Santa Lucia Highlands
A Tapestry of Timeless Wines Woven through Craftsmanship
By W Peter Hoyne
Stretching across the rugged slopes overlooking the Salinas Valley, just south of Monterey, are the Santa Lucia Highlands (SLH). The Salinas Valley and the Santa Lucia Highlands are united in purpose, yet distinct in character. Together, they form a region as dynamic and inspiring as the visionary pioneers who have shaped it. The valley echoes the voice of agriculture, its fields a testament to human resourcefulness, while the Santa Lucia Highlands reveal the splendor of nature’s winemaking artistry. These windswept slopes, where vineyards embrace the fog from the Pacific Ocean, are embedded with ancient marine soils that converge to create wines that transcend time. The region’s focus on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay reflects its Burgundian kinship, with wines that exhibit complex red and black fruit profiles, a sense of finesse, and depth that rival the world’s most celebrated appellations.
Lying parallel to the Pacific Ocean within Monterey County, the Santa Lucia Highlands are positioned on the eastern alluvial terraces of the Santa Lucia Mountain Range. This expanse is 18 miles long with 22,000 acres of land, yet only 5,700 acres of vineyards are planted on this rugged, mountainous terrain at elevations ranging from 40 to 2,300 feet.
Long before the Santa Lucia Highlands became synonymous with iconic wines, this stretch of the Central Coast bore silent witness to the forces of nature that shaped its identity. Millions of years ago, the Salinas Valley and the Santa Lucia Highlands were part of an underwater landscape, their soils enriched by marine sediments as tectonic forces lifted the ancient seabed into rugged peaks. These geological changes created the foundation for a unique terroir, with the valley serving as a fertile plain and the Highlands offering well-drained, decomposed, mineral-rich slopes.
The Salinas River flows gracefully through the heart of the Salinas Valley and is the very soul of the region’s agricultural bounty. It originates in the hills near San Luis Obispo before spilling into the cool embrace of Monterey Bay. Along its journey, it nourishes the valley’s alluvial plains, depositing layers of rich, fertile soil that have made this land one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world. The water from the aquifers serves as a resource for the vineyards on the Highlands.
The proximity to Monterey Bay and the Pacific Ocean bathes the Santa Lucia Highlands with cool, maritime breezes that are channeled into the canyon, moderating the heat and summer temperatures. Warm, sunlit days encourage ripening and sugar development in the grapes, followed by afternoon breezes and an evening fog that shrouds the early mornings. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are the signature varietals of the Santa Lucia Highlands that thrive under these moderating conditions. Their slow-ripening flavors develop layer by layer as the fog prolongs the ripening process. For Pinot Noir, it results in dark garnet fruit flavors and an ethereal elegance that reflects the cool, consistent temperatures. For Chardonnay, the effect is equally transformative, producing wines with vibrant acidity, complex layers of yellow citrus and stone fruit, and a signature minerality that speaks to the region’s marine-influenced soils.
Tribes of Native Americans, known as Salinas, were the first to inhabit the Salinas Valley. Mission Soledad was founded by Spanish missionaries in Salinas in the 1790s, and it was this group of settlers who are credited with planting the first grapes in the Santa Lucia Highlands. Vegetable farming of sugar beets, strawberries, lettuce, and other produce dominated this agricultural valley, along with dairy farming in the early to mid-1900s. Well-known as “Steinbeck Country,” celebrated author John Steinbeck was born here in 1902 and depicted his experiences growing up in Salinas in his literary writings. It wasn’t until the 1980s that there was a resurgence of vineyard plantings on the Highlands. The passion and perseverance of visionary pioneers who dared to dream transformed the vineyards, rooted in porous, sandy loam soils of decomposed granite, into timeless expressions of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
In 1973, Rich and Claudia Smith of Paraiso Vineyards, realizing the potential of the unique climate and soil on these alluvial slopes, were the first to plant vineyards with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Riesling on the Santa Lucia Highlands.
The Smith family later established itself as the largest grower in the Highlands. It was Rich Smith and others who championed the establishment of the Santa Lucia Highlands as an official American Viticultural Area (AVA), which was approved in 1991.Swiss entrepreneur Nicky Hahn purchased Smith and Hook Winery in 1980, initially planting Cabernet Sauvignon. Considering the cool climate conditions for ripening this grape varietal, Hahn decided to transition to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Notable individuals involved in the transformation of this region included Gerald McFarland, Steve McIntyre, Phil Johnson, Dan Morgan Lee, and others. Luxury neckwear designer Robb Talbott founded Talbott Vineyards in 1982, shining the spotlight on crafting exceptional Chardonnay from this region.
In any discussion on the Santa Lucia Highlands, one family that merits special recognition is the Pisoni’s and the achievements of Gary Pisoni. In 1952, Swiss-Italian immigrants Eddie and Jane Pisoni established a successful produce business, farming vegetables on a 500-acre parcel of land on the Salinas Valley floor, which continues to thrive today. In 1979, they purchased 280 acres of land on the Santa Lucia Highlands for livestock grazing where their son Gary would achieve notoriety planting a six-acre vineyard in 1982.
As a college student, Gary Pisoni was captivated by the wines of Burgundy and Bordeaux. When he returned from his travels in France, he was noticeably changed and enamored with Burgundian Pinot Noir. He approached his father with a vision of growing grapes on the Highlands. As a vegetable farmer, his father was skeptical of Gary’s dream. but conceded when Gary asked him, “Have you ever been invited to a $250, black-tie lettuce tasting?” Given the scarcity of water in this region, it took Gary ten years and six wells to locate a spring with which to irrigate his vineyards. Once the water issue was resolved, Gary planted additional acreage of Pinot Noir.
Today, California’s most prestigious wineries source grapes from Pisoni Vineyards because of its exceptional fruit and Gary’s unyielding commitment to quality. These names include Peter Michael, Testarossa, Kosta Browne, Patz & Hall, Capiaux, and others. Throughout the 1970s, Gary attempted making his own wine before deciding to recruit the talents of Mark Aubert at Peter Michael Winery, along with his son Jeff. The first commercial release of Pisoni Estate wine was in 1998. In 2000, Pisoni inaugurated their second label Lucia, sourced from the Pisonis’ estate-farmed Garys' and Soberanes Vineyards. By 2002, Gary’s two sons undertook the role of carrying on their father’s legacy together. Jeff is a viticulturist managing the Pisoni vineyards, while Mark is the winemaker for the Pisoni Estate wines.
Gary formed a partnership with his longtime friend Gary Franscioni in 1997. They planted a 50 acre parcel of vineyards designating it Garys' Vineyard. It is situated eight miles north of Pisoni Vineyard in a cooler sector of the Santa Lucia Highlands. Together, they also planted an adjacent vineyard called Soberanes.
In 1996, third-generation Salinas Valley farmer Gary Franscioni planted a 50-acre vineyard on his own estate property naming it after his wife Rosella. By 2001, Franscioni and his wife launched their own winery, Roar Wines. The label is a tribute to the land and the wind that “roars” through the Santa Lucia Highlands each afternoon. Franscioni also cultivated a high-altitude vineyard labeled Sierra Mar. Wines from the Pisoni and Franscioni estate vineyards capture the essence of this region’s terroir and are some of the most sought after bottlings on the global stage.
The Santa Lucia Highlands is a testament to nature’s grandeur and the vision of those who saw its true potential. Gary Pisoni, Gary Franscioni, the Smith’s, and many other trailblazers and innovators have left an indelible mark on the Santa Lucia Highlands. Their dedication and passion for showcasing the region’s potential in producing illustrious wines have inspired a new generation of growers and winemakers.