Spotlight, Winemakers, Wineries
Peirson Meyer is one of Sonoma’s most under the radar wineries
Feb
“Peirson Meyer is one of Sonoma’s most under the radar wineries. Founded by a group of Peter Michal veterans, Peirson Meyer excels with racy, resonant wines long on personality. This year there is a new Sauvignon Blanc from Ritchie Vineyard, but it is the Chardonnays that impress most. Stylistically the Chardonnay and Pinots show a very classic forward expression of California fruit, with impeccable balance and tons of pure appeal.” – Antionio Galloni; Vinous January 2015
Peirson Meyer is the personal label for winemaker Robbie Meyer who was previously with Lewis Cellars (2 vintages), Peter Michael (5 vintages), Jericho Canyon, Vogelzang and others) and longtime friend Alan Peirson. Robbie and Alan met while working together at Peter Michael.
Robbie is a very classic, meticulous winemaker, utilizing native yeast and natural winemaking practice such as un-fining and un-filtering. His wines show wonderful site and vintage characteristics in which he changes his techniques every year depending on how the vintage has turned out, in order to make a wine that is not only true to the varietal but also the overall terroir from which it was grown. His wines are reminiscent of old world techniques but with new world fruit, showing wonderful texture accompanied by great complexity and character.
Robbie has contracts with excellent vineyard sources through out Sonoma and Napa County. He sources Cabernet from Tim Mondavi’s ‘Versant Vineyard’ up on Pritchard Hill, and Chardonnay from Charlie ‘Heintz’ Vineyard in the small town of Occidental part of the Sonoma Coast AVA.
If you enjoy mainly European style wines and have been looking for the right producer to experience for the cross over to domestic wines, then the Peirson Meyer wines are definitely wines to make the transition not only easy but overall enjoyable.
L’Angevin & Peirson Meyer Story
“It was a spring evening in 2001, when my husband Alan Peirson, myself, Robbie and Shannon Meyer were enjoying a bottle of wine together when our discussion turned to the future. We had all met at the Peter Michael Winery Estate, where Robbie was the Assistant Winemaker, and Alan and I were the Winery Estate Managers. In classic fashion we came up with the name and logo for our brand, sketching it out on a cocktail napkin. That evening began our adventure together. In the Fall of 2001 we produced our first vintage, 300 cases of Russian River Valley Chardonnay.”
– Lesley Warner-Peirson
The Name
Robbie’s mother’s family name, was the obvious choice when we selected a name for our endeavor – L’Angevin. The name L’Angevin, could serendipitously be separated into the French words Ange (angel) and Vin (wine), giving us “angel wine.” The name is in fact derived from the Old French Andegavia referring to the winegrowing region of Anjou, France where Robbie’s ancestors originated.
The Logo
The three red squares evolved from Alan Peirson’s interest in Asian printmaking and art history background. In Alan’s own ceramic work and sculptures of clay, wood, stone and bronze, his signature is three stamped squares.
The Future
With our 2011 vintage we are transitioning all of our previously L’Angevin labeled wines, folding them in to our Peirson Meyer brand; the same great wines under one label.
