Pisoni Vineyards & Winery, Lucia, and Roar Wines
Santa Lucia Highlands, Monterey County
Gary Franscioni and Gary Pisoni are life-long friends with two important shared traits: a love of farming and a love of wine. Both the Franscioni and Pisoni families have a multi-generational history of farming row crops in the Salinas Valley – cementing in their collective conscience the importance of taking care of the land for generations to come. Gary Pisoni first combined his two loves by planting Pisoni Vineyards in the 1980s in the Santa Lucia Highlands. Not long after, Gary Franscioni planted Rosella’s Vineyard. Both men found the AVA to be an excellent cool-climate region focusing on Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah grapes. After starting their own wine labels (Pisoni and Lucia and ROAR), they partnered on the Garys’ and Soberanes Vineyards – continuing the tradition of high-quality sustainably-farmed grapes. The Garys have also passed on their loves to the next generation – Pisoni’s two sons, Mark and Jeff, are involved in the vineyard and cellar operations, respectively. Franscioni’s sons are looking to join the family endeavor soon.
