Winemaker Notes
All our grapes are hand picked and sorted at the winery for maximum quality. They are destemmed and gently pumped into small fermenters, each with a different yeast, and hand punched two to three times each day in order to extract every bit of flavor. Once fermentation and pressing were complete, the wines are aged in French oak barrels for ten months before final blending and bottling.
2011 was mild to cool throughout the ripening season providing us with an elegant rendition of this fabulous vineyard. The robe is a beautiful crimson-red. Aromas show bright notes of red cherry and cranberry along with hints of spice. The flavors are full of juicy red fruits, along with spicy notes. With its crisp acidity and tannic structure, this is reminiscent of a great Burgundy and will age beautifully for many years in a proper cellar.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Bright acidity brings a mouthwatering tanginess to flavors of ripe raspberry, cherry, cranberry and mushroom in this dry, low-production wine. It’s so easy to drink now, you might not notice the complexities, but they're there. This is a wine to age. Give it 5–7 years at least, although it's likely to be sailing along beautifully in 2021.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The most complete of the Pinot Noirs, the 2011 Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard is a deep, layered 2011 that yields notions of underbrush, red currants, crushed flowers and salty minerality that flow to a beautifully balanced, medium to full-bodied Pinot Noir. While accessible now, the mid-palate depth, balance and overall broad frame should allow it to evolve gracefully. Drink 2014-2021.
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Wine Spectator
Perfumed wilted rose, red and dark plum, red candy and subtle spice notes give this a pleasing mix of flavors. The texture is supple yet firm, gaining length. Drink now through 2020.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Perhaps the most highly regarded appellation within Monterey County, Santa Lucia Highlands AVA benefits from a combination of warm morning sunshine and brisk afternoon breezes, allowing grapes to ripen slowly and fully. The result is concentrated, flavorful wines that retain their natural acidity. Wineries here do not shy away from innovation, and place a high priority on sustainable viticultural practices.
The climatic conditions here are perfectly suited to the production of ripe, rich Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. These Burgundian varieties dominate an overwhelming percentage of plantings, though growers have also found success with Syrah, Riesling and Pinot Gris.