To locate centerpiece Monterey County wines for a cellar, one simply has to look for a guy named Gary. Gary Pisoni and Gary Franscioni planted vineyards and started family labels—Pisoni Estate and Roar, respectively. Grapes from their vineyards are prized by winemakers in more celebrated regions, as well as local rising stars. Their own wines are stellar. The 2019 Pisoni Estate Pinot Noir, for example, was awarded 97 points by Wine Spectator critic Jeb Dunnuck. Its 2021 Chardonnay under Pisoni’s Lucia label picked up Top 100 Wine of the Year honors from the same publication. “There’s a third Gary—Gary Caraccioli,” adds Dave Sidener, awardwinning cellar master for Monterey’s legendary restaurant Sardine Factory, which was host to the first Master Sommelier examination held in the U.S. Caraccioli Cellars’ 2017 Brut Rosé was named America’s best sparkling wine in 2023 at the Champagne and Sparkling Wine World Championships. The same honor was accorded the 2016 Blanc de Blanc the year before—two in a string of global awards for the winery. Sampling Caraccioli’s wines prompted Tom Stevenson of The New Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia and a CSWWC judge to say, “Certainly these cuvées demonstrate a degree of class rarely seen in California sparkling wines.” And, Sidener adds, while “his primary wine is sparkling, he also does a Chardonnay and Pinot [Noir] that are world class.” Those building wine collections are naturally drawn to Old World labels—the great chateaus of France or the storied vineyards of Portugal’s Douro Valley—as well as the well-branded regions of the U.S., such as Napa and Sonoma. 18 THE BEST OF MONTEREY BAY ® HAVEN 2025-2026 Beyond the Obvious CELLAR-WORTHY WINES FROM MONTEREY COUNTY BELONG IN A COLLECTION, AND ARE NOT HARD TO FIND. By Dave Faries DANIEL DREIFUSS NIC COURY Pisoni, Roar, Caraccioli and specific vineyards such as Marinus or Gary’s are some of the names to look for when selecting wines from Monterey County.
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