Needless to say, Peter Michael Winery's wines are now known as a California wine success story. Since the release of Mon Plaisir Chardonnay in 1987, the company has been receiving constant inquiries, and even now, nearly 20 years later, it is still selling limited quantities. This is because the company philosophy established at the time of its founding remains unchanged and is still the pillar of its activities. In 1983, after seven years of research in search of a vineyard and a place for his family to retreat, founder Sir Peter Michael purchased 630 acres (252 ha) of volcanic soil at the western foot of Mount St. Helena in Knights Valley, Sonoma, California. This was the moment that Sir Peter Michael's dream of running his own winery in the future, which he had harbored since he was a young man and visited chateaux and producers in various European countries with his father, who was living in France at the time, became a reality. He had visited Northern California many times as the founder of Quantel*, and fell in love with the land at first sight. The winery's motto was quite simple: to make wine like French wine, using the best grapes, carefully selected barrels, and traditional winemaking techniques. This was not to make California wine imitate French wine, but to overturn the prejudice against France that is still seen among general consumers today. The goal was to hope that in the future, many wines of world-class quality would be produced in California, and some of them would be wines made at Peter Michael Winery. After that, over the course of several years, the Bordeaux variety vineyards were expanded in the lower, warmer parts of the site, and the Chardonnay vineyards were cultivated in the cooler areas at higher altitudes. Taking advantage of the unique conditions of the site, each block was designed and cultivated with a complex soil that was like a puzzle. Soil, microclimate, topography and exposure conditions determine the variety, rootstock, row orientation, density and drainage for each section. In addition to the vineyards, the Michael family advocates long-term conservation of the property, restoring natural habitats by planting indigenous plants. Peter Michael Winery's winemakers, who have made their mark on the wine industry, include Helen Turley, Marc Aubert, Vanessa Wong, Luc Mollet and current winemaker Nicolas Mollet. Throughout, the winery has maintained Sir Peter's beliefs of "mountain vineyards, traditional winemaking and small batch production". In keeping with Sir Peter's "100by100 plan" - a 100% family business for at least 100 years, the winery is passing the baton to the next generation, and is currently run by his son Paul.
Michael and his wife Emily have increasingly taken on the responsibility of providing strategic direction for the winery. In 1998, the family purchased 400 acres in the True Sonoma Coast (now Fort Ross-Seaview AVA). The land is an amazing combination of coastal and mountain characteristics. It has a fairly cool climate throughout the growing season, but the higher elevations, free from fog, get enough sunshine to fully ripen the grapes. This land was planted with Pinot Noir in 2006 and 2007. In 2009, they purchased 41 acres in the mountains east of the Oakville appellation overlooking Napa Valley, 26 of which are planted with Bordeaux varieties. The vineyard was named "Au Paradis" and the 2012 vintage of this wine was named #1 wine in WineSpectator's Top 100 just two years after its debut. Peter Michael Winery's wines have been recognized by leading wine critics such as Robert Parker, who said, "If I were a French winemaker living in Bordeaux or Burgundy, I would have to pay attention to a top California winemaker like Peter Michael."