PESSAGNO
“Lucia Highlands Vineyard”
Santa Lucia Highlands AVA
Monterey County
2005
Visual: Medium yellow
Nose: There were hints of tropical fruit, perhaps mango, and pineapple, as well as apple, and nuances of earthy notes like coffee or dirt (yes, dirt).
Mouth: The mouth was soft, but fairly light concentration. There were definite minerally elements present with some apple-pear notes. It seemed a bit austere, earthy, astringent, without much obvious oak in the front end. However, it seemed to have a long toasty-oaky finish.
Overall impression: It seemed a bit off, and not terribly distinctive, despite its provenance from a small single vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands. I did like the earthy-minerally aspect, and the nicely integrated oak. Not my favorite, though.
Stats: 11 months French oak (do not know if old or new); 462 cases; 14.6%; $26; My score: 88