We recently re-visited our dear friends, Gary and Margarette Pisoni at their home in the Salinas Valley. Our stay consisted of 4 days of fun, food, wine and great times. We drank many wines and here’s some notes on a few:
2017 PISONI ESTATE SANTA LUCIA HIGHLANDS PINOT NOIR- served upon arrival; this was a great start to a few days with lots of great starts and fantastic endings and lots of goodness in between; this wine was really young and energetic and yet had so much to give with generous amounts of dark fruit, a full body with depth and layers of complexity and a long, satisfying finish; on the palate I got black cherry, blackberry and a touch of red cherry along with a steak of spice and rose petals; as complex as it was, it had some elegance and was so easy on the palate which was made possible by super soft tannins; I’d hold this one and drink in 7+ years or older.
2014 THE COUCIL GRAND CUVEE GARYS VINEYARD SANTA LUCIA HIGHLANDS- I phoned prior to making this trip to inquire about which wines to bring and was discouraged from bringing sparkling wine or champagne as I had taken an 02 Cristal on the last visit and I learned Gary is not all that keen on bubbly; so when this came out, i was pleasantly surprised; it is a collaboration by a number of his friends who wanted to produce a sparkling wine from the Pisoni Vineyard and in this case, comprised of 100% Pinot Noir {see back label}; although, as I understand it, it`s not for sale and is used for promotional purposes; the flavor profile consisted of mild strawberry, cherry apple and citrus fruit; it had a mellow mousse, was super refreshing and actually had enough stuff to be a real treat and something worthy of being marketed.
2016 DOMAINE CARNEROS BY TAITTINGER SPARKLING BRUT CUVEE- and then we get another unexpected surprise with this fine sparkling wine which is a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with 2% Pinot Gris; I liked it for its finesse, elegance and ease in drinking; all of its traits were subtle and mild as it gave nice cirrus fruit with lemon and lime most prevalent; it had bright acidity and a soft, frothy mousse and although not serious, it had enough stuff to be pleasing.
2018 LUCIA SOBERANES VINEYARD SANTA LUCIA HIGHLANDS PINOT NOIR- consistent with past notes, this had really nice spicy red raspberry and red cherry in the nose and throughout, along with a super soft and creamy texture served up with a medium weighted body; hints of cola, spice and mild white pepper are noticed in the background; of all of the Pisoni/ Lucia Pinots I`ve had, it’s the one that features a more lighter red fruit style as opposed to the usual darker fruit; I’m a fan.
2014 PAUL LATO “LANCELOT” PISONI VINEYARD SANTA LUCIA HIGHLANDS PINOT NOIR- Gary`s wife is Polish and has a close relationship with Paul who is also Polish; this bottle was a gift to them from him and it was really good; his style stretches me to the point of where it’s just almost too big and too heavily extracted, but does not quite get there so I can give his wines some love as I did for this bottle; it had a dark fruit profile with blackberry and black cherry most evident with an accent of spice and hints of plum and red cherry also coming in past mid palate; it was medium to full bodied, had a nice soft mouthfeel and finished with all of its charm coming together for a nice, balanced finish.
2012 MADAM PINOT SANTA LUCIA HIGHLANDS PINOT NOIR- this wine was created by Gary from the Pisoni Vineyard estate fruit as a tribute to his wife, Margarette, and I believe I got the vintage right, she had to finish this wine as he was away and she received instructions from Gary`s 2 sons, Jeff and Mark, the Pisoni winemaker and vineyard manager respectfully; regardless, it’s a wonderful wine and hits my Pinot palate preference perfectly; the nose has a bit of cinnamon and spice along with red raspberry, all of which continues on to be joined by red cherry and strawberry; it has a really nice soft and velvety texture and is in a perfect place for drinking currently. We drank at least 2 bottles during our stay and took 2 home. Check out the neck label; it has a bust of Margarette. And, check out the back label which has a message of adoration from Gary.
2006 QUPE BIEN NACIDO BLOCK ELEVEN SANTA MARIA VALLEY CHARDONNAY- this was absolutely fabulous; the gold color gave pause to the possibility of oxidation, but it was no way near being so; I also had some trepidation about an 05` I opened a few weeks back, but it was equally stellar; the nose had caramel and butterscotch laden peach and apricot notes which was also true for the taste profile along with some honeysuckle and golden delicious apple; the texture was a tactile pleasing cream and oil and it finished with everything coming together; fabulous comes to mind again; in fact, I sent a text to winemaker and dear friend, Bob Lindquist, after drinking both wines to acknowledge him for these gems.
2006 CLARK-CLAUDON ESTATE CABERNET SAUVIGNON NAPA- I’ve long been a fan of this boutique winery owned and operated by a passionate, dedicated couple who have put out a fine product now for over 3 decades; the bottle was decanted and served; this was so ready and able to give up some of its treasures and give it did with super inviting cedar and leather infused black currant fruit until about mid palate when a rush of blackberry and black cherry comes in to complete the deal; it had a lovely smooth mouthfeel, layered depth and lots of complexity while maintaining perfect balance.
2008 HOURGLASS BLUELINE VINEYARD NAPA CABERNET SAUVIGNON- I`ve been a fan of this winery and its vintner, Jeff Smith, for many years { Bob Foley- the winemaker} and this bottle showed beautifully; made of 100% Cabernet, it was aged 18 months in a blend of new and seasoned French oak; even the vineyard is extra special with its own cave built into the hillside used for cellaring, special occasions and tastings; after aromatics of talc laden blackberry and black currant, the taste profile also included some plum along with a hint of fennel and mild chocolate; it had a velvety mouthfeel and a long welcomed finish; great wine now and has the structure and acidity to carry it forward for another decade before it reaches its apogee.
1992 WILLIAMS SELYEM RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY ZINFANDEL- 15.6% abv; once Burt was informed in 91 he would only receive 2 more years of fruit from the Leno Martinelli Jackass Hill Vineyard, he removed the vineyard reference off the label and called it RRV which was also true for the 93 and the final one, 94; fortunately, Ive had the pleasure of drinking quite a few cases of this magnificent wine especially in the past few years as Burt gave me a case and I already had a stash; it is still so viable and beautifully balanced with such surprising ease on the palate for a Zinfandel with relatively high alcohol; decanted 2 hours ahead; the fruit profile consists of blueberry, cherry and plum with a touch of cola/ sassafras, pepper and baking spices with an emphasis on the wondrous ripe and fresh peppery blueberry. Loved it.
At the end of this visit, we all had a vapor trail around our heads, full bellies and hearts filled with love.
Cheers,
Blake
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