2019 Lucia by The Pisoni Family, Chardonnay, Soberanes Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands.
These 2019s from Pisoni are some of the most complete and complex bottlings they have ever produced, this is not a vintage to miss from them, and the Santa Lucia Highlands, with this gorgeous Soberanes Chardonnay being one of the top picks here, this profound wine is one of the best I’ve tried from the region offering amazing fruit density, fascinating textural layers, inner energy and length for days. While obviously known for their legendary estate Pinot Noir, the Pisoni Chards are now a match for the Pinots and in some vintages they are the best wines and this 2019 is a mind-blowing example with the same impact that the state’s best wines show, from Mount Eden, Littorai, Peay, Brewer-Clifton, Marcassin to the Morlet Family, Hanzell, Aubert and or Peter Michael, where Jeff Pisoni cut his teeth as a winemaker, this Soberanes rivals these elite efforts. This is a monumental version from a vineyard site that is fast becoming one of the top Crus in California, producing exciting Pinot Noir, outstanding Syrah, one of the secrets of the site, and incredible luscious Chardonnay, formed by various unique Burgundy and heritage clones, including the Old Wente Clone that adds intense concentration and depth. The Soberanes Chardonnay is beautifully bright and delicately perfumed with cascade of rich flavors on the broad and full bodied palate with orange blossoms, subtle sweet oak toast, wet stones and peach flesh revolving around a core of golden delicious apple, bosq pear and lemon curd fruits. The 2019 just keeps on going and going, it deserves a meal to enhance with it, especially something like a decedent lobster tail, and or at least a round of Époisses de Bourgogne, the famous pungent creamy cheese with its rind washed in brine and Marc de Bourgogne, the local pomace brandy, Burgundy’s version of Cognac.

The Soberanes Vineyard, set high up on the SLH bench, which again was farming partnership between Pisoni and Franscioni families, bears the family name of José María Soberanes, who marched from Mexico to Monterey Bay with the famed Portolá expedition, and his son Feliciano, who, as the Pisoni’s note, acquired the 8,900-acre land grant (here in the what became the Santa Lucia Highlands) as repayment for his loan of forty horses, fifty head of cattle, four oxen and some sheep for the journey. Cooled by the near by Pacific Ocean and the deep cold water of the Monterey Bay, and sitting adjacent to famous Garys’ Vineyard, the Soberanes Vineyard is set on the classic sandy loams, with soils, as the winery adds, that boast significant sub-soil boulders layered into the alluvial fan with a complex array of mineral deposits as well, all of which provides the vines everything they need to deliver absolute world class quality. The 2019, like the majestic 2018s, were formed by the long col growing conditions here allowing the deep flavor development and still having refreshing acidity, with the ’19s having maybe a slight edge with smaller yields and fabulous structure. Jeff Pisoni, the family’s hugely talented winemaker, hand crafts these wines from his state of the art facility in Sonoma, where is is still one of the most sought after consultants, using the best selection of the family’s grapes, which are also some of the best farmed in California. These hand picked Chardonnay grapes come in cool to the winery and are gently treated with only gravity flow of the juice with Pisoni using 100% native yeast barrel fermentations employing about 40% new French oak and with the wine being raised for close to 15 months before bottling. This wine shows its lees aging and really opens up with air with additional dimension coming out, it just awesome with a light hazelnut, lavish mouth feel and its brilliant vitality, this is stunning stuff.
($65 Est.) 97 Points, grapelive

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