The Family
Farming is what we do. It is as much part of our DNA, as is rootedness to the region. Jane and Eddie Pisoni started farming in the Salinas Valley in 1952 and the care and pride they consistently brought to their work has been taken up in turn by their son Gary and his children, Jeff and Mark. Walking the land in all seasons, each of us feels a clear sense of connection, much the way parents feel when they catch their own reflections in the faces of their children.
When Gary began growing grapes in the mountains despite scoffing and disbelief—and in a few short years established the Pisoni Estate and Lucia labels as exceptional wines—our stewardship of the land was only strengthened. These days, under Mark’s and Jeff’s equally able direction, we produce elegant, classically-made Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah upon forty acres in three vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands, wines of which we are extremely proud.
. . . the Pisoni family, masters of the Santa Lucia Highlands appellation . . .
Jon Bonné, San Francisco Chronicle
Gary Pisoni
Maverick.
Passionate advocate for Pinot Noir.
Since 1982, Gary has poured his energy, enthusiasm into the making of distinguished wine using meticulous, state-of-the-art viticulture. In just a few decades, this man known as “the new face of American Pinot Noir,” transformed forty acres of craggy hillsides into one of the state’s most renowned vineyards.
Mark Pisoni
Farmer.
Skillful farmer with a second sense for soil and the vines that flourish in it.
Mark wakes up before dawn every day to check the vines—just as he once observed vegetable crops alongside his grandfather. Mark holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of California, Davis, and an M.S. in Farm Business Management from Cornell. Fusing the hands-on skills he learned farming with his father and grandfather together with the ideas and viticultural models he adopted in academia, Mark tends the vines of Pisoni, Garys’ and Soberanes Vineyards with affection and consummate skill.
Jeff Pisoni
Winemaker.
Devoted to the pursuit of perfection in wine.
As a child, Jeff grew up in a family immersed in the practices of farming and winemaking. A fascination with science prompted him early on to elect winemaking for his own profession. Jeff earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Enology at California State University, Fresno and put his degree into practice at Peter Michael and Bernardus wineries prior to becoming vintner for Pisoni. Making wine allows him to extend his knowledge of and appreciation for the natural sciences every day.
