Growers

Michael Michaud

Unsung hero of old Chalone | Chalone

It takes unyielding determination to farm upon the sun-scorched, limestone mound that is Chalone, just west of Pinnacles National Park. Despite the rich wine-making history that exists here, the place was without electricity until the mid-1990s. Working by kerosene lamp and installing, by hand, both power lines and water pipes, Michael Michaud could only be described as indefatigable.

Appellation: Chalone
Vineyard designate: Michaud Vineyard
Soil type: rare braid of granite and limestone
Elevation: 1600 feet
Clone: Pinot Noir Clones 667, 777, and Swan
Average age of vines: 22+ years
Farming: Sustainable
Unique aspect: Extremity at every level: elevation, temperature, water-table, soil
Sourced for: Michaud Vineyard, Pinot Noir
What to expect from the wines: Profound, mineral-driven Pinot Noir with distinctive Christmas spice notes, and an age-worthiness rarely found in the new world.