With generations of farming history in Monterey County, and a commitment to making exceptional wines, The Pisoni Family hand-crafts the Lucia wines from the Pisoni, Garys’ and Soberanes Vineyards of the Santa Lucia Highlands.
2017 Lucia, Chardonnay Santa Lucia Highlands, California
the 2017 VINTAGE
Drizzly days, showery days, days of driving rain: after several years of drought conditions, the thirteen inches of moisture that soaked into the parched earth prior to the 2017 harvest provided an incredibly welcome start to the growing season. Although the total rainfall was only slightly higher than our annual average, it was more than two-and- a half times greater than the meager five inches we received during each of the two preceding years. The warm, wet winter offered a very healthy start to the grapevines, encouraging them to build strong canopies. Budbreak began the third week of March, and the increased growth that followed kept Mark and his team well occupied shaping and managing the canopy throughout the spring to maintain excellent vine balance. Like the winter, the summer that followed was warmer than average. Nonetheless, the Santa Lucia Highlands experienced their typical coastal winds and cooling morning fog. The result was that the growing season progressed nicely with excellent phenological development of the vines. A record-level heat wave surprised us in essentially all regions of California at the beginning of September. The heat prompted us to begin the harvest in some of our blocks the first week of the month. We irrigated others to maintain and support the ripening grapes amid the heat; by October 6th, approximately a month after we began the harvest, we took in the last batch of fruit.
the Vineyard
Grown exclusively from our Pisoni, Garys’ and Soberanes vineyards, the Lucia appellation based wines are a wonderful representation of our estate vineyards, of which each block is cultivated to the same high standards. These wines offer excellent value, and Jeb Dunnuck has previously described these AVA blends as “a perfect example of the incredible quality that’s consistently coming from this estate."
the WINEMAKING
The Pisoni Family is committed to raising and hand-crafting exceptional wines. The limited-production Lucia wines are created using classic, gentle and thoughtful winemaking techniques. Hand-picked and sorted grapes are fermented on native yeasts and aged in carefully selected French oak barrels. Our state-of-the-art winemaking facility uses gravity flow as part of a custom design conceived to merge the estate vineyards and winery. This affords us complete control of the farming and winemaking process, ensuring consistently superior quality.
TASTING NOTES
A deliciously pure blend of 45% Pisoni and 55% Soberanes vineyards, the 2017 Lucia Chardonnay exhibits both power and elegance. Generous notes from Pisoni Vineyards combine with lemon curd, peach, baking spice, Golden Delicious apple. These aromas intertwine with layered richness and an expansive palate. Soberanes stakes its claim with hints of crushed rock and orange blossom, culminating harmoniously with a seamless, long, and textured finish.
| Cases Produced | 512 |
|---|---|
| Release Date | Spring 2019 |
| Winemaker | Jeff Pisoni |
| Barrel Aging | 11 Months in 24% New Oak |
|---|---|
| Barrel Origin | 100% French Oak |
| Fermentation | 100% Native Yeast |
Barrel Size Matters for Lucia Chardonnay 
Jeb Dunnuck’s Vertical Tasting of Pisoni Estate Chardonnay 
Hens and Chicks in the Vineyard