2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Les Pavots

The 2005s were finished by winemaker Nicolas Morlet, who took over from his brother Luc in the spring of 2006. I tasted with both Morlets in March. There's a continuity of style here (no surprise) and the emphasis continues to be on strongly mineral, structured wines with rare aromatic intensity. Nic Morlet emphasized the extended growing seasons allowed by the estate's high-altitude vineyards, pointing out that "our hillsides are protected from heat and dehydration. We didn't have the large crops that many valley floor sites gave," he added, "and we had plenty of acidity in both the white and red grapes. We were also able to pick at leisure."

There are major changes to report here. Nicolas Morlet has been hired to replace his older brother Luc as winemaker. Luc has joined Staglin Family Vineyard as winemaker and is launching his own label, but will continue to consult at Peter Michael. In the meantime, longtime general manager Bill Vyenielo has also left to pursue his own wine marketing venture and ex-winemaker and long-time consultant Mark Aubert is no longer involved at Peter Michael. Despite all these changes, the set of 2004s I sampled in mid-March was brilliant. Luc Morlet described the 2004 vintage as similar to 2003 in its high natural acidity, but with a lower crop level. "The weather alternated between hot days and thick fog," noted Morlet, pointing out that many other North Coast vineyards experienced a very long and mostly unrelieved heat wave without any protection from fog. "Here, the ripeness went up in spurts, then stabilized. "