The Pisoni Family newsletter announcing the release of their 2010 vintages of Lucia. This includes the inaugural release of wine from the Soberanes Vineyard—a new vineyard development in the Santa Lucia Highlands planted to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah.

1. “Wine is both a reflection of the people who make it
and the region that produces it,” writes Émile Peynaud
in The Taste of Wine. Agreeing with the legendary
French winemaker, Jeff, Gary and Mark Pisoni pair their
signature style with the expression of the Santa Lucia
Highlands—the fruit of the Pisoni, Soberanes and
Garys’ vineyards—in their Lucia wines.
photo credit: Richard Green

2. If home is where the heart is, Pisoni
Vineyards will always be a special place
for the Pisoni family. What began as
a dream-come-true for the late Eddie
Pisoni and his wife Jane—a “type of
place you can hardly find” for its ma-
jestic beauty and sweeping views of
the Salinas Valley below—also became
the manifestation of their son Gary’s
Burgundy-crazed imagination.
The couple purchased the 280-acre
property in 1979 as a little slice of
heaven in the area the Spaniards called
Eternidad Paraiso. Breathtaking at
1,300 feet above sea level, the land be-
came the home ranch for Eddie’s three
horses and a few head of cattle. The site
of everything from simple picnics to spe-
cial occasions, the mountain vineyard
holds thirty-three years of memories
for four generations of the Pisoni fam-
ily. Good times there are as important
as the Wine Enthusiast honor of being
named one of America’s five “Grand
Crus” for producing exceptional Pinot
Noir grapes.
But make no mistake. This is rugged
country. Steep slopes slice upward
through the bank of cool morning
fog, and the north wind whips across
the vineyard blocks in the afternoon.
Mountain lions and coyotes share the
chaparral-brush habitat with black-tailed
deer, rabbits, rattlesnakes and wild pigs
that root in the decomposed granite
soil. Along with the gophers and birds,
most of these species love to munch
on grapes.
Water is hard to come by, as Gary dis-
covered when he drilled five wells before
finding a water source in 1991—almost
ten years after planting the first vines in
the virgin soil and trucking the precious
liquid from the valley floor for irrigation.
Bucking the tradition of the West, the
planting and farming of Pisoni Vineyards
isn’t about taming the wilderness. It’s
about co-existing with Mother Nature
as custodians of the land. Forty-five
acres of individual vineyard blocks curve
to the contours of the mountain, and
Mark practices sustainable viticulture
methods.
The vineyard credited for putting the
Santa Lucia Highlands AVA on the world
wine map certainly marks a soft spot in
the hearts of the Pisoni family.
The new kid on the Lucia Vineyards’ block, the
Soberanes Vineyard is a joint venture between
the Gary Pisoni and Gary Franscioni families.
The site planted to forty acres of Chardonnay,
Pinot Noir and Syrah sits on the Santa Lucia
Highlands bench about nine miles north of
Pisoni Vineyards.
The vineyard bears the name of José María
Soberanes, who pitched a tent on the barren
brown plain when trekking from Mexico with
the famed Portola expedition of 1769, and
his son Feliciano who acquired the rancho as
repayment for forty horses, fifty head of cat-
tle, four oxen and some sheep. The area was
then called El Campo Real del Chocolate or
Chocolate Camp. Today the same dark, rocky
soil characterizes the land blanketed by fog
every morning at about 450 feet in elevation,
conditions that contribute to low temperatures
and the slow, even ripening of grapes.
Mark recalls his
Grandpa Eddie urg-
ing, “Hey, we should
do just five acres there
or something,” when
the pair drove past on
their daily trek to Garys’
Vineyard.
The family patri-
arch’s wish has now
taken root, and the
Soberanes Vineyard
benefits from the wis-
dom gained from the
“I had no idea when I planted my first vines 30 years ago that
Pisoni Vineyards would become one of the most famous
vineyards in California.”
—Gary Pisoni, Maverick Vintner
“Complex flavors and racy acidi
Soberanes Vineyard has jumpe
photo credit: Richard Green

