Tasting Notes

Pessagno's offering has a grainy mushroom character, reaping the varietial's natural earthy side, and presents this earthiness with bountiful fruity qualities. Notice how the wine has a certain sweetness that shows like candy apple in the fruit, then later comes out as caramel notes. This wine develops in the glass so give it some room to breathe. Drink now through 2009.

Winery Story

Located in the Salinas Valley (inland from Monterey by about 2 hours), Pessagno Winery has recently expanded its hospitality operations, turning the winery into one of Monterey's destination spots for wine and food lovers. Its prime location, clustered with neighbors Talbott, Morgan, and Mer Soleil wineries along picturesque River Road, is well suited for the purpose. Since opening in July 2005, the tasting room has become an increasingly popular stop for wine lovers traveling through the "Steinbeck Wine Country," so dubbed for its historical link to the famous writer.

The complex, situated among mature trees, a koi pond, vineyards, and farmland at the base of the Santa Lucia Highlands, provides a perfect venue for a boutique winery and hospitality destination, according to Steve Pessagno, president and winemaker. "We are truly in the midst of what has become one of the world's premiere wine-growing regions. This is the perfect place to continue handcrafting our vineyard-designated wines and do our part to promote the local food and wine lifestyle and regional charm."