2012 Bernardus Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands 750 ml

“The Grand Cru Pinot Noir of Santa Lucia Highlands” — Robert Parker, Jr.

Gary Pisoni’s parents, Eddie and Jane, began farming vegetables in the Salinas Valley in 1952. As soon as Gary graduated from college, he decided against returning to Salinas, and instead booked a one-way ticket to Paris. After landing in France, he headed straight to Dijon and tasted every red Burgundy he could get his hands on. Upon returning to the States, Gary was hopelessly afflicted with the wine bug. When he told his dad that he wanted to plant Pinot Noir on the family’s cattle ranch, Eddie was baffled, and raised multiple objections, not least of which was the cost of planting and managing a vineyard. But Gary was resolute, famously countering: “Have you ever been to a $250 lettuce tasting?”

The first planting on Pisoni Vineyard was less than 10 acres, perched 1,300 feet in elevation above the Salinas Valley on the warmer southern tip of what is now the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA. Initially, Gary was obliged to bring in water trucks to irrigate his young vines. Once a “water witch” was consulted and a water source located, Pisoni planted an additional 40 acres that he divided into several blocks ranging from a half acre to 16 acres in size. Each block was given a name — like “Big Block,” “Susan’s,” “Old Vineyard,” “Elias,” “Mommy’s,” “Hermanos,” “Mario,” and “Tina” — and each was tended differently depending upon soil type and the influence of the fog that blows in off Monterey Bay.

We’ve enjoyed dozens of Pisoni Vineyard Pinot Noirs made by the Pisonis, Peter Michael, Bernardus, Kosta Browne, and Siduri, and, despite the indelible signature of each winemaker, each wine speaks both of this magical place and of what Matt Kramer describes as the Pisonis’ “meticulous, bordering on fanatical” vineyard practices. While many growers in Santa Lucia Highlands value quantity over quality and push yields past 5 tons per acre, the Pisonis barely eke out 2. And while most of the vines in the AVA are grafts, Gary Pisoni’s early education in Burgundy taught him that own-rooted vines are not only the most naturally resistant to disease, but, when carefully tended, also make for Pinot Noirs far more complex in their aromatic and flavor profiles. The “Elias,” “Camper,” and “Mommy’s” blocks, most unusually for California, are all own-rooted.

In the extraordinary 2012 growing season that featured mild daytime highs and cool mornings and evenings, little rain fell from the winter months to harvest. As there were no significant heat spikes, the deep-rooted Pinot Noir vines shrugged off the drought conditions, allowing the Pisonis to push the envelope on natural concentration without any risk of blistering or desiccation. At harvest, natural sugars were sky-high even as acids remained firm, making for this magnificent release from Pinot Noir specialist Bernardus.

The 2012 Bernardus Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard is DARK purple. Big, bold, and voluptuous aromatically, infused with an intoxicating mix of black-fruit jam, sweet herbs, and smoke. Ultra-rich on the attack, dense and chewy in texture, featuring flavors of black raspberry and black cherry jam, a hint of kirsch and roasted coffee, finishing with extraordinary vibrancy given all the opulence, and round tannins. Drink now-2023.

$70/bottle on release, $38 this morning ONLY on WineAccess. 240 bottles are up for grabs.