Santa Lucia Highlands: Leveling Up

“As you know more, you do better,” said Kamee Knutson, head winemaker at Talbott Winery, as we toured the vineyards (including a bucket list for my goth soul, Sleepy Hollow Vineyard). She noted improvements over the last few years, ranging from cover crops and bird lasers to a four-row tractor designed to reduce passes, lessening carbon emissions and reducing soil compaction. These were generationally-minded improvements, no quick fixes. A grand finale to a trip where winery after winery, the leveling up of grapes was the name of the game. This journey was to the Santa Lucia Highlands, a region within Monterey, CA, where winegrowers, winemakers, vineyard managers, and winery reps alike are focused on boosting their practices, particularly in the vineyard but also in the winery. All in the service of improving the land, ergo improving grapes, ergo improving the wines for both now and the future of the region at large. Whose star is rising? I tasted so many excellent wines and would love to write an article for every winery, but please first accept this offering of my takeaways. Innovation and sustainability are key. At my first stop, McIntyre Vineyards, Kristen McIntyre (daughter of Steve McIntyre, one of the OG developers in the region) walked us through regenerative farming, SIP certification, how they are using bio-char organic material (to sequester carbon and enrich soil), SITOS group owl boxes, ravines to let the wildlife be wild, milkweed for the monarch butterflies and…OH YEAH! Really good wines. So good I wasn’t bothered by surprisingly strong winds making me clutch my glass all the tighter. Speaking of that, WIND! And the fog. Both are courtesy of Monterey Bay. That cooling fog slows down ripening. Those winds can cause photosynthesis to stop, likewise prolonging the growing season so grapes have ample time to achieve phenolic ripeness (aka bye-bye- too much tannin and pyrazines, hello ripe fruit) and ripen just enough sugar-wise. Party time! Excellent. Driving from one end of the appellation to another along River Road, it was pointed out to me just how much being a highland defines it. To one side of me was acre after acre of greens growing—the Salinas Valley, within which the SLH lies, is literally called The Salad Bowl, honestly? I will never look at the casual bags of lettuce or cauliflower (my ride-or-die veg) at the grocery store the same. Not after seeing the fields, the people in the fields, the…WOW, they have to make a lot of vegetables to feed us! Oops, sorry, this is a wine article, although maybe I can have a cauliflower spin-off someday. Anyway! To the other side of the said fields, the hillside rose abruptly, and on that side is where you venture into vineyards after a brief climb in elevation. They are literally the lands that are high. Maybe that should seem obvious, but for the non-farmer or non-agricultural buff, how much do you consider where regional names come from? All the highland joy of it brings me to the aforementioned heightening of the land, the grapes, the practices. Nowhere did I see this more uniquely or exquisitely demonstrated from top to bottom than at Pisoni Vineyards. Founder Gary Pisoni, along with Gary Franscioni (of ROAR), were two of the OG winemakers in the region and visiting both ROAR and Pisoni felt like a journey back in time and a glimpse towards the future, filtered through the Garys’ (yes, that is s THEN apostrophe for two of them!) Vineyard. “Get ready for Disneyland,” announced my guide, Gwen McGill, executive director of the Santa Lucia Highlands Artisans, as she guessed whether we should turn left or right on a deserted-ish country road en route to Pisoni. She picked the right one and pointed out features like the insectarium (a garden aimed at attracting beneficial buggies) on the way. Then there’s the wonderland of structures and pools for water to flow through. They’ve been built up over the years. Vineyard manager Mark Pisoni told me about the importance of multi-layered sustainability. They look to everything from water management, making use of compost and cover crops to ensuring that their staff is taken care of, down to helping their kids go to college. He took us on a journey through the vineyards but also through orange trees, informed us about the other veggies they grew, and, as we landed back at home base, tossed us fresh off the tree peaches, nectarines and apples to try. We got into our non-wine hobbies over a lunch of (estate-grown) cauliflower steak and cucumber/tomato/avocado salad. His was his garden. The calling is real. Over at Morgan, I explored the Double L Vineyard with its founder, Dan Lee’s twin daughters Jackie and Annie, the vineyard’s namesakes. The L is for the luck of getting double the daughters! Annie handles the vineyards these days, focusing on producing