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    10° C Light rain
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    11:56 AM
  • Wine average?

    88 Tb
  • Country Ranking?

    175
  • Region Ranking?

    11
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History

Marimar Torres has been involved in the wine business all her life. Born in 1945 in Barcelona, Spain, she is fluent in six languages and holds a degree in Business & Economics from the University of Barcelona. She is also a graduate of the Stanford Executive Program, and studied Enology & Viticulture for a year at the University of California at Davis. At Marimar Estate Vineyards & Winery, she directs the activities at the winery and in both vineyards - Don Miguel (named after her late father) in the Russian River Valley and Doña Margarita (named after her late mother) in the Sonoma Coast AVA, both in Sonoma County. 

Prior to her involvement in the California operation, Marimar traveled extensively promoting Torres wines, first in Spain as the company's export director and later in North America, when Caifornia became her home in 1975. At that time, shipments of Torres wines to the U.S. totaled 15,000 cases; ten years later they reached 150,000. To achieve this was not easy, though; especially in the beginning, Marimar was confronted with the common notion that the wine business was no place for a woman. Eventually, her tenacity and business acumen helped her overcome the bias, and she became the best-known ambassador of Spanish wines in North America.

In 1986, Marimar began planning the Don Miguel Vineyard, a 56-acre property in a cool microclimate ideally suited to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Today the property encompasses 81 acres, of which 30 are planted with Chardonnay and 30 with Pinot Noir. Also planted to Pinot Noir are 20 acres of a 180-acre property in West Sonoma County, between Freestone and Occidental. 

Due to her European heritage, emphasis on the vineyard is a natural concept for Marimar; the wines, made entirely from estate-grown grapes, are truly an expression of their unique terrior. The first release, a 1989 barrel-fermented Chardonnay, debuted in April 1991 to great acclaim. In 1992, a 15,000-case winery was built and the Estate's first Pinot Noir was produced. 

Marimar's dedication to the wine business, however, has not come at the expense of other pursuits. An authority on Spanish cuisine, her first book, The Spanish Table: The Cuisines and Wines of Spain, was published in 1986. Her second book, The Catalan Country Kitchen, came out in April 1992. Marimar lives in California - in Sausalito and at her Russian River Valley home above the vineyard. She also has a home in Stiges, Spain. Her hobbies include spending time with her daughter, skiing, horseback riding, jogging, biking and piano. 

Family pride and integrity have enabled Torres to blend centuries-old traditions with the latest innovations to produce outstanding wines known the world over. Marimar herself has become a symbol of this heritage.

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Vineyards

MARIMAR ESTATE VINEYARDS:

 

DON MIGUEL VINEYARD

Named after family patriach, Miguel Torres, who died in 1991.

Located: Southwest corner of the Russian River Valley, in the Green Valley sub-appellation of Sonoma County.

Climate: Cool microclimate, Region 1 in Winkler/Amerine Scale.

Wines Produced: 100% estate-grown, estate-bottled Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Tempranillo, and Albarino

Wines: Chardonnay - April 1991 (1989 vintage), Pinot Noir - September 1994 (1992 vintage), Albariño - October 2011 (2010 vintage), Syrah/Tempranillo Blend - April 2007 (2005 vintage)

Total Land: 81 acres. Chardonnay planting began in 1986, Pinot Noir in 1988, Syrah in 1999, Tempranillo in 2004, and Albariño in 2006.

Soil: Sandy loam, light and well drained (Goldridge series), of volcanic origin and marine sediment.

Clones: Multiple clones contribute to complexity of the wines - 20 acres in Chardonnay (Clones: See, Rued, Spring Mountain), 20 acres in Pinot Noir (Clones: Swan, Pommard, Dijon 115, Dijon 667), 3 acres in Albariño, 1 acre in Syrah, and 1 acre in Tempranillo.

Rootstocks: Primarily 3309 Couderc and 101-14. Low vigor, smaller yields, phylloxera resistant.

Yields: Chardonnay, 4 to 41/2 tons per acre; Pinot Noir, 3 to 31/4 tons per acre; Albariño, 4 to 41/2 tons per acre; Syrah, 4 to 41/2 tons per acre; Tempranillo, 3 to 31/4 tons per acre.

 

DOÑA MARGARITA VINEYARD

Named after family matriarch, Margarita Riera de Torres.

Location: Sonoma Coast Appellation of Origin, on the Bohemian Highway, between Freestone and Occidental - seven miles from the Pacific Ocean.

Climate: Very cool microclimate, classified as Region 1. The ocean fog provides cool nights, but days are warm as the vineyard is usually above the fog line.

Exposure: Long stretch of gently sloping topography, facing southwest.

Altitude: 625 feet at highest elevation, 435 feet at lowest (275 feet at bottom of property).

Size: 180 acres (about 60 acres plantable).

Clones: Pinot Noir – 7 acres Pommard, 5 acres Dijon 115 in original planting. 4 acres Pommard, 4acres Dijon 667 added in 2008.

Rootstock: 101-14, of low vigor and ideal for sandy loam soils.

Density of Planting: 1 x 1.8 meters (3.28 feet x 6 feet) = 2,340 vines/acre.

Soils: Perfect combination of a thin layer of sandy loam (Goldridge series) of volcanic origin and marine sediment over fractured Sandstone subsoil. Sandstone, a formation from an ancient seabed, has the ability to hold moisture because of its porosity but still imparts superb drainage, ideal for Pinot Noir.

