2019 Lucia by Pisoni, Pinot Noir, Soberanes Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands.
There not many wines that can rival the Lucia Soberanes Pinot for presence in the glass, in fact, in recent years this bottling has nearly eclipsed the fabled Pisoni Estate Pinot and this 2019 looks like it will reach even greater heights than the fantastic 2018, this is absolutely awesome young Pinot that is close to perfection in its style and showcases its sense of place with a badge of honor. This wonderfully saturated and dark Pinot Noir has a thrill to it, it is full of power, energy and is impeccable in its layering of flavors with a gorgeous array of black cherry, blackberry, plum and earthy strawberry fruits along with contrasting briar/spice and savory elements, plus a touch of polished oak, hoisin, fig and vanillin notes, all enhanced by the enticing nose here which is perfumed with pretty florals and the sensation of blue fruits. The medium/full palate is still taut and lively, but opens quickly to satiny opulence with a wonderfully luxurious mouth feel and adds a dimension of creamy richness and lingers on and on with echos of the pure Pinot fruit, fans of the Santa Lucia Highlands will be completely seduced by this Lucia Soberanes Pinot, it is simply outstanding. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this edition to make the year’s ten best wines list. There is so much to love in these Pisoni offerings, it is hard to pick a favorite, especially with the 2019 Soberanes Vineyard releases that include this Pinot and the fabulous Chardonnay, and I can’t wait to try the Syrah, which in some years is the best of the best from here. The long cool growing season, smaller than normal yields and no compromise farming has led to the greatness that is in bottle, I highly recommend getting a few bottles of this magical nectar.
The 33 acre Soberanes Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands, which in honor of the area’s history, 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 acquired the 8,900-acre land grant, as the winery notes, as repayment for his loan of forty horses, fifty head of cattle, four oxen and some sheep. This vineyard is again where the Pisoni and Franscioni families have partnered to farm this premier vineyard site, that sits up and is very close to their famed Garys’ Vineyard, and is the most recent addition to their stellar collection. The Soberanes was planted to Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah back in 2007, and has been gaining in reputation and quality with every vintage, it features sandy loam soils that, as the winery boasts, has significant sub-soil boulders layered into the alluvial fan and diverse clonal material with more than a dozen of the most renowned heritage selections from California and Burgundy in the mosaic of the Pinot Noir vines. To highlight the nature of this special place and the vintage, winemaker Jeff Pisoni used a native fermentation with about 30% whole cluster, with each of vineyard block being done separately in open-top tanks with great care and attention to detail to achieve deep color and flavor extraction, looking for balance and complexity in the finished wine, which was aged in French oak barrels for just under a year with 40% new wood employed in this vintage. Drink this coastal influenced and terroir driven Lucia 2019 Soberanes Pinot over the next 10 to 15 years, it is what legends are made of.
($70 Est.) 96+ Points, grapelive