2023 Pisoni Estate, Pinot Noir
FARMERS. WINEMAKERS. Members of the Pisoni Family work together, committed to growing exceptional grapes and crafting compelling wines from their vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands.
First planted by Gary Pisoni in 1982, and now managed by his son Mark, Pisoni Vineyards consists of small vineyard blocks arranged on and around the ridges of the mountainous landscape. Ranging in size from one-half to 17 acres, the vineyard blocks perch at an altitude of 1,300 feet in the granite-laced mountains of the coastal Santa Lucia Range.
The Pisoni Family produces essentially one wine per year under this label. The wine is a blend from several blocks on the Estate and is hand-crafted to best represent the vineyard and spirit of the Pisoni Family. Jeff Pisoni, Gary’s other son, is the winemaker for the Pisoni Estate wines. Total production ranges from 500 to 800 cases annually, depending on yield.
VINEYARD
- One of the highest-elevation vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands: 1,300 feet
- Decomposed granite soil. High amounts of schist and quartz
- Heavy fog influence
- 36 planted acres with 30 individually farmed blocks or sub-blocks
- 100% sustainable farming
- Hand-farmed & hand-harvested
VINTAGE
- Colder-than-average winter
- Budbreak started two weeks later than normal
- Bigger canopies required more vineyard work and dropping of fruit
- Mild summer and early fall created a concentrated phenolic development and bright acidity
- Extremely late harvest characterized this year as a vintage of patience
WINERY
- Hand Sorting
- 100% native-yeast fermentation
- 45% whole-cluster fermentation
- 100% French oak barrels: 65% new oak
- Minimal intervention is practiced
- Only natural settling of the wine is utilized: No use of fining or filtration
Notes
The 2023 Pisoni Estate Pinot Noir is a wine born from a cold vintage on the mountainside that is Pisoni Vineyards. The 2023 vintage was the coldest and latest growing season since the 1999 vintage. The slow progression of this season took patience, but brought an elegant beauty to the profile, while still maintaining a characteristic concentration. Fresh rose petal, black cherry, succulent plum leap from the glass, while soft tones of baking spice and sage follow. Colder years generally require more work in the vineyard to ensure ripeness. This rewarded with low yields that slowly ripened and brought fine-grained tannins, a rich profile and bright acidity. Pisoni Vineyards has often been cited as a place that delivers power and finesse. This vintage speaks to that ideal. This 2023 Pisoni Estate Pinot Noir has the structure to age and develop gracefully for many years to come.
- Mark & Gary Pisoni, Vineyard Managers
- Jeff Pisoni, Winemaker
- Alcohol: 14.1%
- Cases Produced: 728
- Bottled Date: August 21, 2024
- Release Date: September 2025
2023 Pisoni Estate 
2022 Pisoni Estate: Fall Release 
Pisoni Family Vineyards are Recipients