Boris Mathiszik

9.1

Excellent classic Napa. Big and bold but nicely structured. Well balanced. Best of tasting at NCWC. — 6 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

A wine I’ve enjoyed mostly upon release or near it. I vowed to wait six years and nearly made it. At least it is 2018...just! It’s worth waiting this/that long for it to develop. On the nose; sweetly, baked fruits of; dark cherries, strawberries, black plum, plums, blackberries, and notes of blue fruits. Cinnamon, vanilla, very light clove & nutmeg, caramel, soft, medium, beautiful spice, black fruit tea, limestone minerals, loamy, dry, brown top soil, fresh dark florals and violets. The mouthfeel is full, rich & lush. The tannins are round, still have some teeth and possess velvety round edges. It’s fruit driven but not a bomb and showing elegance & grace. Fruits are perfectly ripe; dark cherries, strawberries, black plum, plums, blackberries, notes of blue fruits and dry cranberries dip in and out. Cinnamon, vanilla, very light clove & nutmeg, caramel, soft, medium beautiful spice that is more pronounced on the palate, black fruit tea, touch of melted brown sugar/molasses, limestone minerals, touch of rich dark sweet turned soil, loamy dry brown top soil, soft understated eucalyptus/mint, dry fresh florals and violets. The round acidity is just right, just a slight very small alcohol burn, the length, structure, tension and beautifully balanced finish are in a very good place. Even better in 2-3 more years in bottle; which is when I’ll have my next one. Photos of; the winemaking duo of Gary Franscioni (left) and Gary Pisoni, Rosella’s Vineyard on the right. As well as, Garys’ Vineyard at the bottom. Producer notes and history...The Santa Lucia Highlands appellation is known for its rich, vibrant Pinot Noirs. However, that wasn’t always the case. The first Pinot was planted in 1973, but results weren’t all that great. Chardonnay was the appellation’s early star. Much of the area’s current fame for Pinot Noir arguably can be traced to Gary Pisoni, a free-spirited wine enthusiast who grew up in a Salinas Valley vegetable farming family. Pisoni decided to plant a few acres of Pinot Noir in 1982 on his family’s horse ranch, at the southern end of what was to become the Santa Lucia Highlands appellation but his horses started eating the grapes. So, they had to go. His initial planting were limited by a lack of water until he dug a well on the property. Pisoni started planting even more Pinot Noir. The vineyard is now around 45 acres and nearly all of it Pinot. By the late 1990s, word had spread about the success of his vineyard, and a number of Pinot specialists from around California had started lining up to buy his grapes. He started producing his own wine in 1998. Pisoni isn’t the only Gary who has become a force in the Santa Lucia Highlands. Gary Franscioni, a childhood friend, followed Pisoni’s lead by planting grapes and started Roar Wines in 2001. The two of them now have five vineyards between them...all farmed meticulously with the same crew. They are best of friends...sort of a Mutt & Jeff. They have become a formidable presence in the Highlands, attracting interest from top winemakers and Pinot Noir lovers from all over. Franscioni is also from a vegetable farming family; Pisoni figures they’ve known each other since they were 3 or 4. Franscioni saw his friend’s success and once he got some money together, decided to plant grapes of his own. Franscioni’s property is farther north and cooler as it’s closer to the Monterey Bay. He was going to plant Chardonnay. He woke up and Franscioni recalls imitating Pisoni, and shouted, “plant Pinot!” Franscioni planted what became Rosella’s Vineyard, named for his wife, in 1996. He took Pisoni’s advice and planted four acres of Pinot Noir, although he still planted 12 acres of Chardonnay. It’s now a total of around 50 acres with three-quarters of it Pinot Noir. The next year, they decided to become partners and planted Garys’ Vineyard, a 50 acre parcel where they grow Pinot and a little Syrah. Since then, Franscioni has developed Sierra Mar, 38 acres of Pinot, Chardonnay, Syrah and a tiny amount of Viognier. The two teamed up again to establish Soberanes Vineyard, 35 acres of mostly Pinot Noir, with a little bit of Chardonnay and Syrah. That last vineyard was developed by Pisoni’s son Mark. The Garys might seem an unlikely pair. Pisoni is colorful character to say the least and has an outspoken manner. Franscioni comes across as more serious- minded. However, the collaboration between the two, who often address each other as “partner,” clearly works well. The two are good on their own, but better together. Pisoni being more gregarious acts as the frontman. He is the Ambassador. He’s a check on the rest to keep the quality high. Franscioni and Mark Pisoni run the farming on their own vineyards and work together on the joint ventures. The family involvement doesn’t stop there. Jeff Pisoni makes his family’s wines, which are under the Pisoni and Lucia brands. Franscioni’s son, Adam, joined the family business in time for the 2011 harvest. He handles sales for Roar and helps his father manage the vineyards. The grapes from all five vineyards are in huge demand, because the two families are such careful farmers, constantly tweaking and improving. Prominent customers include; Testarossa, Siduri, Kosta Browne, Copain and Bernardus. When a new vintner approaches them about buying grapes, the partners examine the winery’s track record and the Winemaker. If they like what they see, the winery is put on a waiting list. There’s not very much movement in their vineyards. When Franscioni planted Sierra Mar, he and Pisoni had 62 wineries waiting to buy fruit. Soberanes was developed with the idea of working with some new winemakers. There was some concern, even among the two families, that quality might suffer as the vineyard operations grew. However, there’s no indication that’s the case. In fact, with each new venture, they build on what they’ve learned in their older vineyards. Eventually, there will be even more vineyards. The Pisonis and Franscionis have purchased a 100 acre cactus farm in the Santa Lucia Highlands. There’s still a lease on the property. So, prickly pear cactus will continue to be grown for five more years. But at some point, the land will be planted with vines. Both families understand the importance of continuing to build for the future. The Garys looking back tell a story of being in the same spot some years ago and looking at a field of broccoli out back. He told Franscioni that the field would look a lot better with Pinot Noir vines. Now that parcel is part of Rosella’s Vineyard, and it’s planted with Pinot. Everybody thought he was crazy...most people usually think that when someone makes a bold decision. He’s a person who has always had vision and creativeness. He also has tremendous passion. Good things only happen when a person possesses all three of these qualities. Their wines are primarily available by mailing list. However, Nepenthe in Big Sur, CA acts as a quasi tasting room for some of their wines. — 6 years ago