3. map courtesy of Santa Lucia Highlands Wine Artisans
Pisonis having already planted two vineyards.
The row direction runs from north to south, so
the grapes will have more uniform sun expo-
sure. Similar to practices in Burgundy, spacing
between the plants was tightened up to pro-
vide more plants per acre. Due to the close
spacing, the plants don’t grow as large and
produce less fruit. As a result, each vine fo-
cuses more energy into fewer clusters, which
enhances the flavor of the grapes.
Gary compares young vineyards like the
Soberanes to teenagers, explaining, “They’re
full of energy and want to produce more fruit
than they should. We have to give them more
guidance by reducing the crop to bring them
into balance.”
New clone material was used for the
Chardonnay block, and its first vintage—2010
LuciaChardonnay,SoberanesVineyard—offers
a bright, vibrant, aromatic and feminine style.
ity leap from the glass like the
ed onto the wine scene.”
—Jeff Pisoni, Winemaker
The genesis of Garys’ Vineyard reads
like a covert operation. In 1997, the two
Garys—Gary Pisoni and Gary Franscioni—
talked quietly about partnering on a
vineyard venture. Franscioni began ac-
tively looking for a Santa Lucia Highlands
property that might suit their needs. The
proprietor of ROAR Winery and Rosella’s
Vineyard (and now Sierra Mar Vineyard)
called the other Gary one night about a
possible site.
Early the next morning the two friends,
who were born five weeks apart and
learned to share their toy tractors as
toddlers when their parents spent time
together, undertook a mission possible.
They met near the potential vineyard
site, parking their trucks far enough
away so passing farmers wouldn’t rec-
ognize their vehicles or notice them eye-
balling the real estate.
With shovels in hand, they hiked to
the ranch and jumped the fence that
marked the perimeter of the property.
They could hardly contain their excite-
ment. A couple of quickly dug soil pits
confirmed their hopes: This was a really
great spot. Then and there, the Garys de-
cided to seal the deal and plant grapes
on the fifty acres that had been home
to cattle for generations.
Noteworthy from the start, the Garys’
was singled out by Wine & Spirits
in 2008 as one of the “Best New
Vineyards” planted within the last ten
years—a rarity that “shows its greatness
within the first few flavorful crops.”
Literally a stone’s throw north of the
Soberanes Vineyard, the contiguous
block planted to Pinot Noir and Syrah
contains fifteen-year-old vines that con-
sistently produce low yields.
Although canopy-management practic-
es vary from vineyard to vineyard, the
Garys’ has much in common with the
other two sites: cordon-pruned vines
with vertical shoot positioning for mod-
erate sun exposure and sufficient air-
flow that reduces the risk of mildew and
botrytis. The same team that has walked
the vineyard rows for a decade and a half
performs all the canopy work by hand.
Investing so much hand labor is expen-
sive and time-intensive yet absolutely
essential for producing balanced vines
and exceptional fruit.
“Although Dad and Gary have very different personalities,
they are the perfect partners and have teamed up to set a
standard for meticulous farming and outstanding wines at the
Garys’ Vineyard.”
—Mark Pisoni, Viticulturist
photo credit: Richard Green

4. Soberanes Vineyard Offering
2010 Lucia Chardonnay, Soberanes Vineyard
The first release of our Soberanes Vineyard Char-
donnay is very exciting. The complex wine pos-
sesses a vivacious intensity. Aromatics leap out of
the glass with impressions of orange blossoms,
lemon oil, minerality and white nectarines. On
the palate, the texture is full with ample weight,
but at the same time the bright acidity gives the
wine lift as it forms a long, seamless finish. Drink
now through 2018.
Garys’ Vineyard Offering
2010 Lucia Pinot Noir, Garys’ Vineyard
A very inviting nose seduces with hints of rose
petal and violet, and then shows its fuller side of
raspberry, strawberry and baking spice. The wine
displays its single-vineyard pedigree with the
length on the palate. A rich mouthfeel stretches
out with firm tannins and a long finish. Decant
for 30 minutes if drinking within the first year of
release. Drink now through 2018.
Santa Lucia Highlands Cuvées
2010 Lucia Chardonnay, Santa Lucia Highlands
The Santa Lucia Highlands cuvée displays bright
aromatics more centered around fruit characteris-
tics: white peach, green mango, citrus and pine-
apple. The texture is rich and full-bodied with a
gentle finish. Very approachable, flavorful and a
great representation of Santa Lucia Highlands.
Drink now through 2015.
2010 Lucia Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands
Deep garnet in color, this blend of Pinot Noir
from the Garys’ and Pisoni Vineyards displays the
fruit and spice often eminent in the appellation.
Aromas of spiced cherry, wild strawberry, spiced
plum and clove combine. On the palate, the wine
has good weight and a velvety structure. Drink
now through 2016.
2011 Lucy Rosé of Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia
Highlands
Displaying a light strawberry color, the 2011 Lucy
sourced from all three vineyards offers striking
and vibrant aromatics. Notes of Rainier cherry,
perfectly ripe strawberry and watermelon come
across in a very focused, delineated fashion. The
palate is refreshing, and the crisp acidity causes
a mouth-watering reaction, just requiring another
sip. Serve chilled.
—Jeff Pisoni, Winemaker
TASTING NOTES
Lucia Vineyards & Winery
P.O. Box 908, Gonzales, CA 93926
ph: 800.946.3130 | fax: 831.675.2557 | www.luciavineyards.com
Spring 2012
Writer: Susan Pisoni Tavernetti | Design: Erin Randolph
Photography: Richard Green and Pisoni Family