Winemaker Notes
The 2015 is a big, full bodied Pinot Noir. Always possessing ample red and black fruits, we try and create a bit more structure and character in the wine to show off how truly outstanding this site is for Pinot Noir.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
From one of the most coveted vineyards in the Central Coast, this is a well-balanced whopper of a wine, starting on aromas of fresh raspberry, black plum, forest floor, violets and dark chocolate. The palate is rich upfront, showing strawberry and other dark berries, and then gains complexity in notes of sandalwood and myrrh. Thanks to deep acidity and tannic framing, the wine is simultaneously bold and balanced.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Pale ruby-purple colored, the 2015 Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard has gregarious red berry notes of crushed raspberries and red currants with touches of dried herbs, tree sap, bark and garrigue. The palate is surprisingly soft, plush and spicy, with approachable acid and loads of layers on the finish.
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Wine Spectator
Rich and complex, with an array of loamy earth, dark berry, licorice, sage and cedar notes. Fits together nicely, ending with tannins that give the flavors traction and length. 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.