1999 Marimar Estate Pinot Noir, Don Miguel Vineyard

We served this unfiltered Pinot Noir as a red wine option while we watched Barack Obama's acceptance speech.

Picked up this wine as part of my initial wine club shipment. Marimar Estate in the Sebastopol area of Western Sonoma County is owned by the Torres family, one of the biggest names in Spanish wine. They also have a winery in Chile. Marimar Torres is the proprietor and winegrower.

The Russian River/Green Valley appellation where the winery is located in a perfect microclimate for growing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Only 10 miles from the Pacific Ocean and 50 miles north of San Francisco, the site is influenced by the sea's cooling breezes and drifting fog.

We visited the winery earlier this year. They have two huge metal sculptures of their English Springer Spaniels on the hillside below a beautiful, modern tasting room building. Winston and Spencer insisted we join the wine club of their cousins.

Their Don Miguel Vineyard is named in honor of Marimar's late father.

I felt that this wine was near the end of its good drinkability years. I'm glad we enjoyed it now.