Marimar Estate Cristina Pinot Noir, Russian River

Description

Marimar Estate Cristina Pinot Noir is made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes sourced from Marimar Torres’ Don Miguel Vineyard in the Russian River. It is the winery’s top red wine.

Established by Marimar Torres

The owner of  Marimar Estate is Marimar Torres, the sister of Miguel Torres, patriarch and CEO of the world-famous Torres Wine company in Spain. Marimar Torres began planting vines in 1986 and it is the only Californian vineyard to be planted in the European style – there is high-density planting and the vines are planted on a southwest-facing vertical training system. The grafts are Phylloxera resistant and the planting density is 5000 vines per hectare, which is about four times more than the traditional Californian planting density. These characteristics favour competition among plants and roots, reducing yield in the plants. The vines live for longer in this way and develop more intense and elegant aromas, greater concentration of flavours and more balance.

Spanish Roots

The winery was completed in 1992 and sits on a hill surrounded by the estate vineyards. The winery concentrates mainly on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but in a nod to Marimar’s Spanish roots, a Tempranillo and an Albarino have recently been added to the portfolio.

Don Miguel Vineyard

The grapes for this wine come from The Don Miguel vineyard, an 81 acre vineyard with a cool microclimate which is located in the Southwest corner of the Russian River Valley, in the Green Valley sub-appellation of Sonoma County, the coolest, foggiest region of the Russian River Valley, only ten miles from the Pacific. It is farmed organically and biodynamically.

The vineyard is planted with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Albarino, Syrah and Tempranillo. There are 30 acres of Chardonnay which are the See, Rued and Spring Mountain clones. The soils are sandy loam, light and well-drained (Goldridge series), of volcanic origin and marine sediment.

Marimar Estate Cristina Pinot Noir Winemaking

• Marimar Estate Cristina Pinot Noir: Named after Marimar Torres’ daughter, Cristina.
• Selection: Special selection of 16 barrels of Pinot Noir, chosen to best represent the terroir of the Don Miguel vineyard.
• Pinot Noir Clones Blend: 60% Swan, 34% Pommard, and 6% Dijon 115.
• Vinification: Grapes undergo minimal pressing before fermentation in stainless steel.
• Harvest Period: Grapes harvested between September 4-14.
• Fermentation: Fermented with indigenous yeast.
• Ageing Process: Aged for 18 months in 50% new and 50% 1- and 2-year-old French barrels, coopered by Remond from the Bertranges forest.
• Bottling: Bottled unfined and unfiltered in May 2021.
• Production: Only 300 x 9-litre cases produced.
• Dietary: Suitable for vegans and vegetarians.