Peter Haywood grew up in Chicago, earned a political science degree from Stanford, then served in the Marine Corps. In the 1970s he operated a very successful construction company in the San Francisco Bay area. Seeking a more rural lifestyle, he purchased 280 acres of rugged hillside land in Sonoma in 1973. He planted 75 acres of grapes and named the vineyard "Los Chamizal." In Spanish this means "a thicket of hardwoods." Haywood purchased a small nearby winery, crushed his own grapes, and began selling a selection of wines under the Haywood label.
Peter's wines did well in the wine market, especially his estate-grown, vineyard-designated Zinfandels. But a sea of surplus California wines in the late 1980s made the wine business a risky financial proposition, especially for small wineries. In 1991 he partnered with several well known area wineries, but he personally retained ownership of his Los Chamizal Vineyard and continued to supervise production there.
For the next 15 years Peter produced his wines at the historic, but ultra modern, Buena Vista winery near Sonoma. Buena Vista itself changed hands several times over the years. Despite this fact, the quality of Zinfandels from Los Chamizal Vineyard remained constant, and they consistently earned acclaim from leading wine publications.
Fortunately, Peter reacquired the Haywood brand and is now its sole owner. His plan is to focus only on the grapes grown within Los Chamizal's unique mountain vineyard, especially his three estate Zinfandels. As he has done for many years, he will continue selling the other fine grapes he grows on the estate, mainly red Bordeaux varieties, to other wineries.
By retaking ownership of his brand, Peter can again pursue the pleasure of making fine wine from grapes that he personally grows. Los Chamizal is one of the best Zinfandel vineyards in California. It's a special opportunity to be able to continue with an effort that started nearly 30 years ago. On a personal note, Peter has been one of my closest friends, almost since his first vintage. He and his beautiful wife Maggie are two of my favorite people. It's always a pleasure to write about his exceptional wine.
January 2010 Limited Series Newsletter (.pdf)
