Knowing a Place.
Lucia Winter 2026 Release
What does it mean to know a place? For even the casual observer, a landscape can reveal different properties in sun and in shadow, as well as through fog and rain. Those who spend the most time on the land know that deep familiarity with any acreage is something constantly worked toward—not a given, but a goal. Farmers and vintners who craft distinguished wine keep this goal in mind every day of the year as they create vintages that provide beautiful expression of the soil and spirit of the place from which they come.
Mark Pisoni, the family’s farmer, and his brother Jeff, its vintner, understand the complexity of what it is to rely upon the land and to protect it in turn. They have grown up on the acreage their grandparents farmed and upon whose steep highland slopes Gary, their pioneering vintner father, first planted grapevines close to half a century ago. But their respect for the farm and mountains and vineyards they first saw as young children encourages them to approach their place with curiosity mixed with humility.
To be watchful of the way all these things interrelate teaches Jeff and Mark respect for their own place upon Pisoni’s acres. For Mark, this respect takes the form, first and foremost, of “paying attention to the landscape as a whole and not just the vines.” He and Jeff recognize their land is “a distinctive and thriving ecosystem”—and not only with respect to grape-growing. Rather, it’s “a diverse habitat we need to contribute to,” Mark insists. Together with the family’s apiary for bees, the insectary Mark presides over with Jazmin Lopez, Pisoni’s Special Projects Manager, showcases a variety of native plants that attract other beneficial insects. The cover crop the family maintains in the vineyards furthers their efforts to maintain soil health while fostering a diverse range of native plants. And then there are the oak trees scattered plentifully across the region, and particularly across Soberanes Vineyard—trees that have presided over this place for centuries. One of the blocks of this vineyard is named after these trees, which the family continues to take care of with the help of an arborist who specializes in this species.
In the winery, as in the vineyard, Jeff practices the same philosophy of awareness and of minimal intervention. He adds as little as possible to the fruit during the winemaking process—not even yeast. Instead, he lets the yeast native to the air of the vineyard and the winery do their work. This form of fermentation “is seen as a riskier approach,” he comments. But he prefers it, because “using native yeast rewards us by adding to the complexity and richness of the aromatics you’ll find in our 2024 Lucia wines.”
Mark Pisoni is recognized as the guardian of the land . . . In the cellar, Jeff Pisoni brings the same level of precision and artistry to winemaking as Mark does in the vineyards.Chicago Wine Press
Knowing place means knowing its past as well. The family has spent time researching the history of their land, a history that includes the eighteenth-century Portola Expedition that gives the Soberanes Vineyard its name. The aerial view of Soberanes Vineyard provided in this newsletter offers a glimpse into the land’s far more distant past. Follow the oak trees that run like a ribbon across the vineyard, and you’ll be traversing the crevasse that bisects the vineyard: a trench created by earth movements long ago. A long-time farmer adds to this sense of geology and topography the fact that “The Trees” block at Soberanes funnels cold air from the mountains, which makes this block at Soberanes one of the latest to ripen.
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It makes sense that Jeff and Mark are interested in the widest possible history of their land. After all, the two want to produce fruit and craft wine that ages well so that, as Jeff indicates, the bottles “can be revisited later.” With each bottle, a different picture of the past. The 2024 vintage has a “bright, beautiful fruit character,” Jeff notes. Uncork an earlier vintage, and add more notes to your own understanding of this acreage’s history. Jeff himself practices this way of tasting and thinking. As he wrote the tasting notes for this year, he reflected as well upon the shape of a decade’s worth of harvests, from the generous yields of the 2014 vintage to a heat wave that quickly ushered in the 2004 crop.
Meanwhile, the fruit trees Mark has planted are growing beautifully alongside the oak trees. Recently, a discussion with the specialist arborist who pruned these trees has added to thebody of knowledge Mark and Jeff pursue, reminding them of how sustaining the land has long been: they were delighted tolearn that decades before, these trees had been pruned by native peoples who farmed them for acorns.
Right: One of the many oak trees scattered throughout the Soberanes Vineyard. Decades before, these trees had been pruned by native peoples who farmed them for acorns.
ESTATE CUVÉES
The 2024 Lucia Chardonnay Estate Cuvée is built on the tension and harmony of our two distinctly coastal sites. A blend of 68% Soberanes Vineyard and 32% Pisoni Vineyards, it brings together the bracing, fog-laden acidity of Soberanes with the high-elevation breadth and texture of Pisoni Vineyards. Pale lemon in the glass with youthful green highlights, the wine opens with lifted aromas of Meyer lemon zest, Bosc pear, crushed rock and hints of jasmine. On the palate, bright citrus oil and white peach are layered over a rich mid-palate, finishing with a cleansing line of acidity and subtle coastal salinity. Fermented with native yeast and aged with zero racking for the most restrained touch, this Chardonnay is both generous and focused.
The 2024 Lucia Pinot Noir Estate Cuvée is a carefully composed blend of hand-farmed estate vineyards, showing the breadth of our prized Santa Lucia Highlands sites through a single bottling. This vintage is comprised of 66% Pisoni Vineyards, 21% Garys’ Vineyard, 7% Soberanes Vineyard, and 6% WindRock Vineyard. 2024 brought a rich elegance to this wine. Deep ruby in the glass, it opens with expressive aromas of crushed raspberry, dark cherry, and wild strawberry, intertwined with rose petal, ground clove, and a touch of sandalwood. The palate is generous yet precise, with layered red and dark fruit carried by fine-grained tannins and a vibrant line of acidity that adds lift and length. Each vineyard brings distinct character and when combined, creates a gorgeous wine.
SOBERANES VINEYARD SELECTIONS
The 2024 Lucia Chardonnay Soberanes Vineyard is a combination of several different clones and is a vibrant expression of this rocky site in the Santa Lucia Highlands. The first impression is flinty and stony minerality followed by lifted notes of zested bergamot, white peach, and spring flowers. The palate carries a firm, focused structure, with layers of stone fruit, lemon curd, and crushed granite unfolding into a long, seamless finish. Aged in Foudre to enhance the focus, the wine has ample volume and length. Aging this wine on the lees with no stirring brings texture, but retains focus and elegance. This Chardonnay possesses fantastic energy and drinks well now, but will provide up to twenty years of aging in the cellar.
Soberanes Vineyard continues to deliver a Pinot Noir of exuberant aromatics and elegant structure. In 2024, the Lucia Pinot Noir from Soberanes Vineyard leads with violet and rose petal, followed by blackberry, Santa Rosa plum, and subtle hints of baking spice and forest floor. The palate is richly flavored and framed with bright acidity. The combination of rocky soils with precision farming allows for a greater incorporation of whole clusters during the fermentation process, which brings added complexity to the wine. Fine tannins evolve over the palate, carrying notes of dark cherry, ripe raspberry, and black tea. Approachable now, this is a bottling that will reward patience.
Dark and nearly opaque in the glass, the 2024 Lucia Syrah Soberanes Vineyard is both powerful and precise—an expression of the combined power and elegance one can obtain with Santa Lucia Highlands Syrah. Aromas of blueberry and blackcurrant are interlaced with notes of black olive, cracked pepper, and savory spice. The 100% whole cluster fermentation is a nod to the old world and incorporates beautifully into the wine brining added freshness and floral notes. On the palate, tannins are ripe and approachable with an underlying mineral edge that keeps the wine lifted. Subtle graphite and sandalwood evolve over the finish. Tightly coiled in its youth, this Syrah will unfold beautifully with age.
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