Lot Overview
- Region: 100% Santa Lucia Highlands (Soberanes Vineyard, Pisoni/Franscioni joint venture)
- Vintage: 2023
- Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir
- Oak Aging: ~40% new French oak, 20 months
- Alcohol: 14.0%
- Cases Available: ~125 (first tranche)
- Cam Price: ~$11.58/bottle ($139/case)
- Retail Estimate: $70–80/bottle
- Claude’s Source Guess: Lucia by Pisoni — Soberanes Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands
- Wine Berserkers Guess: Anaba
- Drink Window: 2025–2033 (peak 2026–2030)
Cameron’s Release Notes
Hailing from one of the most sought-after sites in Monterey County’s Santa Lucia Highlands, Lot 57 is normally bottled as a single-vineyard designate from the highly-regarded Soberanes Vineyard — a joint venture between the legendary Franscioni and Pisoni families, named “one of the appellation’s most esteemed properties” by Wine Enthusiast. Sourced from a highly-regarded Pinot Noir-focused producer with many single-vineyard designated bottlings (we basically split the SLH bottling with them). With consistent mid-90s scores, their Soberanes is celebrated for supple elegance and classy presentation, valuing complexity and verve over power and extraction. Sells tasting room and online only for $70-80/bottle.
Tasting Notes
Pale ruby in the glass. Intensely aromatic and pure with vibrant fruit. The lively bouquet is bright and effusive with raspberry and black cherry fruit complexed with a savory halo of black tea and clove. Supple, silky and expressive on the palate yet with great backbone and vibrant, crunchy acidity that lifts and carries juicy, well-delineated red fruits complexed with clove and nicely integrated oak in a long, pure finish. Beautifully balanced with tremendous elegance, verve and complexity.
✅ Bottle Shock Status: Drinking beautifully now per Cam’s style description.
Claude’s Source Guess: Lucia by Pisoni — Soberanes Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands (Pisoni family)
Lucia is the Pisoni family’s own wine label, producing limited-quantity single-vineyard Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays from their SLH estate vineyards including the Soberanes Vineyard, which they co-own with the Franscioni family. Their Soberanes Pinot Noir retails at $68-72 through their mailing list and tasting room — fitting Cam’s “$70-80, tasting room and online only” description precisely. The 2023 Lucia Soberanes scored 94 points (James Suckling) — solidly in the “consistent mid-90s” range Cam cites.
Cam’s description of “splitting the SLH bottling with them” makes particular sense for Lucia — as a family-owned program where the Pisonis grow the fruit themselves, sharing a bottling blend with a trusted négociant like Cam is a natural arrangement when surplus exists. Their winemaking profile (native yeast, gentle handling, gravity flow winery, French oak with moderate new oak) is consistent with Cam’s “20 months in ~40% new French oak” specification.
The “many single-vineyard designated bottlings” description also fits Lucia — they produce multiple SLH single-vineyard Pinots including Pisoni, Soberanes, Garys’, Rosella’s, and others.
✅ Confidence: High — co-owners of Soberanes Vineyard confirmed, 94 points on 2023 confirmed, $68-72 tasting room/mailing list retail confirmed, “many single-vineyard designates” confirmed, native yeast/gentle winemaking matches Cam’s elegant style description. Siduri is a viable alternative with a 95-point 2023 Soberanes but has broader distribution inconsistent with “tasting room and online only.”
Drink Window
Early: 2025 — the elegant, accessible style suggests early drinking is appropriate.
Peak: 2026–2030. SLH Pinot Noir from Soberanes peaks 3–7 years from vintage.
Hold: 2033. The 20-month aging and 14% alc give this solid medium-term potential.
My Call: ✅ Drink window: 2025–2033 (peak 2026–2030)