2019 Vintage: New Releases

By Laura Ness, Edible Monterey Bay

Gary Franscioni and family take great pride in their much-coveted fruit and the vineyards that produce it. Although they sell most of what they grow to a very carefully curated list of winemakers, the wines they produce under their own label are a reflection of their longstanding commitment to farming at the highest level in one of the most lauded grape growing places on earth. Rosella’s Vineyard, Garys’, Pisoni, Sierra Mar and Soberanes: they flow off the tongue like the masterpieces of Beethoven, Bach and Chopin or the masterworks of Renoir, Degas, and Dali. Each one has a special character informed by its soil and topography, and each is planted to a slightly different clonal mix, creating a complex palette from which to create tasteful masterpieces.

Every year, Nick and Adam Franscioni work closely with their clients to get them the fruit they want so they can make the wine they have in their minds. “We let each winemaker define their idea of ripeness,” says Nick. “Some like to pick early and lean, some like to pick late and ripe.”

Some choose to vinify each clone separately, while others will take clones from two blocks and co-ferment them, like Adam Lee of Clarice, who Nick points out has been working with Rosella’s and Garys’ for over 20 years. Co-fermenting is something ROAR has been experimenting with recently and finding quite fruitful. “We’ve been doing a bit more of that: working with different clones and co-fermenting them,” says Nick. ”We also planted a new block that has all the clones, like a field blend.”

“Some of our clients like to do three different picks, at various stages of ripeness, so they can add to their spice box and build complexity,” adds Adam.

With a candy store of Pinot Noir clones, the Franscioni family can provide the most discerning winemaker with ample choice to render their composition in the perfect key to match the tone of the growing season.

Perhaps the luckiest of all the winemakers privileged to work with fruit from these vineyards is Scott Shapley himself: winemaker for ROAR for going on nine harvests. The Monterey native briefly pursued a career as a marine biologist with the US Geological Survey until his wife Laura’s job took them to the Ukraine as the Iron Curtain was falling. (A story for another time, with vodka.)

Upon returning to the States in 1999, Shapley applied for a job as a harvest intern with Adam Lee of Siduri, intending to stay through the end of the year, instead winding up as assistant winemaker. Working with coastal vineyards was Lee’s specialty and Shapley had the opportunity to make Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara to Oregon, which is how he first came into contact with the Franscioni family. After Siduri, he got a job at San Francisco’s famed Crushpad, the launching point for many brands. He then became winemaker for Roger Roessler, whose Roessler Cellars program ambitiously sourced Pinots from top coastal vineyards. Kismet led him to ROAR just when consulting winemaker Ed Kurtzman was moving on and Shapley has been their winemaker ever since.

When the Franscioni family built a brand new production facility in Castroville three years ago, to minimize travel time from the vineyards to the crushpad, it was a godsend for Shapley and an opportunity to return to his roots. He and his wife moved back to Monterey.

Of the 2019 ROAR wines just released to their mailing list, Shapley says, “Compared to the 2018s, which are big and densely structured, the 2019s are more nuanced and bright. They have plenty of structure, they are just not as dense and dark.” Nick adds, “The 2018 structure really makes for longevity.”

The 2019 harvest was a bit later than 2018, which was characterized by some significant heat spikes. In 2019, there were fewer and shorter heat spikes. The extended harvest also afforded the fruit a longer hang time, which can mean more complexity may be revealed as the wines evolve. “Overall,” says Shapley, “I think the 2019s are very vineyard specific. For example, the Soberanes shows more herbs, and that chaparral hillside, than the 2018.”

He also characterizes the 2019s as having more emphasis on the floral component. “Rosella’s Pinot Noir is normally quite floral, but the 2019 is very floral. The 2019 Rosella’s Chardonnay has such huge citrus. I think it’s really cool.”

Asked if there were any surprises in the 2019 vintage, Shapley points to the Pisoni Pinot Noir, which came in big, syrupy and rich. “Honestly, it was very massive and unresolved, almost cloying. I was thinking about how to tone it down, and then it all of a sudden came together. I was very pleasantly surprised!”

Fingers Crossed for the 2021 Harvest Season.

Nick says the canopy looks good in their SLH vineyards, especially compared to other areas. Lack of water has helped reduce vine vigor, meaning the canopy is quite a bit more shallow than in previous years. The upside to this is less hedging is needed.

They’ve been lucky to escape the excessive heat waves that characterized last August, at least so far. “The coolness of this summer has been good for us. We don’t use a lot of water anyway.” Nick says the clusters are smaller, as are the berries, but the cluster count is good. “We had a small amount of shatter that actually reduces the potential for rot. There are quite a few hens and chicks this year. But we’re looking pretty good at around 3 tons per acre.”

Awaiting action at the magnificent ROAR facility are 19 stainless steel tanks and one concrete cube that they started experimenting with in 2019. Says Shapley, “We fermented the same fruit half in stainless and half in concrete and then put the juice into the same three oak barrels. They had very different expressions.” Which is what you’re looking for when you experiment. They also did some Garys’ free run juice in oak vs. concrete. Not that they’re going to isolate or bottle these experiments separately: the idea is just to build complexity, like layers in a cake. Or layers on a canvas. Or voices in a chorus.

As for which vineyards will be first in line for ROAR, Nick says it’s hard to know. “Could be Sierra Mar or Soberanes or Garys’. Definitely will not be Rosella’s. We usually get Pinot picks first, then Chardonnay comes in, and then rest of the Pinot Noir.” Most of their clients are buying Pinot Noir, from their prized collection of Calera clone, Pommard, 667 and Pisoni. The Calera tends to be smaller clusters and berries, and was planted in 2011 at Garys’ and Sierra Mar. Nick says their biggest Chardonnay customers are Bernardus and Testarossa, and the supply is quite limited.

Each harvest has brought a new understanding of the vineyards in the family portfolio, adding to their combined knowledgebase of how vineyard drives wine. The proof is in the bottle. Nick praises Shapley saying, “My Dad says it takes a winemaker 4 or 5 years to figure out a vineyard. The wines are getting better and better. Scott is not just a great winemaker, he’s a great guy. We love his light heartedness and sense of humor. He’s incredibly fun and affable, and he’s a wonderful part of our family. He fits right in.”

2019 Vintage New Releases

- - - - 2019 Rosella’s Vineyard Pinot Noir – Floral and leather aromas, rich red fruit and creamy texture. Bright cherry, blackberry jam, earthy clay, olive. 67% new oak.
      - 2019 Soberanes Vineyard Pinot Noir – Cola, blackberry, tobacco aromas. Rich berry fruit and savory herbs. Threads of graphite and dry chaparral, with warm spice and leather on the finish. 71% new oak.
      - 2019 Pisoni Vineyard Pinot Noir – Dense and full of dark fruit. forest aromas and bramble, with brooding mushroom and loam. Black cherry, spiced nutmeg and evergreen are punctuated by black licorice and toffee. 75% new oak.
      - 2019 Rosella’s Vineyard Chardonnay – Enticing perfume of citrus and orange blossom with a bright palate of citrus, peach and lychee. Rich fruit textured with jasmine green tree, finishing with grapefruit zest. 50% new oak.
      - 2019 Soberanes Vineyard Chardonnay – Lemon, jasmine, caramel and sagebrush aromas lead to citrus, light stone fruit and herb flavors. Lemon zest, cream, minerality and Coyote Brush. Finish of citrus and light toast. 43% new oak.