Gary’s parents were involved with vegetable farming in the Salinas Valley since 1952. Against the advice of his family, Gary transformed the rocky landscape of the Santa Lucia Highlands into some of the most sought-after vineyard grapes anywhere in the country. He established his prized vineyards in 1982 and released his first Pinot Noir in 1998. Today, his sons Mark and Jeff carry on the family tradition of crafting cult California Pinot Noir.

This vintage estate Pinot Noir is youthful and intensely structured. It is deeply purple and brooding with aromatics that are slightly shy at this point in time. The middle is well structured and complex. An opaque, concentrated black fruit core is interwoven with Asian spices, dark espresso, black licorice savory Oolong tea and herbs. This wine has an impressive backbone and inner structure that is built for the long haul. The tannins remain graceful and finely grained. Give it a few years of bottle aging. Another stellar achievement from the Pisoni family. The Pisoni wines are available only through the winery mailing list.

By W Peter Hoyne