Brad Taylor

9.3

Excellent Merlot. Soft, subtle. Fruit forward. Excellent with a red sauce pasta dish. — 9 years ago

Josh Trowbridge

9.1

Celebrating new business and new friends..... — 9 years ago

evie

8.9

Very spicy on the nose. Bitter on the palate and very dry. But at least with my two favorite tasting partners. update: REALLY POPS WHEN DECANTED FOR TWO HOURS — 10 years ago

Claire Lee

9.3

Wow. Stunning wine from Silver Oak 2007 vintage via Greylock Partners. Thanks guys. Yum. — 10 years ago

Heidi Harrison

9.1

#womenwinemakers Bright cranberry, orange peel, cinnamon, mushroom from great partners in winemaking Denise Mary Selyem & Kirk Wesley Hubbard — 10 years ago

Shawn Mundell

9.0

Easier drinking than the Guarachi at nearly the same abv. A little thinner but still very good. — 6 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

Nickel & Nickel exclusively to produces 100% varietal, single-vineyard wines that express the distinctive personality of each vineyard. Established in 1997 by the partners of Far Niente. Aromas of stone fruit and citrus. On the palate apple, melon and pear flavors, with some lemon zest, vanilla and toasty notes. Nice balance with acidity on lingering finish on a gently spicy rich oaky mineral ending. Classic CA Chard, very nice! — 6 years ago

Andrew Han

9.0

From the Wine Society: This is the source of the bulk of our Beaujolais for the last 50 years, and many members will also have tried the fruits
of The Society’s work with this excellent Beaujolais-based négoce in the form of our bestselling white wine, The
Society’s White Burgundy, sourced from the Mâcon.
Dealing with a négociant allows The Wine Society to pick and choose, often blending together from different estates in
order to end up with a wine that is better than any of its parts.
Négoces have had a huge part to play in the recent history of Beaujolais, some of it not so good but some of it very
positive. For all its apparent simplicity, Beaujolais is a complicated region that is often the victim of its own capricious
climate with late frosts and violent hailstorms a common recurrence.
The one name that stands out for us is Dépagneux: Jean Dépagneux was the last of this illustrious merchant family
who, with his partners, bought up a list of ailing names such as Aujoux, which had made its name selling Beaujolais to
the once profitable Swiss market. Jean retired about a dozen years ago and his place was taken by a young and
talented oenologist from Viré called Jean-Marc Darbon. One consequence of the change has been the meteoric rise in
the quality of The Society’s White Burgundy. — 7 years ago

