The less frequently told story behind our Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir and Chardonnay cuvées and the Spring 2016 release of Lucia wines.

1. THREE VINEYARDS, ONE WINE

2. Pisoni Vineyards
“[S]omeone might have wondered why the wine from a single vineyard was,
ipso facto, better than one blended from multiple great sites. But then, blending
from multiple great sites was not in the European tradition of chateaux,
domaines and schlosses. It took the Californians, in the modern era, to do
that—and to prove that a blend didn’t have to be a high-production common
wine, but one that could play at the highest world level.”
– Steve Heimoff, www.steveheimoff.com

3. O
ur family produces single-vineyard wines and
appellation-based blends of equally high caliber. We
craft limited quantities of site-driven wines from each
of the vineyards we farm, and are immensely gratified to hear the
vineyard speak distinctly through these bottlings. In addition, we
carefully blend certain lots from these same vineyards to produce
a wine designated Santa Lucia Highlands.
That’s right. Only fruit sourced from our estate vineyards goes
into each appellation wine—a rarity in winegrowing. Which is
why, as Steve Heimoff points out, appellation blends like ours can
be something very special. Many appellation blended wines are
made from bulk wine, hard pressings, or overcropped vineyards.
Because we cultivate all blocks in each of our three vineyards to
the same high standards, our cuvées—like our single-vineyard
wines—speak to the best the Santa Lucia Highlands has to offer.
The Pisoni, Garys’ and Soberanes Vineyards have been honored
as exceptional single-vineyard sites for their consistent quality and
the character of the wines produced from their fruit. Some of the
most respected wine writers and publications have counted them
among the world’s “Top 10 Vineyards,” “America’s five ‘Grand
Crus’” and “Best New Vineyards.” Pisoni Vineyards has also been
called “the benchmark estate” and “the Grand Cru site” of the
Garys’ Vineyard

4. Santa Lucia Highlands. Josh Raynolds of Vinous Media calls the
appellation “a veritable Gold Coast of California viticulture.”
A quick tour through our three vineyards makes it clear how this
“Gold Coast” has earned its reputation. Each property is blessed
with a variety of cold microclimates, chilled by the fierce winds
that sweep off the Monterey Bay. During summer months, the
Garys’ and Soberanes Vineyards are under fog most of the day.
The Pisoni Vineyard is perched on granite soils at an elevation
of 1,400 feet. Between the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines
on these three sites, a dozen clones and myriad of soil types are
represented. Such a wealth of raw material makes for compelling
single-vineyard designated wines and blends, each of which is
ultimately an expression of the land, the farming, and our family.
We are proud of our three premier vineyards and the vineyard-
designated wines that express each one so well, including the site-
specific 2014 Lucia Soberanes Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah
offered here.
Soberanes Vineyard

5. O
ur Santa Lucia Highlands cuvées blended from the
Pisoni, Garys’ and Soberanes Vineyards offer a
beautifully complete expression of our vineyards,
farming and winemaking.
Selecting the wine for these blends is a different process from the
one we use for single-vineyard designations, which are chosen to
showcase the specific character of each site. Like all of our wines,
blends begin in the vineyards. Viticulturist Mark Pisoni surveys the
blocks daily, looking for indicators of quality such as vine balance
and cluster development. Winemaker Jeff Pisoni joins him during
the growing season to monitor the progress of the vines.
At the winery, only the free-run wine is retained for use in any
wines bottled, whether single-vineyard or blend. Jeff smells, tastes,
listens to and tests barrels every day, pondering the
lots to propose for the cuvées. Some barrels of wine
taste good immediately and are favorites, whereas
others come around slowly. Under consideration are
the more approachable barrels with less tannin, or
barrels he senses would benefit from being part of a
blend instead of stand-alone wines.
For instance, a barrel of Pinot Noir with the high-
tannin levels typical of the Big Block at Pisoni
Vineyards would compliment a barrel from Garys’
Vineyard exhibiting softer tannins. Lots of three to
five tons of grapes from one vineyard may meld well
with lots from the other two. The flavor profile of a
Pisoni Vineyards Pinot Noir lot might marry perfectly
with the elegant, floral notes of a Soberanes Vineyard
wine. Decisions are made when Gary, Jeff (pictured
together above) and Mark sit down together to taste,
contemplate, discuss and propose final selections
before gently transferring the wines to a tank for
blending and preparation for bottling.
This is how our SLH cuvées—the 2014 Lucia Pinot
Noir and Lucia Chardonnay—come to be complete,
distinctive wines. They are gently crafted from specific
selections of our three estate-farmed vineyards.
“Our SLH Pinot Noir often flies under the radar. Although designated
Santa Lucia Highlands, the wine is 100% estate-farmed Pinot Noir
from 100% free-run wine. It receives more care than many of the
single-vineyard wines on the market.” –Jeff Pisoni
13% SOBERANES VINEYARD
35% GARYS’ VINEYARD
52% PISONI VINEYARDS
Photo by MJ Wickam

