver will be one of the wineries featured in the Third Annual Best Winery Chef’s Culinary Classic on October 27, 2015 at the Santa Rosa Golf and Country Club.  Tickets for tables and individuals will soon be on sale from Rotary Club of Santa Rosa Sunrise members.  Contact Larry Martin at larry@foodandwinetrails.com for further information.
 
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