Peck has been tending vineyards in Monterey County for three decades, so he has experience to draw on. But even the younger winemakers noticed a difference. Russell Joyce, who planted a vineyard for what would become his award-winning Joyce label in 1986, found no reference point. “I haven’t been alive long enough to see a vintage this good,” he says. That was in November. The first bottles of this extraordinarily promising vintage began to reach tasting rooms in March of 2024. Even with the first release—whites and rosés for the most part, also one Gamay Noir came available—anticipation was high. As Jeff Pisoni of Pisoni Family Vineyards noted in a letter, the cooler season in the winery’s microclimates benefits grapes noted for vivid acidity. The 2023 Lucy Gamay Noir from Pisoni bursts on the palate with tart cranberry and currant that follow brisk aromas of wild berries and red cherry. While the fruits run rampant, the Gamay Noir begins to reveal more character. Notions of green buds on the verge of blooming and an elusive grounded sensation round out the bouquet. On the palate, hints of peppery earth help define the chirping fruits while a stoney minerality provides foundation. “Lucy Gamay Noir is particularly vibrant and higher in acid this year,” Pisoni noted. Morgan winery’s initial release included five 2023 wines—an Albariño, a Sauvignon Blanc, a Chardonnay and a Rosé prepared from Grenache. The fifth wine released from the vintage is a dry Riesling from Morgan’s reliable Double L Vineyard. Harvested when sugar levels were low and left to reside in neutral oak for five months, it became a deceptive beauty. On the nose it tempts with impressions of ripe, glistening pear and fresh peach, with just a hint of lemon. But it has a sharp wit on the palate—brisk lemon, the lean pang of zest and just a whisper of minerality. With a clean and very dry finish, it’s a wine that wants a plate of seafood alongside. At the end of harvest and since, Monterey County winemakers have been celebrating the 2023 vintage. But they weren’t always so appreciative. The 2023 winegrape growing season was frustrating. With heavy winter rains and a generally cool summer, some vines were subject to mildew. Denis Hoey at Odonata fought a losing battle to mildew in one plot and consigned his Viognier to sparkling wine. Rustique’s vineyards were swarmed by yellowjackets, forcing Chad Silacci to toss 20 percent of his fruit. Because of moderate weather, grapes ripened slowly, pushing the start of harvest back several weeks. “In September we were all kicking rocks,” Hoey says. And then suddenly temperatures climbed and grapes responded, causing a manic harvest in which many growers scrambled to bring in almost their entire crop in a two-week span. Some picked Pinot Noir—usually an early-ripening grape—at the same time as the notorious laggard, Cabernet Sauvignon. “It was a challenging year—most challenging on the farming side,” Silacci observes. “I just wanted the grapes to come off the vineyard.” Conditions allowed for a longer hang time on the vines, so grapes mature more slowly and develop greater character. There were no untimely heat spikes or rains to cause sudden ripening turns. So harvest became a 34 THE BEST OF MONTEREY BAY ® EAT + DRINK 2024-2025 Morgan wines.indd 2 4/18/24 3:31 PM
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