Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/41419
PISONI VINEYARDS & WINERY Okay, so Gary Pisoni is a character. But he's a lovable guy who crafts some head-banging Pinot Noir (actually, his son Jeff is the winemaker). The first to plant Pinot Noir in the Santa Lucia Highlands in 1982, he grew up a vegetable farmer but collected wines on the side. "My father was against me changing from veggies to grapes," Pisoni told THE TASTING PANEL during a chat on the terrace at his hilltop vineyard retreat. "He couldn't understand why I wanted to plant grapes in these mountains." Pisoni, forever gesturing with his hands in between sips of wine and bites of salami continues, "'Dad,' I asked him, 'have you ever been invited to a $250-a-plate black-tie lettuce tasting?'" Pisoni takes us on a bumpy ride (his vehicle of choice for vineyard tours is a 1969 Willys U.S. Army Jeep) throughout the 12 vineyards on his ranch estate, hidden away at the area's highest-elevation vineyards—up to 1,400 feet. Beside partnering with his friend Gary Franscioni on the also-famous Garys' Vineyard (from which his much-lauded Pinot Noir is borne from his own Pisoni clone) and selling the fruit to prestigious producers such as Peter Michael, Patz & Hall and Testarossa, Pisoni uses the fruit for his "Lucia" Pinot Noir. "It takes an all-star team to produce the best Pinot Noir," he admits. Anger management: Fruit for the Wrath 2008 San Saba Vineyard Chardonnay is grown on the estate (pictured in the back- ground), a cool site just below the Santa Lucia Highlands, with little rainfall and one of the longest growing seasons in the world. Gary Pisoni is one of the winemaking pioneers in the Santa Lucia Highlands. His "Lucia" Pinot Noir is grown on his mountaintop ranch, and this release, "Susan's Hill," is named after his daughter. It is a teeth-grab- bing power engine—gorgeously energetic, motored by blackberry and black tea leaves. Award-Winning Pinot Noir Scheid Vineyards crafts Pinot Noirs from 17 different clones throughout 500 acres. The Scheid team refers to their four specific growing sites for this delicate grape as "Pinot-heaven vineyards." Scheid 2008 Estate Pinot Noir, Monterey County (SRP $32), a blend from three different WRATH WINES Talk to the folks at Wrath Wines and they'll define the name by alluding to an "unstoppable anger driven by forces greater than man." Others, noting the proximity of Salinas Valley and nearby Cannery Row, may make reference to Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath. Steinbeck wrote, "In the eyes of the hungry, there is a growing wrath. In the souls of the people, the grapes of wrath are growing heavy . . ." Set dur- ing the Great Depression, the novel traces the migration of an Oklahoma Dust Bowl family to California and their subsequent hardships as migrant farm workers. So whether we're thinking literature or maddened passion, the site-driven Wrath wines are small-production gems with attitude. september 201 1 / the tasting panel / 77