Winemaker Notes
Classic Soberanes to its dark ruby core, the 2018 Lucia Soberanes Vineyard Pinot Noir harnesses the rich, spicy, and floral notes for which this site is famous. Lush notes of black currant, black cherry, and macerated strawberry burst forth as this wine coats the palate, backed elegantly by savory notes of sandalwood, clove, and sage. With each successive moment that the wine breathes in the glass, persistent tannin from 10% whole cluster fermentation softens to velvet, contributing additional complexity and texture to the palate. Though this Pinot Noir will drink beautifully in its youth, early morning fog and brisk, windy afternoons have preserved its refreshing acidity, which will ensure a long, graceful aging in bottle.
Professional Ratings
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Soberanes Vineyard sits adjacent to Garys’ Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands and owned and farmed by the Pisoni and Franscioni families and are among the most sought-after sources for quality grapes by a great many of California’s premier Pinot Noir makers. This particular bottling from the Soberanes site under Pisoni’s Lucia label is a deep and marvelously rich, eminently collectable Pinot whose grasp is equal to its considerable reach. It intimates lushness yet is surprisingly agile and has the acute focus, energy and inherent layering of an ageworthy wine that will only get better with time. As is fine Pinot’s wont, it is wholly delectable in its youth, but only those willing to set it aside for a half-dozen or so years will come to appreciate just how good it really is.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2018 Pinot Noir Soberanes Vineyard is slightly more Burgundian, with lots of darker, earthy red and black fruit as well as spice, forest floor, and autumn leaf and black tea notes as well as medium to full body, a rounded, nicely textured mouthfeel, and building tannins. It’s another terrific wine, yet I think a year or two in bottle will do it well. Rating: 94+
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.