As middle-of-nowhere producers go, Peay Vineyards is in a league of its own. The foggy drive along switchback roads to reach this place of pinot-oriented pilgrimage, clinging to the northwestern tip of the Sonoma coastline, is one you can neither rush nor forget.
Brothers Andy and Nick Peay picked the chilly and mountainous 35-acre site in defiance of conventional winemaking wisdom back in 1996 because they could see its potential for delivering rarefied pinot noir and chardonnay of shiver-inducing intensity that remain light on the palate. Andy explains: “It’s really difficult to farm out here! That’s what makes the wines unique; the yields are far lower than inland but we get more of that refreshing crunchiness from our fruit.”
