Pisoni Vineyard Pinot Noir
⏳ wine.drinking_window
Typically best enjoyed 5–12 years from vintage release.
🍽️ wine.food_pairings
Roasted duck, wild mushroom risotto, grilled lamb chops
✨ wine.spec_sheet
The Pisoni Vineyard is the stuff of California wine legend. Perched at the southern end of the Santa Lucia Highlands in Monterey County, it was founded by Gary Pisoni in 1982. Lore has it that Gary smuggled Pinot Noir cuttings from a famous Grand Cru vineyard in Burgundy—a selection now famously known as the "Pisoni Clone." Dominion Tantara harnesses this exceptional fruit to craft a Pinot Noir of immense depth and structure. Grown on decomposed granite soils and subjected to the cooling winds of Monterey Bay, the grapes yield a wine characterized by dark fruit, forest floor, and intense minerality. Tantara employs traditional French winemaking methods, utilizing French oak aging to balance the natural power of the Pisoni fruit, resulting in a sophisticated, age-worthy masterpiece.
🍾 wine.about_producer
Founded in 1997 by Bill Cates, Dominion Tantara is a distinguished boutique winery located in the Santa Maria Valley of Santa Barbara County, California. The winery is dedicated to producing exceptional, site-specific wines, sourcing fruit from some of the Central Coast's most prestigious vineyards, including Bentrock, Dierberg, and La Encantada. Emphasizing traditional French winemaking methods and minimal intervention, Dominion Tantara specializes in elegant, terroir-driven Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah. Their acclaimed single-vineyard and reserve bottlings, such as the Cuvee Jeannette and Evelyn Pinot Noirs, are highly regarded for their sophistication, balance, and aging potential.