An Intensive in the Santa Lucia Highlands
Our third and final day touring focused entirely on the Santa Lucia Highlands.The AVA rest along the benchland above the Salinas Valley reaching up to as high as 1200 ft elevation. The region primarily grows Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with some other cooler climate grapes also growing such as Riesling, Gewurtztraminer, and Syrah.
Visiting Mer Soieil
tasting with the winemakers in the Mer Soleil Vineyards
Visiting Double-L Vineyard and Morgan Winery
vineyard side Pinot clone tasting
with the Morgan winemaker
Touring McIntyre Vineyard 
investigating the Santa Lucia Highland soils with Steve McIntyre
Climbing to the top of Hahn Vineyards
looking across at the Hahn winery from the top of their Smith Vineyard
view from the top of Smith Vineyard
Touring the Pisoni Vineyards with the Pisoni brothers
talking farming in the vines with Mark Pisoni
walking to Gary’s Vineyard, the Pisoni-Fransconi project
talking budding new grape vines with Mark Pisoni
tasting in the new vineyard with Jeff Pisoni
approaching the Pisoni compound
wines from the Pisoni vineyards
Tasting at Tondre Grapefields with Joe Alarid
Joe Alarid, owner Tondre Grapefields Vineyard
wines of the Tondre Grapefields Vineyards
***
Huge thanks to the winegrowers of Santa Lucia Highlands. It was a huge, really well organized day.
Thank you to David Vogels, Phil Vogels, and Randy Caparoso.
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great pictures, what a wonderful group you were.
Looks like a fun trip! I love the Pinot Noir out of southern River Road area. I enjoyed a beautiful one from the Tondre Grapefield made by Savannah Chanelle the other night. The friends I shared it with were, by their own admission. not the biggest red wine drinkers, but all of them were raving about this one. I think I helped make some converts.