Winemaker Notes
An instant success, this vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands just south of Salinas is producing some amazing wines from an array of top Pinot Noir producers. The bud wood for the Pisoni vineyard came from a very famous vineyard in Burgundy. This vineyard is coming into its prime with age and is producing dark expansive wines with firm structure meant for aging.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2023 Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard is another potent wine in this range. Dark red/purplish fruit, rose petal, lavender, white pepper and orange peel all race across the palate, buffered by bright, salivating acids and long, finessed tannins.
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.