Pisoni 2023 Estate Chardonnay, Santa Lucia Highlands 96 Points

Vinous 96 Points: “The 2023 Chardonnay is a powerful, super-phenolic, almost chewy white, but all of that texture is bedded on a base layer of crystal-clear, supple, super-ripe golden orchard fruit. Flint, orange zest, chamomile, and yellow apple flesh out magnificently into a long, expansive finish that’s propelled by calibrated acidity. This is an unashamedly large-scaled Chardonnay, but it’s finessed through and through. A 17-month stay in 40% new French oak built loads of creamy texture and spicy complexity into the wine’s frame. The 2023 is a total showstopper.”

Winery Notes: “Chardonnay sings in cooler vintages. Long, slow-growing seasons require more detailed work in the vineyard, but this care and attention amplify the beauty of Chardonnay. The vibrant and yellow-green hue of the 2023 Pisoni Estate Chardonnay begins with own-rooted vines in granite soil. After harvest, this fruit progresses through hand sorting, gentle pressing, and native fermentation. Aromas of white peach, lemon zest, acacia flower, and chalky minerality beam from the glass. The freshness of morning fog and a coastal climate come through with bright acidity on the palate, while seventeen months of quietly aging on lees in the cellar bring a rich and full texture to the palate. This Chardonnay can be enjoyed now or aged for many more years in the cellar.”