the highest quality grapes she can, as “good grapes make good wine.” That includes several leveling-up projects ranging from getting Beyond Organic certified (it's like organic, but…even more) and stopping tilling (weeds are beautiful!), all in the name of being a good steward of the land. It shows in the wines. My last dinner in the region brought in a few winemakers—Morét Brealynn (of the eponymous wines. Check out the previous Final Five for her interview), Ed Kurtzmann (Masfield-Dunne Wines) and Adam Lee (Clarice), plus vineyard manager Grant Meyers (La Reina) all the better to soak up regional winemaker banter and beef. I live for it. Over Brealyn’s deeply hued Rosé and Kurtzmann’s beautifully complex Chards and Pinots, plus a couple of Lee’s wonderfully energetic Pinots, I noticed something here, something I only see in other less mainstream regions like Anderson Valley or Santa Cruz: a huge amount of cooperation and camaraderie. Peeps helping peeps. A rising tide lifting all boats. All is the name of great grapes for great wines. And now some pithy notes on not even close to some of my favorites. All wines and wineries cited in the article and below are highly worth exploring. Santa Lucia Highlands is only getting better. 2021 Lucia by Pisoni Chardonnay Don’t make me pick a favorite from Pisoni! But if I must, it’s the Chardonnay. Utter sunshine in a glass—ironic as it is harvested at night. One of the secrets to its refreshing nature. It has a great texture to it and perfect balance. Top flight. 2021 ROAR Rosella’s Vineyard Pinot Noir From sandy loam at elevation, this is super elegant and lithe. It’s got beautiful florals and light red fruits, all punched up with incredibly vibrant acidity. Get it in your glass. 2022 Bernardus Rosella’s Vineyard Chardonnay Is there any stopping what Rosella can do? Apparently not. Bernardus was started by a Porsche driver-turned-Olympic biathlete of Dutch royalty who had dreams, ergo…a richer take on Chardonnay, and I’m not mad at it—but not without that signature brightness—the acidity of a SLH wine cannot be trifled with! 2019 Caraccioli Cellars Escolle Vineyard Pinot Noir Potent from the first sniff! Strong but not overly ripe. It gives cherry vanilla ice cream vibes in the best possible way, merging into cinnamon and cola verging on Dr. Pepper. Also, in the best possible way. 2019 Talbott Vineyards Fidelity Pinot Noir All the deep red and black cherry fruit on the nose punched up with spice and wet rocks. On the palate, that fun, sublime smoothness is undercut with a hint of dank autumn leafy potting soil that is putty in your nose and mouth. But in the mouth, after the earth, a cascade of ripe fruit rains in. Geez, Louise, where do we go from here? Another sip! Another glass. 2021 Mer Soleil Santa Lucia Highlands Reserve Brilliant nose of sweet citrus and lightly toasted wheat, tidy wet…not quite wet rock, more like wet stainless steel? So cleansing. Then lemon curd comes in on the palate. It’s a sunshine-y, comforting wine. I feel myself dozing off on a pebbly riverbed. Not that I’ve done that or…wait, I camped a lot as a kid. I had a lot of pebble-y creek in the sun situations, and this one is like having a toast and Orangina breakfast by one. 2021 Morgan Double L Vineyard Chardonnay Slightly toasty but fresh orchard fruited-nose…like if an apple orchard and breakfast bread had a dance—it’s total autumn Chardonnay. The palate is rich but really light on its toes, keeping the waltz going with a bit of a prickle and alternating current with butterscotch depth. Really graceful and nuanced. 2018 Three Furies “The Angry One” Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir Could I have been predisposed to like this because, well… look at the bottle. She me. But nah, this is unabashedly a gorgeous Pinot. It’s a little deep, hinting at dank but stopping at licorice edges accenting black cherry vanilla bean compote and hardcore minerality, stopping short of potting soil. Girthier tannins than expected, but still elegant though. Her anger is tasty now but gives her the bones to go the difference. 2019 McIntyre Winemaker Series Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir The guest winemaker this time was Don Van Staaven. This is full of all the cherries—red and black, plus lilacs verging into a forest-y licorice finish. Delish. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Want to read more from Ellen? Check out her recent articles: Santa Cruz: Something New Back to School Wines 101 For Everyone Who Texts Me: Trader Joe’s Picks, You’re Welcome CVIČEK: The Next Summer It-Wine The Rebirth-ish of Sauvignon Blanc You can also listen to Ellen's podcast , The Wine Situation here . Check out her recent transcripts of the Final Five questions: Wine Situation Final Five! Jermaine Stone Wine Situation Final Five! Kristie Tacey