Another beautiful vintage for this cuvée, the 2019 Pinot Noir shows a more elegant, pure, classic style than some previous years, which were slightly richer and more bombastic. The 2019 reveals a medium ruby/purple hue (it’s semi-opaque) to go with a gorgeous nose of ripe cherries, raspberries, and blueberries, followed by classic Pisoni minerality, brambly herbs, violets, and forest floor. As always, this site imparts an incredible sense of rocky, mineral-like nuances, and there’s a liqueur of rock-like sensation on the finish. It needs an hour in the decanter if drinking any time soon and will have 15-20 years of prime drinking.

I’m always thrilled to taste Pisoni’s Chardonnay, a cuvée that only goes out to the mailing list of this great estate. Coming from the estate Pisoni Vineyard located on the southern end of the Santa Lucia Highlands, their 2019 Chardonnay boasts a gorgeous nose of ripe melon, pineapple, and golden apple fruits go with white flowers, toasted bread, and hints of toasted almonds. Beautiful on the palate as well, it’s medium to full-bodied and has a layered, elegant texture, plenty of mid-palate depth, and a solid spine of acidity that keeps the winefresh and lively. It shows a more supple, elegant style, yet I still think it’s going to benefit from another year or two of bottle age and should easily evolve for over a decade in cold cellars.