2018 Marimar Estate Tempranillo Don Miguel Vineyard Russian River Valley 750 ml

The Torres family have always been visionaries.

In 1979, when Rioja was the only Spanish wine of note, their Cabernet-based Gran Coronas triumphed in a blind tasting over major Grand Cru Classé Bordeaux. They also saw the potential of the Russian River Valley long before most in California, establishing Marimar Estate in 1986. And then they doubled down on their forward-thinking philosophy, planting heat-loving Tempranillo in the famously cool climate nearly two decades ago.

The result is one of the best-kept secrets in all of Sonoma. Marimar’s estate-grown Tempranillo captured the attention of our Master Sommelier, Sur Lucero, on his last visit—he praised its “richness and warmth to this wine that is clearly in alignment with its Russian River origins.” 

When Marimar Torres planted her first vineyard in Sonoma, names like Williams Selyem and Kistler didn’t have mile-long waiting lists. Rochioli hadn’t even bottled an estate wine—but Marimar realized how special the area was, planting the Don Miguel Vineyard in what would later be recognized as Russian River’s Green Valley AVA.

All of those bold moves paid off handsomely, so when she planted Tempranillo in their coveted Goldridge loam soils in 2004, the California wine industry took notice. After all—the Russian River Valley was a cool climate, and Tempranillo a famously heat-tolerant grape. It didn’t seem, on its face, to be a match made in heaven. 

It turns out that Tempranillo raised in the Russian River Valley’s long, cool growing season marries the grape’s dark fruit and peppery spice with the polished plushness that we love in Pinot from the region. And in a year like 2018—one of the greatest that Sonoma has ever seen—the results are spectacular.