2013 Lucia Vineyards by Pisoni, Syrah, Soberanes Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands.
Jeff Pisoni’s 2013 Lucia Soberness Syrah is gorgeous and full bodied red from the family’s youngest vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands, set over the next ridge from Garys’ Vineyard, but higher up, on a sandy loamy hillside with an almost constant cool breeze. Soberanes just might be the most exciting plot in the Santa Lucia Highlands right now and this Lucia Syrah shows why, it’s a cool site that allows for long hang time and planted with an excellent set of clones, like Alban clone for Syrah, Pisoni clone for Pinot Noir and Wente Clone for Chardonnay, and with more vine age the results look set to be even more spectacular! The 2013 Soberanes Syrah displays a deep intense color, blackish purple with dark garnet edges and reveals a heady perfume of crushed violets and lilacs, smoky embers, black fruits and vivid spices before a palate of dense blackberry, loganberry, creme de cassis/currant and sweet plum fruit along with mocha, minty anise, cracked pepper, cedar, black olive and game. Impressively dense and with glorious mouth feel the Lucia Soberanes Syrah has plenty to admire and graces the senses with elements of Cote-Rotie like class, this is opulent wine, but is has great detail, nice acidity and polished tannins, highlighting it’s well crafted nature and balance, it certainly re-enforces my personal belief that Syrah here is equal to Pinot Noir in quality. With air, nice brambly (stems?) notes, boysenberry, blueberry, lavender and subtle oak linger on the lengthy finish, Pisoni just gets better and more finessed with every vintage, also check out Cattleya, made by Jeff’s wife Bibiana Gonzalez Rave-Pisoni and Sandlands by Turley’s winemaker Tegan Passalacqua for comparison, these are some of the best Syrahs in California, both also from Soberanes! Recently I tasted this Lucia 2013 Soberanes Syrah next to the same vintage of Clape Cornas and it held it’s own and was nearly on par with it’s old world rival, impressive, drink this complex and pleasing wine over the next 3 to 7 years.
($50 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive
