feature / on the vine / Marimar Estate
approach that involves looking at the whole picture.” The county financed a trial with ten tilled and ten untilled rows in the Earthquake block. They were tilled for several years. The results showed better outcomes with no till. Carbon sequestration improved as well. “As Zach said, look at the forest—no one moves the earth, yet the soil remains healthy.” The estate is 100% solar powered. To boost biodiversity, Marimar has introduced chickens, bees, and other animals into the vineyard. Don Miguel Vineyard today spans 44 acres (18ha). It has
Syrah (1999), Tempranillo (2004) with two clones—one from Torres and the other the Napa Heritage clone—and Albariño (2006) from Torres cuttings. The most recent planting is Godello, obtained from a California nursery. For Chardonnay, Marimar uses three clones: See, Rued, and Spring Mountain. For Pinot Noir, it’s Swan, Pommard, Dijon 115, and Dijon 667. Choosing the right devigorating, phylloxera-resistant rootstocks is crucial for yield. The most suitable are Couderc and 101-14. The vertical trellis on gentle, southeast-facing slopes allows for better sun exposure and ventilation from the sea breezes off the Pacific Ocean. During this time, both Marimar and Cristina expected Cristina to join the business. “I was always clear that I wanted to continue my mum’s story,” Cristina recalls. “MMT [her name for Marimar] was surprised I was interested. She assumed, after seeing her work so hard, I wouldn’t want that lifestyle. But I knew I wanted to go into the wine business and thought about how to prepare for it.” The answer was to gain outside experience in a different industry first. Her Spanish citizenship helped her to get a job at a Mango store in Paris, despite her economics degree from Princeton. “I can’t say it was a great work environment. But it was a valuable experience for understanding another industry.” Cristina then found her footing in the sales team at wine distributor John E Fells in London. She describes it as “tough and competitive.” She acknowledges having great mentors in Steve Moody
and Tom Fortune. “Tom taught me that ‘people buy from people,’ and that was a valuable lesson.” After her time in London, Cristina pursued a full-time MBA at Wharton Business School in Philadelphia. She then worked the harvest at De Loach in the Russian River Valley, followed by two years with Jackson Family Wines, focusing on brand marketing. It was a “phenomenal experience” that sparked a conversation between the sustainability teams at Jackson Family Wines and Torres. This work ultimately led to a conference bringing industry members together to form the International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA). By 2019, Miguel Torres was a key force behind the initiative. It now has some 50-odd members, both large and small, from across the globe. Notable participants include Gramona, Concha y Toro, Spottswoode, and Silver Oak.
Perfectionism and complementary strengths Marimar Estate employs around 20 staff. This includes nine full-time Mexican vineyard workers led by Filiberto, the vineyard foreman. The team also has part-time office staff, a tasting-room manager, and an operations manager. Rhonda Smith serves as the viticultural consultant, coming once a month. Two years ago, Taylor Bianco took over production and vineyard management from Tony Britton, who retired after 27 years. Bianco works alongside technical director and consultant
152 | THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 87 | 2025
Bill Dyer, who has been with Marimar Estate for more than 20 years. While Bianco is effectively the winemaker, the term is not used. “It’s very American to say winemaker,” Marimar explains. “The winemaker is a star. In Europe, the winemaker is not the star; the grapes make 80% of the wine, and the remaining 20% is what you do with the grapes.” Taylor Bianco has worked in Oregon’s Willamette Valley
and in Nelson, New Zealand. He spends much of his time in the vineyard, especially at the end of véraison. His focus is on thinning, dropping green bunches, and spraying to combat the threats of powdery mildew and botrytis. Herbicides and insecticides are avoided. Drip-irrigation is used as needed to prevent water stress. This has been a challenge in recent years. The 2023 vintage, however, saw adequate rainfall. “A vine is like a child,” says Marimar, “you have to give it not what it wants but what it needs.” Netting protects the grapes from birds. Owl boxes control mice and rodents. The loud bird noise near the winery is from an electronic squawk box. In the cellar, Taylor Bianco uses stainless steel-tanks for
fermentation. He also uses three open-top concrete eggs and one made from stainless steel. For Pinot Noir, which includes up to 20% whole-bunch, depending on the year, the wine spends two to three weeks in small stainless-steel tanks. It undergoes pneumatic punch-downs twice daily during malolactic fermentation. Next, it is transferred to barrels, one third of which are typically new French oak from various coopers and forests. It remains in barrel until bottling the following summer. La Masía Chardonnay is whole-bunch pressed in tank, barrel, and eggs. It undergoes malolactic fermentation and remains in barrel until bottling in the spring. The unoaked Chardonnay, Acero, and the Albariño are all fermented in stainless-steel tanks to preserve their freshness. The Godello is fermented in concrete and stainless-steel eggs, as well as in barrels. Nine and a half years after college, Cristina joined Marimar
Estate in January 2020, just as Covid hit. To begin with, her focus was on direct-to-consumer marketing through virtual tastings, tapping into her alumni network from university and business school. In November 2022, she hired a full-time marketing manager, “to get more bandwidth,” and a sales operations manager to work on strategy and national sales. “Three years after joining the business, MMT said, ‘You’re ready, I’m ready, and it’s time for you to take over as general manager.’ We sent out the press release, and it made the front page of the Press Democrat.” Cristina spends much of her time on sales, marketing, and finance, and is gradually taking over production. This allows Marimar to focus on exports and her ambassadorial role. Recently Cristina has recruited the experienced Rob Stegall as national sales manager. “We do tastings every three to four weeks with Mum, Taylor
Bianco, and Bill Dyer,” says Cristina. “We always conduct them blind, focusing on varieties we produce or are considering producing. It might involve barrel-fermented Chardonnay, usually from producers in the Russian River Valley. This year, we did a Mencía tasting before planting some. It’s also a way to see where our peers are at. I won’t claim to be the expert. I hope Taylor Bianco stays for decades. Having experts around us is crucial. I participate in the conversations. This includes frequent vineyard walks and meetings with the vineyard team. I’m also considering taking some classes at UC Davis.”
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