Producer: Lucia, Article: Pisoni Estate: Grand Cru Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Santa Lucia Highlands

The 385-case 2015 Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay is a blend from the Soberanes and Pisoni Vineyards (mostly a mix of various Wente clones) and is whole cluster pressed directly to barrel and sees a touch of lees stirring. A deep, rich, layered style of Chardonnay, it has lots of brioche, charcoal and sautéed stone fruits all developing with time in the glass.

Coming mostly from the Pisoni Vineyard, with the balance Garys and Soberanes, the 2015 Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir offers terrific depth and concentration, with loads of black cherry, black raspberry, spring flower and forest floor aromas and flavors. Brought up in 50% new barrels, it’s a serious appellation blend that has real depth and length, and overdelivers in spades. Drink it anytime over the coming 4-5 years. There’s 410 cases made.

The 2015 Syrah Soberanes Vineyard certainly doesn’t lack for color and reveals a deep purple color to go with a fresh, lively bouquet of blueberries, cracked black pepper, violets and bay leaf. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, with an incredible seamlessness, it has a cool-climate slant, with notable elegance, yet has plenty of California fruit. Drink this terrific Syrah anytime over the coming decade.

Gorgeous, with lots of black raspberry, cassis, olive tapenade, peppered meat, and the classic iron characteristics that’s the hallmark of the site, the 2015 Syrah Garys' Vineyard is ripe, sexy and layered on the palate. While it has beautiful fruit, it has notable elegance, lots of whole cluster influence (70%), and perfectly integrated tannin. Give this structured Santa Lucia Highlands Syrah 2-3 years of bottle age and enjoy over the following decade.

The Hermitage (or Cornas?) of California, the 2015 Syrah Susan's Hill comes from a single block of granitic soils in the Pisoni Vineyard, which is located on the southern end of the Santa Lucia Highlands. It's a tannic, structured, serious wine that has gorgeous purity in its crème de cassis, charcoal, blueberries, wood smoke and violet-laced aromas and flavors. It picks up more olive and floral notes with air, has tons of gamey Syrah characteristics, bright acidity, plenty of elegance, and a great finish. It’s a year in, year out, smoking value that readers shouldn’t miss.

Winemaker Jeff Pisoni commented that the Soberanes Vineyard yields the most feminine and elegant style of wine from all the vineyards they farm. Brought up with 30% whole clusters and 45% new French oak, the 260-case 2015 Pinot Noir Soberanes Vineyard’s vibrant ruby color is followed by classic, Côte de Nuit-like notes of crushed rocks, flowers, violets and peppery herbs intermixed with blackberry and black cherry fruit. It’s more fresh and lively on the palate, with bright acidity and a clean, lightly textured style that’s ideal for drinking anytime over the coming 7-8 years.

Coming from the rockiest part of the vineyard, the 2015 Chardonnay Soberanes Vineyard sees all native fermentations and roughly 50% new oak (a small portion was done in a second-fill foudre). This gorgeous Chardonnay offers classic stone fruits, hints of pineapple, brioche and white flowers. Elegant, layered, and impeccably balanced on the palate, this is a sensational Chardonnay to drink over the coming 4-6 years.

The 2015 Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard is mostly destemmed (roughly 5% whole-clusters) and offers a more perfumed, exotic, fruit-driven style in its blueberry, black cherry, crushed violet and spring flower aromatics. Exotic, supple, fresh and elegant on the palate, with the classic 2015 exuberance and lift, it has tons to love and is already hard to resist. Jeff commented that the 2015s are all less tannic than the 2013s and 2014s, yet I’ve no doubt this beauty will keep for a decade given its overall balance and harmony.