I’ve made the trek to the Peay vineyards in the WSC … and it’s well worth the effort…so are the wines.
Nice photo.
Better wines ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
Peay doesn’t get a lot of love on the board compared to Copain, Kutch, and even Wind Gap. Perhaps because the wines are very expensive (although cheaper than Rhys), perhaps because they don’t participate much on the board (although more than Copain). Interested to hear folks’ thoughts. Great wines, and I’d love to visit one day.
Michael
Prices for Peay aren’t “cheap,” but they’re certainly not “very expensive” relative to any other top notch Sonoma Producer. Essentially $50 +/- a few $ for the range of wines, Pinots a bit more, Syrah a little less.
I’ve been a Peay fan and supporter for many years, but cut back a little after being tagged as too much of a homer 
Enough people know about the quality of both the wines and the people involved now that I don’t feel compelled to chime in on every Peay thread, or report on the pickup parties, etc. Peay remains one of the few California producers I continue to support wholeheartedly.
If Peay prices are a problem for you, Look at their second label, “Cep.” Prices run from $20.00 for the Rose to the mid $20’s for Sav Blanc, Syrah, Chard and Pinot. Originally made from estate grapes that didn’t fit into the final blends for the Peay label, they now source their fruit from some selected WSC vineyards, too.
The Rose was a big hit here in the company of some very good selections. The Pinot (from 2010 IIRC) is long gone.
I still buy the Peay but serve the Cep for parties with non-winos. Always a hit … even with me.
+1
Make sure you have a full tank of gas before making the trek 
I would expect Peay wines to be a darling on this forum. I love them. Great people too.
Alan, I looked up my February order. The Savoy was $52 plus $5 tax (not charged by most CA retailers for out of state purchases) plus $4 shipping (I ordered six bottles). I don’t buy a ton of CA pinot, but that’s much more expensive than most of the new world pinot I buy.
I’m still a buyer, just theorizing on why they don’t get as much attention as some other Sonoma producers.
Michael
I’ve always wanted to try Peay, but I’m quite happy to get my Sonoma Coast fix primarily through Littorai (along with some Rivers Marie and Williams Selyem). I’ll say this, relative to Littorai, Peay is not expensive. Neither are overpriced on a world-scale IMO.
The Sonoma Coast is big, complex and wild. A wonderful place (Anderson Valley and SCM are two others) for breakthrough Pinot to emerge. Some very capable people are hard at work to make this happen.
I too buy Littorai and Rivers-Marie. The pinots are great … but don’t forget the Chard.
I was on the list, but they unceremoniously booted me after not buying for a couple of releases. So there you go.
Peay is one of my must buy producers and a visit to the winery and tour with Vanessa was outstanding. The chard is excellent as well as the syrah. Not expensive compared to Rhys, Dehlinger, Anthill or any of the Oregon pinots I buy.
I do understand. I have the luxury of picking up at the winery, and getting to taste all the wines to boot, so that keeps the prices a little more tolerable. I just meant to say that I think there are at least a few dozen wineries selling Pinot in the same price range, this seems to be pretty much the price point. For Peay in particular, when you consider that they have the cost of ownership of both the vineyard and the winery, do all the farming (which is not easy out in their location), in my mind they should be commended for being able to price where they do.
Cheers
Nice article. Fantastic photo. Thanks for posting!
Great article. Nice spotlight on Peay and mention of Hirsch and Cobb. All are great wines with Hirsch really being the bell-weather.
Peay and Hirsch have been on my list but I haven’t tried them yet. I like the price point on Peay; hoping its as good as everyone says. I am a fan of Williams-Selym and Marcassin but only pick them up occasionally on auction.
Nice article, although I didn’t learn much new other than Nick being a fellow Bowdoin alum. Not much has changed since the SF Chronicle Winery of the Year piece a few years ago.
I’ve been a mostly satisfied fan of Peay. The 2008 and 2011 vintages have been inconsistent for me, probably because of environmental issues of smoke and cold, respectively. The article (and much Peay correspondence) mentions the edgy conditions they farm, and I think that edge will be a huge advantage when points inland get a more typical warm to hot year. Nonetheless, inconsistency is usually what gets me to drop a mailer and Peay is on the bubble presently.
I have enjoyed a great many Peays, especially the whites. A recent bottle of 2007 Estate Chardonnay was sublime, just blew the doors off a 06 Girardin Combettes served as a blind pair. The Roussanne/Marsanne, sadly on hiatus the past 2 years due to cold weather, has never disappointed, and provided one of the best dinner party pairings of all time next to a roasted garlic soup. I think the 2011 Viognier might be a little lean and relatively unsuccessful, but previous vintages have been magnificent with brightness, roundness, aromatic shimmer and clean, clear fruit. The Sonoma Coast Chardonnay (not Estate or SVD) is not a good value, but the Cep whites/rose are fabulous values.
On the red side, I decided I only needed a few vendors of pricey Syrah and that the savory nature of the Peays I tried were too cold climate, almost ashy. The Pax Mahle Majik Vineyard Syrahs cover the liquid campfire scene for my cellar. I was also disappointed in the 2008 Pinots as I believe them to be tainted by smoke and probably should have been declassified. For whatever reason, the 08 Pinots were inferior to other vintages, which in general are nicely proportioned, rhubarb-spicy, darker fruited with medium body and lift, and balanced to trick you into drinking them too young. They are superb, but I’m down to 2 Pinot producers.
The customer service, not that I’ve called on it much, appears to be first-rate. They were proactive about issuing refunds for batch of bretty wine, the 07 Pomarium.
My guess is that winery is past these early challenges of brett, fire, and pitifully small yields. I think they are well-placed on restaurant wine lists, which should grow their brand for the long term. They’ve got an attractively broad lineup of varieties and a cool piece of land. Yet, while it would be tough to miss the 2012s, budget trends are in a list-dropping mode. We’ll see.
I didn’t read the entire article but it seemed very familiar to me as there have been other stories on Peay that look a lot like this one. Good wines and nice people.
Just had an 06 Peay Estate Chard yesterday. Awesome!!!
We’ll be making our 5th trip to the Farm in less than 3 weeks!!
Didn’t see anything on the website about visits. Do they host folks at the winery in Cloverdale ? A bit out of the way for our trip but may try to work it in. Are these similiar in style to Littorai ?