After Patz & Hall sold to Ste. Michelle Wine Estates in 2016, Donald Patz signed a one-year contract to continue a transition with the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates.

“Come 2017, Ste. Michelle was not sure what they wanted me to do going forward,” says Donald. “So, I asked for a full release from my non-compete portion of the sell contract. It was granted, and on May 1, 2017, I moved on to create the Donald Patz Wine Group.”

Donald launched not one but three new brands, Maritana Vineyards, Secret Door Winery, and Terminim, featuring Burgundy, Bordeaux, and Rhône varieties, respectively.

The Maritana Vineyards label focuses on single vineyard Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs from Sonoma. 

“With Maritana Vineyards, I think a lot of people thought I was going to recreate Patz & Hall, but that was not what I wanted to do,” Donald Patz tells me. “I got a chance to relook at Chardonnay. It’s easy to get that exotic, opulent style of Chardonnay in California. But I wanted to make an elegant, floral style, and was able to find that in Russian River.”

Secret Door is Donald and wife Jung Min Lee’s take on Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, currently sourcing from Sage Ridge Vineyard (above Lake Hennessey and Pritchard Hill) and Hirondelle Vineyard (Stags Leap District). Meanwhile, Terminim is in collaboration with Rhône producer François Villard, focusing on Syrah, Marsanne, and Roussanne, grown in Mendocino County.

Across all the brands, Donald’s winemaking tenets are no-nonsense.

“I harvest grapes when they are fully mature and do not require massive water and/or acid additions,” says Donald. “I don’t believe that raisins contain a unique vineyard signal. We have become more focused on the harvest date and the chemistry involved. Chardonnay usually comes in at about 21.5º Brix, Pinot Noir at about 22.0º Brix, and Cabernet Sauvignon at about 23.5º Brix. These numbers seem to be delivering the acidity as well as the developed flavor profile we want. It’s an approximation, not a hard rule. The resulting alcohol levels are not the primary focus but rather the result of the other factors.”

Freshness is a common feature across the three distinct brands.

“All wines—red or white—should share some element of refreshment,” Donald comments. “We don’t do residual sugar. We want as few inputs as possible while making sound and stable wine. I’d call it low intervention. I don’t believe in ‘natural wine’ being truly natural in the greater meaning of that word. My wines follow my recollections of the wines I first fell in love with in the late 1970s. I have also spoken to a number of winemakers from that time period and have a pretty well-informed idea of how they did it—and why it’s hard to duplicate. I want to create a modern take on that style.”

When he sold his stake in Patz & Hall, Donald had the option to either get out of the game or say, "Thank you, next." Why did he choose to do the latter?

“Why? Because I love the process of vineyards and winemaking,” laughs Donald. “I could not imagine at that point just sitting around and hoping something interesting was on TV. I also had some ideas about creating wines that were in line with my personal tastes. I also knew that these wines—Maritana Vineyards, Secret Door Winery, and Terminim—would be the final expression in my career. That meant something to me. My focus truly has been exclusively on quality and precise expression of place.”