6. To emphasize our dedication and long-term commitment to each of our
three Santa Lucia Highlands vineyards, we offer our Lucia and Pisoni wines
according to the vineyard from which the grapes are sourced:
SPRING:
Soberanes Vineyard wines and
Lucia “Santa Lucia Highlands” cuvées
SUMMER:
Garys’ Vineyard wines
FALL:
Pisoni Vineyards wines
Lucia Vineyards & Winery
PO Box 908, Gonzales, CA 93926
ph: 800.946.3130 fax: 831.675.2557
luciavineyards.com
Design: Chelsea McKenna
Photos: Jeff Pisoni
SANTA LUCIA HIGHLANDS CUVÉES
2015 Lucy Rosé of Pinot Noir
The 2015 Lucy is the color of pink grapefruit. It possess aromas of raspberry,
fresh roses, spring flowers and crisp watermelon. A combination of whole-
cluster pressing and the saignée method was used to produce this Lucy Rosé.
Incorporating both of these traditional Rosé production techniques creates a
delicate and elegant wine with intense aromatics. The texture is vibrant and
energetic with hints of stone fruit and minerality in the finish. Serve chilled.
2014 Lucia Chardonnay
The 2014 Lucia Chardonnay, Santa Lucia Highlands, is vibrant gold in color
with complex, pure, focused aromas of white peach, jasmine flower, flint,
green mango and mandarin. A combination of eight low-yielding chardonnay
clones (mostly “Old Wente” selections) brings great diversity and flavor to the
cuvée. The wine is layered and full-bodied on the palate while the high levels
of natural acidity from the vintage imparts great intensity and focus to the
finish. A light sediment forms from this unfined and unfiltered wine. Enjoy
now or cellar for several years.
2014 Lucia Pinot Noir
The 2014 vintage of Pinot Noir possesses beauty and purity with a more
approachable structure than the preceding two years. The color of the Lucia
2014 Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands is deep and ruby red. It has a generous
bouquet of mixed berries, red roses, plums, subtle spices and the freshness of
pomegranate. Velvety tannins unfold on the palate and stretch into a broadly
textured finish, a result of rugged mountain soils and phenolcially ripe tannins.
This wine will be great for drinking now or aging for several years.
SOBERANES VINEYARD
2014 Lucia Chardonnay Soberanes Vineyard
Wines from the Soberanes Vineyard tend to have a very focused aromatic profile,
and the 2014 Lucia Chardonnay, Soberanes Vineyard follows suit. The wine starts
with a greenish-gold color and possesses energetic aromatics that seem to leap from
the glass. Vibrant citrus and floral notes weave around a subtle core of crushed
stones and Anjou pear. The rocky soil of the Soberanes Vineyard gives this wine
minerality and texture unique to this stony site. Select vines from the 2014 vintage
were fermented à Foudre (in a large oval oak cask), which adds depth and focus.
The palate unfolds into a seemingly endless plateau of texture that expands into a
beautiful and crisp finish. Enjoy now or cellar for 10 years or more.
2014 Lucia Pinot Noir Soberanes Vineyard
Effusive and floral, The 2014 Soberanes Vineyard Pinot Noir displays its characteristic
elegance and high-toned floral notes with an underlying fruit core of boysenberry,
wild strawberry, and slightly earthy notes of forest floor. Many of these aromatics are
the result of the underlying rocky soil, enhanced by higher amounts of whole clusters
incorporated during fermentation. On the palate the wine has rich tannins and clean
acidity—combined they give it structure to age for over a decade.
2014 Lucia Syrah Soberanes Vineyard
The 2014 Lucia Soberanes Vineyard Syrah has an intimidatingly dark color. Yet the
aromatics are vibrant and elegant: a combination achieved from the cool climate
and slow growing season. Fermented at nearly 100% whole cluster, this syrah is
complex and covers a wide spectrum of flavors. Initial floral and spice notes are
held together with blackberry undertones and Earl Grey. Highlights of green tea
give lift and intensity to the wine. The tannins are powerful and firm. For those who
enjoy aging wines, this will easily hold in the cellar for two decades. We recommend
decanting if the wine is opened in its youth; it will benefit from air.
The Santa Lucia Highlands are a ribbon of vineyards along the uplifting mountains above the Salinas Valley.