PISONI Lucia Estate Cuvee Pinot Noir - Santa Lucia Highlands 2022 Bottle

Description

The 2022 Lucia Pinot Noir Estate Cuvée brilliantly blends fruit from three estate vineyards, predominantly 70% Pisoni Vineyards. This medium-ruby wine entices with aromas of crushed strawberry, spiced plum, and dark berries. The palate reveals savoury notes of Asian spice and black tea, gaining volume with plush red berry and subtle vanilla from eleven months of aging in 45% new French oak. Scoring 95 points from both James Suckling and Decanter, it presents vibrant fruit flavours, with tangy raspberry and black tea echoes on the finish. Vinous highlights its fresh and buoyant profile with sweet cherry and clove, while the Wine Advocate notes its jammy character framed by sturdy tannins. This exceptional Pinot Noir is best enjoyed from 2024 to 2035.

*****

PISONI
Pisoni is a distinguished winery located in the Valtellina region of Lombardy, Italy, renowned for producing high-quality wines primarily from Nebbiolo, locally known as Chiavennasca. Founded in 1986 by the Pisoni family, the estate emphasizes the unique terroir of Valtellina, characterized by steep, terraced vineyards and diverse microclimates. The winery is dedicated to sustainable viticulture, employing traditional farming practices to ensure the production of exceptional grapes. Pisoni's wines are celebrated for their elegance, complexity, and ability to reflect the mountainous environment. Their flagship wine, Valtellina Superiore, showcases rich flavors of red fruits, floral notes, and firm tannins, often aged in oak barrels. Pisoni has garnered acclaim, appealing to enthusiasts seeking authentic expressions of Valtellina's heritage.

The Lucia Pinot Noir Estate Cuvée represents the synergy that develops when three estate-farmed vineyards are blended and bottled as a singular wine. The 2022 vintage is comprised of 70% Pisoni Vineyards, 14% Garys’ Vineyard, and 16% Soberanes Vineyard. As the wine’s medium-ruby hue fills the glass, aromas of crushed strawberry, spiced plum, and underlaying hints of dark berry develop. The Pinot Noir transitions to the palate and shows savory notes of Asian spice, black tea, then gains volume with notes of plush red berries and subtle vanilla—from eleven months of aging in 45% new French oak barrels. The heavy morning fog and bracing coastal winds of the mountainous Santa Lucia Highlands keep this wine fresh and provide acidity that reawakens the palate after each sip. The finish shows youthful and layered, yet distinctly approachable tannin.

JAMES SUCKLING 95 points
Brilliant, super-focused fruit flavors light up this striking, full-bodied wine. Vivid red cherries, black cherries, blackberries and subtle baking spices come together on the lightly tannic palate. Tangy raspberry, sour cherry and black tea notes echo in the finish. Made from a blend of Pisoni-owned vineyards, it shows great depth and complexity. Drink or hold.

DECANTER 95 points
Tasted by: Jonathan Cristaldi
(at Novato, California, 19 May 2025)
Drinking Window: 2025 - 2035
The Estate Pinot Lucia by Pisoni is a blend of fruit from the 15.8-hectare Pisoni Estate, nestled against the Santa Lucia mountain range, and Soberanes Vineyard, a 15.4-hectare, seaward-facing alluvial terrace that slopes five degrees toward the valley floor. The wine is fermented with native yeasts (18% whole cluster) in 40% new French oak and aged for up to 11 months. It’s a bold, juicy red, with dark, concentrated cherry fruit and sandalwood that shows real staying power on the mid-palate. Notes of dark mahogany wood, a touch of cocoa powder, and apple-skin tannins build toward an intense, dark-fruited finish, carried by blood orange and red plum and crafted by winemaker Jeff Pisoni.

VINOUS 93 points
Drinking Window 2024 - 2034
From: Santa Lucia Highlands: Steely and Steadfast in 2022 (Aug 2024)
Fresh and buoyant, the 2022 Pinot Noir Estate Cuvée shoots a vibrant array of sweet cherry, black raspberry and clove from the glass. Neatly structured yet enthusiastic, the stem inclusion adds lift and spiciness but doesn’t distract. The 2022 finishes with a linear drive. I admire the concentration of fruit here. Vineyard sites are Pisoni, Garys’ and Soberanes—a blend that really works. - By Billy Norris on July 2024

WINE ENTHUSIAST 91 points
Lush aromas of black cherry, root beer and cola show a definite smoky element on the nose of this estate cuvée. The palate is rich with black cherry, black plum, nutmeg and star anise flavors, making for a rich combination that ends on a long vanilla note. — Matt Kettmann

THE WINE ADVOCATE 90 points
Reviewed by: Matthew Luczy
Drink Date: 2024 - 2028
The 2022 Pinot Noir Estate Cuvée combines the Pisoni, Garys' and Sobranes Vineyards. The nose is dominated by aromas of dark fruit compote and toasty, charred notes of new oak. On the palate, it is soft and jammy while remaining medium-bodied and concluding with a staining, intense finish framed with sturdy tannins. This forward, toasty style still surely has its fans, but I find the ripeness and oak go a bit too far to merit a higher score