Patz & Hall 2021 Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard

The Patz & Hall 2021 Pisoni Vineyard Pinot Noir is a powerful, richly layered and age-worthy California Pinot, offering intense dark fruit, fine structure and serious depth yet retaining elegance and finesse.

Origins & Craftsmanship
Sourced entirely from the Pisoni Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA (Monterey County, California), this wine reflects a legendary site characterised by sandy-mesa soils, coastal breezes and steep slopes. The fruit is harvested with precision, sorted rigorously, and vinified in small-lot lots to preserve site specificity. The 2021 vintage was matured in approximately 70 % new French oak barrels, producing a creamy, layered wine with substantial tannin structure. The Pisoni Vineyard has long been acknowledged as one of California’s benchmark sites for Pinot Noir, and Patz & Hall’s single-vineyard bottling embraces the site’s natural power, concentration, and sophistication.

Critics Reviews

• Wine Enthusiast awarded 94 points, calling it “a very ripe but clean and enjoyable style of Pinot Noir from an iconic site, starting with aromas of black cherry and blueberry that stay fresh.”

• Vinous (94 points) described the wine as “an ultra-ripe, characterful behemoth sizzling with macerated cherry, sweet pipe tobacco, toasted vanilla and sagebrush… fine tannins knit it all together.”

• Wine Advocate (93 points) noted the 2021 Pisoni Vineyard Pinot Noir was matured in 70% new oak, with “layered, expressive scents of sour cherries, orange peel, fennel seed, underbrush and earth… structured by abundant, grainy tannins and mouth-watering acidity, and a long finish with a flourish of spices.”

Tasting Profile

• Nose: Deep garnet in the glass, the aromatics open with richly ripe black cherry, blueberry compote, and cassis, followed by layers of pipe tobacco, graphite, vanilla-bean, sagebrush and underbrush.

• Palate: Full-bodied and concentrated, featuring lush dark fruit—black cherry, plum skin and wild berry—supported by vibrant acidity and fine-grained tannins. Toasted French oak brings hints of clove, dark chocolate and espresso.

• Finish: Long and sustained, with lingering notes of mocha, warm spice, herbal sage, and a savory, slightly tobacco-leaf edge that invites cellaring for 5-10 years or more.

Quick Overview