2021 Lucia by Pisoni, Syrah, Soberanes Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands.
Wow, this 2021 Lucia by Pisoni Soberanes Syrah is gorgeous stuff and delivers a serious sense of depth and complexity with a dense core of black raspberry, damson plum, black currant, Mission fig and blueberry fruits, along with subtle smoky/toasty oak, as well as brambly spices, bitter dark chocolate, snappy crushed herbs, violet florals, cedar and anise. Winemaker Jeff Pisoni seems to get even better with every set of releases, and this full bodied and beautifully aromatic Syrah is a thrill to behold, showing off classic Northern Rhône profile, but with California ripe concentration. This deeply purple/garnet hued wine is pure class in the glass, and it certainly re-enforces my personal belief that Syrah here can be the equal to Pinot Noir in quality, if not better, as the Syrah loves the sandy decomposed granite soils here and the cool climate here in the Santa Lucia Highlands. The Soberanes Vineyard is the part of the joint venture between the Pisoni and Franscioni families that has brought international fame to this region, with the Garys’ being instrumental into establishing the Santa Lucia Highlands itself and its elevation in quality. The Soberanes site, with 33 or so acres of vines, has Chardonnay and Pinot Noir planted there, which produce some awesome wines under the Roar and Lucia labels, as well as a few other top wineries, but the Syrah should not be overlooked, as it truly captures the greatness of this terroir! The 2021 Lucia offerings are largely sold out now, though I highly recommend chasing them down where possible, as they are some of the best wines I’ve tried from the Pisoni family to date. I have tried some of the 2022s which are now available and they also impress, and I’m excited for the 2023s that I have heard are going to be another set of must have wines.
The Soberness Vineyard, as mentioned more than a few times in my reviews, is a fantastic site and is the Pisoni family’s youngest vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands, set over the next ridge from the famed Garys’ Vineyard, but higher up, its on a sandy loamy hillside with an almost constant cool breeze, delivering a long hang time and incredible fruit concentration. Soberanes just might be the most exciting plot in the Santa Lucia Highlands right now and as I’ve said in the past, this Lucia Syrah shows why, it’s planted with an excellent set of clones, like the Alban clone (Côte-Rotie) for this Syrah, and makes for one of the best wines in the region. Not only is this Pisoni made wine a stand out, also check out Cattleya, made by Jeff’s wife Bibiana Gonzalez Rave-Pisoni and the Sandlands Syrah by Turley’s winemaker Tegan Passalacqua for comparison, these are some of the best Syrahs in California and come from the Soberanes Vineyard. The Pisoni’s say that the 2021 vintage, joining 2019 and 2018, was another excellent year for grape growers and winemakers alike, with an end result of exceptional wines, with this Soberanes Syrah being a stand out bottle. Again this wine is elegant and seamless in style with a Côte-Rotie like personality, and remarkably it is was done with 100% whole bunches. Jeff Pisoni employed very gentle techniques, using carefully hand-picked and sorted grapes that were fermented with native yeast and aged 17 months in carefully selected French oak barrels, with about 40% new wood. Pisoni has a state-of-the-art winemaking facility in the Santa Rosa area and it exclusively uses gravity flow to move the wines, ensuring quality, with total control of the farming and winemaking process from start to finish. This wine, always one of my absolute favorites from Pisoni, has lots more to offer and will evolve nicely for the next three to five years, best to enjoy it with robust cuisine and friends.
($65 Est.) 96 Points, grapelive