Certainly worthy of the trek to the far reaches of the famed Green Valley AVA near Sebastopol is the Marimar Torres Family Vineyards, perched high atop a vineyard-studded hill.

Wind your way up the long driveway to the lovely Spanish inspired tasting room and you’re likely to meet the legendary Marimar Torres herself.  Always by her side are her beloved Springer Spaniels, Chico and Bonita, who are on hand to greet guests and pose for photos.

Marimar paved the way in the late 1980s for other women wine makers to be recognized.   Her pioneering and determined spirit was unwelcome in the primarily male-dominated wine making industry at the time.  Today, however, Marimar is held in high regard in the Russian River Valley wine industry and has earned numerous awards for her stellar Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

True to Marimar’s Spanish heritage, the vineyards are organically farmed and the grapes are hand-picked, which allows the unique Russian River Valley terroir to be expressed in every glass.  [Read more…]