Roar Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2021

Roar Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2021 is a 750ml, 14.8% ABV California Pinot Noir sourced from premier vineyards spanning the Santa Lucia Highlands appellation. Carrying a 93-point average critic score on Wine-Searcher for the 2021 vintage, this multi-vineyard blend reflects the Franscioni family's deep roots in one of Monterey County's most celebrated growing regions.

Quick Facts: ABV: 14.8%  |  Origin: Santa Lucia Highlands, Monterey, California  |  Vintage: 2021  |  Producer: ROAR Wines (Franscioni Family)

Production & Heritage

ROAR Wines is the family project of Gary and Rosella Franscioni, longtime grape growers in the Santa Lucia Highlands who transitioned into winemaking to showcase their own estate fruit. The 2021 appellation blend draws primarily from Rosella's Vineyard, Garys' Vineyard, and Sierra Mar Vineyard, with smaller contributions from Pisoni and Sobranes — properties that span roughly 12 miles from the cool northern end to the warmer southern reaches of the AVA. This geographic spread allows the winemaking team to integrate contrasting expressions of Pinot Noir into a single, layered bottling that captures the full spectrum of what the Santa Lucia Highlands can deliver.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The nose opens with pristine raspberry and blackberry fruit, then unfolds into rounder notes of black cherry, French toast spice, and loamy earth. A subtle sagebrush quality adds a savory dimension beneath the ripe fruit.

Taste: Red fruits lead the entry, giving way at mid-palate to deeper layers of cherry cola and ripe berry-pie flavors. Thyme and rosemary herbs thread through the fruit, while a supple, leathery texture adds structure. Acid finds subtle harmony throughout, keeping the wine's bold ripeness in check.

Finish: Medium-long and fruit-driven, tapering with leather, dried herbs, and a trace of warm spice. The tannins are soft and integrated, leaving a clean, lingering impression of dark cherry.

How to Drink Roar Pinot Noir

This Pinot Noir is best served at cellar temperature around 58–62°F, either neat in a Burgundy-style glass or with a brief 20-minute decant to open its aromatics. Its bold, ripe profile also holds up well in wine-forward scenarios:

• Pinot Noir Sangria: The dark berry intensity and spice give this wine enough backbone to stand up to fresh fruit and citrus in a red sangria without losing its identity.
• Wine-braised short ribs: Use a generous pour as the braising liquid — the cherry cola and herb notes in the wine amplify the richness of slow-cooked beef.
• Classic Burgundy-style pairing, neat with roast duck: The leathery texture and herb-laced fruit mirror the savory fat of duck beautifully.

Best For

• Gifting a Pinot Noir enthusiast who favors the riper California style over lean Burgundy
• A dinner-party centerpiece alongside roasted meats or mushroom-based dishes
• Building a vertical collection of Santa Lucia Highlands vintages
• Introducing someone to the character of Monterey County's flagship AVA

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Roar Pinot Noir taste like? The 2021 leads with ripe raspberry, blackberry, and cherry cola fruit, layered with thyme, rosemary, and a leathery texture. It trends toward the bolder, more hedonistic end of the Pinot Noir spectrum while retaining balancing acidity.

How does Roar Pinot Noir compare to Lucia Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir? Both wines source fruit from overlapping Santa Lucia Highlands vineyards — Roar draws from Garys' and Pisoni, while Lucia is the Pisoni family's own label. Roar generally leans into a riper, fruit-forward style, whereas Lucia often emphasizes a slightly more structured, terroir-driven profile.

Is Roar Pinot Noir good for sipping neat? Yes, its layered aromatics, supple tannins, and balanced acidity make it an engaging wine to drink on its own, particularly after a short decant to let the secondary herb and earth notes emerge.

Where is Roar Pinot Noir made? ROAR Wines is produced in the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA within Monterey County on California's Central Coast. The grapes come from estate and partner vineyards — primarily Rosella's, Garys', Sierra Mar, Pisoni, and Sobranes — that span the length of the appellation.

What foods pair well with Roar Pinot Noir? Roasted duck breast complements the wine's leathery, herbal character. Wild mushroom risotto echoes its earthy undertones. Grilled lamb chops with rosemary mirror the herb notes directly. Aged Gruyère amplifies the toast-spice aromatics. Seared salmon with a cherry reduction bridges the wine's fruit-forward core.

What sizes does Roar Pinot Noir come in? The standard release is a 750ml bottle, which is the most widely available format.

Is Roar Pinot Noir worth the price? Roar positions as a premium Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir, and the multi-vineyard sourcing from some of the AVA's most acclaimed sites — Garys', Pisoni, Sierra Mar — represents strong value within that tier, especially given its 93-point average critical reception for the 2021 vintage.

Why Roar Pinot Noir?

What separates this bottling from dozens of other Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noirs is the Franscioni family's direct access to a remarkable spread of vineyards across the full 12-mile length of the appellation. Garys' Vineyard, which Gary Franscioni co-owns with Gary Pisoni, is one of California's most sought-after Pinot Noir sources, and its fruit anchors this blend alongside Rosella's, Sierra Mar, Pisoni, and Sobranes. The 2021 vintage earned a 93-point average from critics, confirming the wine's consistency at a high level. For drinkers drawn to Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir that embraces ripeness without sacrificing structure, Roar delivers a genuine sense of place shaped by one of the region's founding farming families.