Poseidon Vineyard & Obsidian Ridge
We are farmers, coopers, winemakers — intimately involved in the creation of our single-vineyard wines from Napa Carneros and the high Mayacamas Mountains. We own and farm our vineyards: Poseidon Vineyard at sea level and Obsidian Ridge at elevation 2,640’. We cooper our own barrels from oak selected from the forests of Tokaj, Hungary. We craft our wines in small lots, which is critical to our winemaking philosophy.
Arpad Molnar | Co-Founder, Managing Partner
“Creating something new, something that doesn’t yet exist involves an exciting risk—it’s as true for the art of making wine as it is for the business of it. This is my calling, and the family vineyard where my brother and I worked growing up (albeit, very occasionally) has been the natural place to put this calling into practice. With this seed in the ground, my role has been to develop and manage our shared vision and the essential elements—in particular, the people—that bring this vision to life. For me, nurturing plants is no different than nurturing people—you’ve got to get the environment right, be able and ready to respond to shifting realities, and cultivate the conditions that will help them thrive. The quality of the wine we make really reveals the incredible quality of the people that work together to make it.”
Michael Terrien | Co-Founder Partner (Winemaking)
“For me, every wine is beloved, whether it was a good year or bad. Maybe it’s because the winemaker knows why a wine tastes the way it does. For this reason I can’t enjoy a wine in the winery, amidst the stacks of barrels. I can only love a wine long after the making is done and bottle age has allowed the flavors of place rather than process to emerge. I was a technical winemaker back when I started; techniques were applied and wine was made. But over the years, the empirical process seems to recede. Strangely, this is reassuring. I think it’s because the wines we make are good, year in and year out, and that means the ground under our vines is good and we’ve married good technique with good ingredients. I’m proud to be a part of this—with my partners, our winemaker, and the rest of our team—founding and evolving an ethos and a process with this kind of integrity.”
Peter Molnar | Co-Founder, Partner (Barrels & Vines)
“My work is to bring our grapes and oak to the cellar door at their peak, giving Alex and Michael the chance to make a wine unique to the vineyards and forests we have cultivated for a combined fifty vintages, each different than the last. In the vineyards and forests, the force of biology is clear between the spring and fall equinoxes. Photosynthesis drives us along, but understanding that force, channeling it and knowing the moment to grab it—how many years to season the oak, how many minutes to toast a barrel on a fire, how many days on the vine when the grape has the best balance of flavor. These are the moments we wait for and celebrate each vintage.”
Our Tasting Room is located amidst the art-filled gardens of Cornerstone Sonoma. Come visit us on our deck or by our fireplace—and get to know the hand-crafted character of our single-vineyard wines.