Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Pisoni family's Estate Pinot Noir is one of the top handful of Pinot Noirs coming out of California today, and certainly, the site is one of the Grand Cru vineyards in California. From the warmer, southern end of the Santa Lucia Highlands and granite soils, the 2013 Pinot Noir Estate offers up a sensational array of blackberries, blueberries, violets, crushed rocks and smoke. Full-bodied, concentrated, surprisingly firm and tight, it has gorgeous extract, plenty of tannin and a blockbuster finish. This is a serious and age-worthy 2013 from the Pisoni Family that needs 2-3 years of bottle age, but will keep for 10-15 years.
Rating: 96+ -
Wine Spectator
Firm and structured, with a backbone of earth- and gravel-laced dark berry, cedar, cigar box and savory herb notes. Not shy on tannins, which give the flavors traction on the palate. Drink now through 2022.
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.