TASTING


2022 Marimar Estate Albariño Don Miguel Vineyard Russian River Valley (14.5% ABV)


At once fresh and ripe in stone-fruit aromas, this Californian cousin of its Galician counterpart is a more opulent take on Spanish Albariño, with sufficient acidity for balance yet without the saline, bone-dry element of Rias Baixas. | 90


2022 Marimar Estate Acero Chardonnay Don Miguel Vineyard Russian River Valley (40.2% ABV)


Chardonnay fermented à la Chablis, if you like, only in stainless steel, this shows fresh tropical fruits in its aromas, and a light spritz on the tongue, then leads into a full-bodied, orchard-apple fruit quality balanced by a twist of mouthwatering acidity in Sonoma-meets-Chablis style. | 90


2021 Marimar Estate Godello Don Miguel Vineyard Russian River Valley (40.2% ABV)


Pale gold in color. Fresh and rich in peachy aromas, with a distinctively cool- climate, Spanish accent. This is opulently full-bodied, with a delicately sweet, stone-fruit flavor balanced by juicy acidity, leading to a refreshing, citrusy dry finish; and clearly made with food in mind. | 89


2021 Marimar Estate La Masía Chardonnay Don Miguel Vineyard Russian River Valley (13.5% ABV)


Pale gold in color, this Chardonnay shows alluring aromas, combining a subtle touch of smoky oak with a citrus-fresh, tangerine note. On tasting, it’s deliciously full-flavored and opulent, with tropical citrus fruits and a creamy texture, all of which could be cloying if it weren’t for an underlying spine of incisive acidity that brings balance and elegance. | 93


2020 Marimar Estate La Masía Chardonnay Don Miguel Vineyard Russian River Valley (13.5% ABV)


Pale yellow-gold, a slight smokiness plays around the nose, with notes of peach, melon, and pineapple; fine-textured and with citrus-fresh acidity, it’s juicy, with a subtle oak smokiness adding texture and detail, underlined on the finish by refreshing acidity. | 92


2019 Marimar Estate Blanc de Noirs Doña Margarita Vineyard West Sonoma Coast (12% ABV)


With a rose-gold blush, this starts out with berry-fruit aromas, leading to subtly fruity, raspberryish bubbles and a mouthwatering, cranberry-like bite, bringing welcome freshness to an elegantly dry finish; it may not be complex, but it delivers on freshness and drinkability—as an aperitif or with shellfish. | 90


Cristina and Marimar are perfectionists. They are obsessed with getting things right. “It can be a double-edged sword. We set very high standards for ourselves, but you can never quite reach perfection. We often laugh at our own high expectations, especially when we taste our wines—it’s exciting to see all the work and passion that goes into making them.” She admits to taking weekends off, while her mother rarely switches off. “My mum is a doer, with a relentless desire to get everything done. She’s all in, all the time, and won’t say no; everything deserves her attention. Mum wants to make decisions yesterday, whereas I’m more strategic. I like to weigh options A and B.” “It’s better to make a bad decision than no decision,” says Marimar. “We


2018 Marimar Estate Tempranillo Don Miguel Vineyard Russian River Valley (14.5% ABV)


A vivid, bright, youthful ruby in color, there is a hint of smoky, coconut oak, bringing a Rioja-esque accent to the aromas of this Green Valley Tempranillo; and that Rioja-like character follows through when you taste the smoky, vanilla-coated berry fruit, which is still bright and youthful, the biggest difference being greater opulence and power than its Spanish counterpart, with a light grip of dry tannin and sufficient acidity tempering the bold, generosity of fruit. | 89


2018 Marimar Estate Mas Cavalls Pinot Noir Doña Margarita Vineyard West Sonoma Coast (13.5% ABV)


Fragrant and fresh, this is invitingly strawberryish in its scented aromas, with a subtle hint of background oak-spiciness, and on tasting it’s richly flavored, with ripe strawberries and cherries, and an opulence balanced by the structure of a light grip of tannin and savory dryness; a wine you just want to keep on drinking. | 93


2018 Marimar Estate Pinot Noir La Masía Don Miguel Vineyard Russian River Valley (13.5% ABV)


Pleasingly strawberryish in fragrance, with some underlying herbal notes, this displays an appealing, juicy, mulberry and raspberry fruit quality, with no overt oak and gentle tannins, making it a thoroughly drinkable, refreshing, and well-balanced wine. | 92


2018 Marimar Estate Cristina Pinot Noir Don Miguel Vineyard Russian River Valley (14% ABV)


Deep in color for Pinot Noir, this barrel selection is fragrant, with black-cherry aromas tinged with a vanilla smokiness of oak; when you taste, what strikes you first is a silkiness of texture, carrying sweetly ripe, cherry and vanilla oak flavors, leading to a light grip of tannins in a balanced, fresh finish; tried with a spicy Szechuan fish dish, it worked surprisingly well. | 93


2017 Marimar Estate Cristina Pinot Noir Don Miguel Vineyard Russian River Valley (14.5% ABV)


This barrel selection from the Don Miguel vineyard has a lovely Pinot Noir fragrance, a light, smoky oak veneer heralding dark berry and blueberry, and then in the mouth the wine is bold and intense in its flavors, very much in the blueberry, dark cherry, and mulberry spectrum, with firm-enough tannins and a spine of acidity combining in a structure that shows its aging potential. | 93


have different styles in that regard. But Cristina has taught me that you need to treat your employees more like friends, and I’ve learned to take employees out to lunch.” “Mum loves hosting,” adds Cristina. “Back in the day,” Marimar continues, “it was more hierarchical, but today’s staff want more flexibility. I don’t particularly enjoy social media, but it’s essential.” With Cristina now fully involved in the business, they focus on their strengths. “Yes, it can sometimes feel like too many cooks,” Cristina admits. “We are family-owned and operated, now in the fifth generation from Spain, where the succession was traditionally from father to son,” says Marimar. “Here, for the first time, the baton is passing from mother to daughter.” 


THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 87 | 2025 | 153


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