The Long View on Fine Wine:
Winter 2025 Release
For generations, the Pisoni family has understood that taking the long view helps them create distinguished wine. The crisp gold of a Chardonnay or the deep ruby of a Syrah in the glass is the culmination of a lengthy cycle that begins with preparing the soil and coaxing grapes into existence and ends with the wine in bottle. The Pisonis know it is a process that cannot and should not be rushed, having held to traditional winemaking techniques for decades.
Farming with minimal intervention and maintaining classic values of production—using native yeast, fermenting wines to dryness with no residual sugar, farming by hand—allows the family to craft wine to the highest standards. In creating elegance and vibrance in their wines, the family is also practicing an ethic important to them, since hand farming means paying close attention to the vines, the fruit, and the land. This kind of work means making decisions that will best serve their larger goal of continuance as a family farm—decisions that privilege the environment, the family, and its employees alongside the wines. Like their father Gary before them, Mark, the family’s farmer, and Jeff, its vintner, are happy to defer profit in dollars and cents in favor of the rewards of ever-improving wine quality.
Slow time and decision-making for the long term: it was grandparents Jane and Eddie who taught Mark and Jeff that patience is best for the land and farmer alike. “Take care of the ranch and take care of the team,” Mark remembers Eddie telling him from early on. “If you do this, things will work out.”
And work out they have, thanks in no small part to the continuity of care, leadership, and direction that Pisoni practices. Open communication, a shared humility as stewards of the land, as well as values and goals held in common as brothers and partners—this kind of collaboration helps Jeff and Mark create vintages they are proud of year after year.
The 2023 vintage of Lucia offers a case in point. The year marked the return of prolific winter rain in California and the cooler temperatures that create a later harvest. “It was a vintage of patience,” Mark calls it, because the chillier weather pushed back harvest a full month and was latest vintage since 1999. The late season demanded he and the team give extra attention to the vines to ensure the fruit and tannins were fully ripened. It also meant dropping a large amount of fruit, Jeff explains. In the short run, the work was demanding—and of course, dropping fruit is expensive. But he and his brother wouldn’t have it any other way. Pulling leaves and limiting the yield not only created a superior vintage but will keep the vines strong and healthy for seasons to come.
So next time you pour a glass of Lucia Soberanes Vineyard Chardonnay and admire its color, or sip a Lucia Soberanes Pinot Noir and taste its bright acidity and richly layered tannins for yourself, know that the wine you savor is a mark of time well-spent and a way to look forward to future good things at Pisoni as well.
We are pleased to announce that both the 2022 Lucia Pinot Noir Estate Cuvée and the 2022 Lucia Pinot Noir Garys’ Vineyard were chosen on last year’s Top 100 Lists.
ESTATE CUVÉES
The 2023 Lucia Chardonnay Estate Cuvée is a beautiful example of complimentary vineyard sites. This wine is a blend of 74% Soberanes Vineyard and 26% Pisoni Vineyards. In this wine, the fog-laden and rocky Soberanes Vineyard meets the mountainous and foggy Pisoni Vineyards. In wine terms, this combines vibrant acidity and a rich, layered texture. A deep green-gold in color, this wine promises a fresh crispness before it even meets the palate. Zippy notes of grapefruit peel, Bosc pear, fuji apple and hints of vanilla lift from the glass for a wine that maintains incredible balance from start to finish. The late harvest created depth, volume and texture on the palate, while the cool summer temperatures retained cleansing acidity. Gentle pressing and handling (no racking or filtration) further retains the character of these vineyard sites.
A vintage of patience paid off with this complex blend of entirely estate-farmed vineyards, as well as introducing a new planting. The 2023 Lucia by Pisoni Pinot Noir, Estate Cuvée is a blend of 41% Pisoni Vineyards, 32% Garys’ Vineyard, 15% Soberanes Vineyard and 12% WindRock Vineyard. Our most recent estate vineyard introduces another expression of intense farming and fruit expression, planted to the north of Garys’ Vineyard. The slow and late harvest brought a classic profile to the Pinot Noirs—bright, pure and balanced. Deep color and exuberant aromas of red raspberries, dark cherries, ground clove, and vanilla emit from the glass. Soft and layered tannins are woven together with notes of fresh red plum and allspice. The extended growing season is evident on the palate as well, with a long finish that extends the depth of flavor.
SOBERANES VINEYARD SELECTIONS
Bright and beautiful, the 2023 Lucia Chardonnay Soberanes Vineyard is chosen from both block and barrel selections of Soberanes Vineyard, thus providing a unique and pure expression of this site. A first swirl denotes a flinty minerality typical from this vineyard, followed by bright notes of freshly zested Meyer Lemon, white peach, and blooming Jasmine flowers. The structure and acidity gives the wine a firm and focused frame. Notes of stone fruit, crushed rock and citrus oil continue to the palate as the wine flows into a seamless finish. Extended time aging in the cellar brings all elements into harmonious balance. This is a classic example of careful, minimal-intervention and reductive winemaking that beautifully represents an iconic Santa Lucia Highlands vineyard.
Soberanes Vineyard is famed for its voluminous, yet delicate aromatics, and this year is no different. On the nose, one notices soft floral tones such as violets and rose petal interlaced with cassis and Black Ruby plums. The palate has great balance, with rich flavors balanced by a careful acidity. Whole cluster fermentation is utilized again with this vintage and incorporates added complexity and delicacy. Fine tannins dance among the floral notes to create harmonious structure and elegance, in a bottling that is quintessential Soberanes Vineyard. The richly-layered structure is approachable for enjoying now, yet balanced for aging in the cellar.
A dark, near opaque purple, the 2023 Lucia Syrah Soberanes Vineyard is as striking visually as it is on the palate. The 100% whole cluster blends new and old-world profiles of bright fruit and subtle, fresh redwood forest notes. The granite soil makes this Syrah feel at home and deliver power with elegance. The standard low yields from our estate farming bring added concentration and purity, which was encouraged by the slow and late year of 2023. Notes of plum and blueberry jam are at the core, interlaced with subtle black olive and savory spices. There is a soft, approachable tannin structure that weaves throughout the finish. Tightly wound in the bottle, this wine will unfold beautifully with air. It is excellent now but will age gracefully in the cellar.
Soberanes Chosen as One of 
James Suckling Names Lucia 
The History of Soberanes: