With a family history of winemaking that dates back to 1870, it was maybe not surprising that Marimar Torres, sister of the legendary Miguel A Torres, would continue the family’s legacy of producing exceptional wines.

In 1981 she started the search for the perfect property to plant a vineyard, and - after two years of searching - she bought 25 hectares of land in Sonoma County, close to the town of Sebastopol in the Russian River Valley appellation, an area which arguably produces the finest Pinot Noir in all of California. Today the Don Miguel Vineyard encompasses 50 planted acres. About 20 are planted with Chardonnay, 20 with Pinot Noir, five with Albariño, five with Tempranillo, two with Syrah and one with an experimental block of Godello.

"I benefit from a collective experience of 135 years of winemaking and my education continues to this day"

The Green Valley, one of Sonoma County’s coolest growing regions with its proximity to the Pacific Ocean, provides an excellent growing season, allowing the grapes to develop slowly to full intensity. Nestled in the rolling hills of Western Sonoma County, the Russian River Valley appellation has a perfect microclimate for growing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Building on the success of her first enterprise Marimar then decided to buy a magnificent new 180- acre property in the Sonoma Coast appellation, naming the vineyard ‘Dona Margarita’ in honour of her mother. Only 20 acres are planted, all of which are Pinot Noir. The rest of the estate is a dedicated conservation area which is protected from any future development so that wildlife can thrive. Species include groves of redwood, fir, oak, madrone, pine and bay. The estate has hundreds of redwoods set amidst wild forest that are protected and will therefore remain untouched. The vineyard borders these trees and has been laid out with ecological sensitivity.