The 2021 Pisoni Pinot Noir Estate is a highly regarded wine from the Santa Lucia Highlands appellation in Monterey, California. Produced by Pisoni, this Pinot Noir is noted for its complexity and depth, showcasing the best qualities of this renowned vineyard site.
Jeb Dunnuck awarded the 2021 Pisoni Pinot Noir an impressive 96+ points, highlighting its serious aromatics and full-bodied richness. He describes the wine as offering "serious aromatics of cassis, darker raspberries, spicy oak, graphite, and crushed stone." Dunnuck emphasizes the wine's purity and precision, noting its "stacked mid-palate, lots of building tannins, and a great finish." He also suggests that this concentrated and focused wine will benefit from at least 2-3 years of aging to integrate its structure and tannins, with the potential to evolve brilliantly over the next decade.
Wine Spectator gave the wine a 91-point rating, describing it as a "rich, ripe style" with "a gush of up-front boysenberry and blackberry compote flavors." The review also mentions the wine's fresh acidity and light notes of anise and apple wood, which "provide enough of a matrix to keep the fruit honest." Wine Spectator calls it "a crowd-pleaser" and recommends drinking it now through 2026.
Vinous, through reviewer Antonio Galloni, also awarded the wine 96 points, calling it "outrageously beautiful" and "a vivid, sweeping wine." Galloni praises the wine's natural intensity and volume, noting its blend of "blue/black fruit, cloves, licorice, menthol, lavender, and chocolate." He emphasizes that the wine, while big and rich, is not overdone and describes it as "quintessential Pisoni."
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate rated the wine at 94 points, with Erin Brooks commending its "powerful core of concentrated, broody fruit." Brooks notes the wine's silky texture, vibrant acidity, and long, flavorful finish. She also highlights its maturation for 11 months in 68% new French oak and suggests that it will benefit from 2-3+ years in the bottle.
Overall, the 2021 Pisoni Pinot Noir Estate is a well-crafted wine with high praise from multiple respected reviewers. It is characterized by its rich fruit flavors, complex aromatics, and potential for aging, making it a standout selection for Pinot Noir enthusiasts.