I tasted the 2021 Pinot Noir Clos du Ciel as a finished barrel sample the week before it was racked to tank and bottled. Made from destemmed grapes and matured in 40% to 50% new French oak, it has a medium ruby-purple color and alluringly broody scents of black cherries, cranberries, blood orange, tobacco leaves, dried lavender and cedar, unwinding more aromatic nuances as it spends time in the glass. The medium-bodied palate surprises with its explosion of concentrated, layered fruit, earth and spice. It has a fine, silky texture and mouthwatering acidity to counter all that flavor and finishes with tremendous length. Powerful and expressive, it has a long life ahead in the cellar. Only 497 cases were made and will be released in July of 2023.

The 2019 Pinot Noir Clos du Ciel is simultaneously the ripest and most structured of the Peter Michael Pinot Noirs, coming in at 15.4% alcohol, yet it also has a tart, wiry acid structure and masses of gentle tannins. Up front, it delivers pretty aromas of rose petals and tea leaves, plus ripe cherries and strawberries that linger easily on the finish.

This label comes from Fort Ross-Seaview AVA. Medium ruby-purple in color, the 2017 Pinot Noir Clos du Ciel bursts from the glass with exuberant notions of kirsch, cranberry sauce, pomegranate and rose hip tea with hints of underbrush, moss-covered bark, crushed rocks, lavender and a ferrous waft. Medium-bodied, the palate is wonderfully fragrant and delicately played, with fine-grained tannins and a racy line giving bags of energy, finishing with great length and loads of earthy nuances. 515 cases were made.

The 2016 Pinot Noir Clos du Ciel is medium to deep ruby-purple colored with a gorgeous nose of Black Forest cake, kirsch and raspberry preserves with nuances of exotic spices, incense, potpourri and bouquet garni. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with juicy berry layers with lovely plush tannins, finishing very long and spicy. 600 cases produced.

Their most limited cuvée for true connoisseurs, and also the warmest site of the three coastal vineyards, is the 2014 Pinot Noir Clos du Ciel. This is a vineyard planted on clay with a lot of rocks and basalt. The result is a Pinot Noir with plenty of earth, firm tannins, a touch of underbrush, spring flowers, and loads of raspberries and black cherry fruit. The acids seem well-integrated and the tannins moderate, but fine. All of these Pinot Noirs have at least 15 years of life left.