Kareem Burke

9.6

Great relationship and dinner with new partners. DG, Radue Artie and Anel — 7 years ago

Mike Mayer

9.5

Picked this up at the winery today from their library. Elegant dark fruit and baking spice on the nose. Blueberry, currants and some earthiness on the palate. Tannins are sleek and elegant yet I think there is some room for them to get even better. The finish is long and bold with a really nice peppery note and some acidity. The second vintage of this wine where Steve Reynolds and 3 partners decided to make a Bordeaux blend of one ton of the best grapes they could get from each of the 13 appellations in Napa at that time. An experiment that turned out outstanding in my opinion. — 8 years ago

with Lisa

Peter van den Besselaar

9.1

Riesling Brut Sekt partners with a salad chevre encroute, good nose with almonds and pear, lively taste and pretty acidity #riesling — 8 years ago

Boris Mathiszik

8.9

Delicious Napa "champagne". Especially when celebrating the first two commercial solar project bookings for Forward Energy Partners. But seriously, this is a nice wine - crisp, fresh, nice minerals. — 9 years ago

Nick Mallon

9.6

Full bodied pinot, lots of fruit, touch of earth. Keeping in stride with other big name Gaps Crown wines. One of my favorites on the list at Roka Akor, so I had to bring some home. — 9 years ago

Andrew Lampasone

Owner Wine Watch Selections

9.6

Owned by zar brooks one of the original d'arenberg partners — 10 years ago

Marco AM

9.4

Fruity, light and fresh — 10 years ago

Andrew Lampasone

Owner Wine Watch Selections

9.5

This is one of the original Marc de Grazia imports wine from Argentina but he has sold out the other original partners are out a blend of UFO and lujan de cuyo fruit — 11 years ago

Rob Moose

9.1

My dining partners said “this tastes like our friendship.” A nice showing from the uninspiring but workable 2012 vintage and, as always with Bessin, very affordable. — 6 years ago

with Alex

Richard Alfred

9.7

9/15/17. Seyfarth partners' retreat. — 7 years ago

Jen C

8.9

Dry and the perfect amount of sweet. Slightly buttery — 7 years ago

Peter Coticchia

9.3

Outstanding! Very much a bold Napa Cab with lots of fruit. — 7 years ago

Tony Drofmum

9.0

Blueberry with a slight pepper finish. Mild tannin. — 7 years ago

THOR Vintners & Co.

9.1

Amazing fruit. Zest guava. Real summer wine and acid is amazingly in balance. Ripe not green. Love this one! — 8 years ago

Kris Pennington

9.0

Happy Birthday Donny 🎂 — 8 years ago

with Donald and Ryan

Adam Coy

9.0

Great nose, smooth red fruit. — 9 years ago

Justin Hansohn

9.1

If you like piña coladas and getting caught in the rain...there is no other way to say it other than you should have this in your white rotation whatever you are doing. Northern rhone white, including this very classic beauty, is always a good reminder that something very different, hedonic, and pleasureful is happening right now. And it doesn't need partners at the table. It just needs a glass. Acid, mineral, butter, a whiff of turkey, tropical fruits galore. — 9 years ago

Delectable Wine

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10

The recipe for greatness in this bottle, equal parts:
• Rutherford's stony, alluvial soil
• Cathy's sage-like light touch in the winery
• The patience for tannin, fruit & mineral characters to become perfectly in sync dance partners
• The generosity of friends to share
• Outstanding drinking companions — 10 years ago

Deborah Heath

9.6

2012 Tsolikouri from Ramaz Nikoladze, one of the partners of Tbilisi natural wine bar Pheasants tears, & a key player in Georgia's modern qvevri wine scene. Succulent acid-floral white wine. — 10 years ago

Daniela Caniglia

9.1

Made by owners of Solena partners with willakenzie. All estate from highlands. Light, bright fruit, cola & coffee. 16/1 13/2 — 11 years ago