At A Glance
- Field
- Detail
- Type
- Family owned winery
- Place
- Western Sonoma County, California
- Estate format
- Estate grown and estate bottled wines
- Main varieties
- Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Albariño, Godello, Tempranillo and Syrah
- Vineyard locations
- Don Miguel and Doña Margarita
- Farming
- Organic and biodynamic certification
- Winery capacity
- 15,000 cases
The Producer
Marimar Torres purchased the initial property in 1983 and began planting Chardonnay in 1986. Marimar Estate is a family owned winery in western Sonoma County, guided by the Spanish heritage of the Torres family. Its wines come from estate vineyards and are bottled at the estate.
Cristina Torres joined the family business in 2020 and became General Manager in 2023. The winery's work spans Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and four additional varieties grown at Don Miguel Vineyard, while Doña Margarita is devoted solely to Pinot Noir.
Place
The estate's vineyards occupy two distinct Sonoma County locations. Don Miguel Vineyard lies in the Green Valley sub appellation at the southwest corner of the Russian River Valley. It carries Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Albariño, Godello, Tempranillo and Syrah.
Doña Margarita Vineyard is in the West Sonoma Coast appellation, seven miles from the Pacific Ocean. Planted in 2002 in the cool, coastal Freestone Valley, it is named for Marimar Torres's mother and planted solely to Pinot Noir.
The two vineyard names keep the range tied to specific places. Don Miguel holds several varieties, while Doña Margarita narrows the planting to one grape in a coastal site.
Wines
Marimar Estate's named wines include Marimar La Masia Chardonnay, Marimar Cristina Pinot Noir, Marimar Estate Cristina and Marimar Estate Pinot Noir. Marimar La Masia Chardonnay is a 2024 white wine. Marimar Cristina Pinot Noir is a 2021 red wine. Marimar Estate Cristina is a 2019 red wine from North Coast, while Marimar Estate Pinot Noir is a 2021 red wine from North Coast.
The wider range follows the vineyard plantings. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir sit alongside Albariño, Godello, Tempranillo and Syrah, giving the estate both white and red grape varieties. Don Miguel uses high density planting at 2,000 vines per acre, about four times the traditional density in California.
Doña Margarita supplies a separate Pinot Noir line from a vineyard planted to one variety. Don Miguel carries the broader estate planting, with the Spanish varieties included alongside Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Final Word
Chardonnay is whole cluster pressed and barrel fermented in premium French oak. After full malolactic conversion, the wine ages on its lees in the same barrels until bottling in spring. Lees are spent yeast cells, and ageing on them can add weight and roundness.
Pinot Noir, Syrah and Tempranillo undergo primary fermentation in stainless steel tanks. The cap is punched down twice daily during malolactic fermentation for better extraction of colour and tannins, after which the wines age in French oak.