 

Winegrowing Team:

Marimar Torres, Founder/Proprietor

Bill Dyer, Technical Director

Tony Britton, Cellar Master/Vineyard Manager

 

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Winemaking

VINIFICATION

 

Chardonnay is whole-cluster pressed and barrel fermented in premium French oak barrels.  After 100% malolactic, the wine ages on its lees in the same barrels until bottled in Spring.

Acero Chardonnay and Albariño undergo primary fermentation in stainless steel tanks and see no new oak to preserve the freshness of aromas and flavors.

Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Tempranillo undergo primary fermentation in stainless steel tanks; cap is punched down twice daily during malolactic, for better extraction of color and tannins.  The wine then ages in premium French oak until bottled in the Summer.

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Inside information

VITICULTUAL PRACTICES:

 

 European methods adapted to California conditions

High-density planting: 2000/vines/acre (about four times the traditional density in California).

Vine rows following the slope of a hillside facing southeast.

Vertical trellis: Better sun exposure and aeration of the fruit.

Canopy management: Includes hedging, leaf pulling and shoot thinning to keep foliage in balance.

Fruit hangs close to the ground for better canopy height and better maturity (closer to warmth of the earth).

 

Organic Farming at Our Vineyards

"After experimenting for several years with a few blocks of vines, in 2003 we decided to make the jump to the entire vineyard,"says winery founder, Marimar Torres. "The whole idea is to create an ideal balance between the vines and nature. The vineyard will be ecologically healthier, and the grapes of higher quality. That's our long-term reward."

 

Organic Certification

Organic certification is a three-year process, at the end of which a winery can note on the label that its wine is made from organic grapes. Marimar believes conversion to organic farming practices is ultimately better for the life of the vineyard.

 

Cover Crops

Early March

We use cover crops to improve the health of our soils through nitrogen-fixing legumes. The plants we use for cover crops benefit our soils by adding organic matter.

In organic viticulture, we worry about the health of the soil and the environment as opposed to feeding synthetic fertilizers to the individual vines, in the same way that a child would be better nurtured through good healthy food rather than with vitamin tablets.

"The old idea was that a vineyard had to be clean, with no weeds. But today, for the overall health of the vineyard, we promote the growth of cover crops,"says Marimar Torres. Marimar Estate's cover crops are a mixture of peas, vetch, bell beans and oats.

"Cover crops are essential for organic farming because they provide a habitat for beneficial insects, such as ladybugs and spiders, which are natural predators for harmful pests like leaf hoppers and mites,"adds Marimar.

 

Beneficial Insects in Farming

Early April

In organic viticulture, the cover crop is essential to provide a habitat for beneficial critters that help establish an ecological balance between the harmful insects and their predators.

Ladybugs and spiders, for instance, feed naturally on leaf hoppers and mites, which are the vines' enemies.

Biodiversity is crucial to create an ideal balance between the vines and nature. The vineyard will be healthier and give us higher-quality grapes; that is the long-term goal.

 

The Carpet of Clover

Late May

To avoid using herbicides, we create a "carpet"of clover under the vine rows. Clover is an ideal cover crop here because it is a low-growth grass that inhibits the taller and more pernicious, unwanted weeds.

The cover crops also help protect the soil from erosion during the rainy season. After the cover crop has gone to seed (and the tractor can get in) we either mow it, if we want to decrease the vigor, or till it into the soil if we want to build up the top soil.

 

Composting

Fall is the time of year when we lay the foundation for the upcoming growing season with organic practices like making our compost. In an area designated for this purpose we pile up the grape pomace (stems, seeds and skins left over after pressing the grapes) together with the horse manure from our equestrian center in Freestone, the straw from the stables, cow manure, recycled saw dust from a nearby enzyme bath spa, and apple pomace from a neighboring apple cannery. In early November we mix up all the piles and start the composting process. The resulting pile will be turned and monitored throughout the winter, covered with a tarp to protect it from the rain and wind.

 

Biodynamics 101

Now that our vineyards are certified organic, we are moving into biodynamics! This is really a step up from organic viticulture, where the approach is to see the vineyard as an ecological whole: not just rows of grape vines, but the soil beneath them -- an organism in its own right -- and the other flora and fauna in the area, growing together interdependently. To enhance biodiversity, "compost teas"prepared from special herbs are also sprayed in minute quantities.

Biodynamics is a leap of faith; it's impossible to quantify the success of the practices. But we firmly believe that our wines have become more reflective of their terroir, rounder, and more "stand-alone"since we became organic.

 

Prep BD 500

Prep BD 500 is the first of the eight biodynamic preparations from the teachings of Rudolph Steiner, back in the 1920s: a female cow horn is filled with manure from a lactating cow and buried during the autumn equinox, September 23. It is then dug out in the Spring and around the solstice in June, it is sprayed or "splashed"on the vine leaves; it only takes minuscule quantities to reap the effects.

 

Prep BD 501

Late June

On June 23, the Summer Solstice, we bury some female cow horns with the second biodynamic preparation, BD 501: silica, or quartz crystals. This is a compound with optical and electrical properties, found in the surface layers of the earth in sand or rocks. Silica is an essential part of the human and animal body.

This preparation is dug out in December, ground to a fine powder, then stored in a jar and kept on a window sill, exposed to the sunlight, until Spring. It will then be applied in minute quantities (1/4 tsp. per hectare) as a spray in the vineyard prior to harvest, to improve the ripening action of sunlight.

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14 different wines with 57 vintages

People

  • Marimar Torres

    Vintner
    After experimenting for several years with a few blocks of vines, in 2003 we decided to make the jump to the entire vineyard. The whole idea is to create an ideal balance between the vines and nature. The vineyard will be ecologically healthier, and the grapes of higher quality. That's our long-term reward.
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