Eight Pinot Noirs from 2017 to 2024, then two Chardonnays. Wine Enthusiast 96 on the 2017 Soberanes. Jeb Dunnuck 96 on Rosella’s.

A Personal Note

Dear Artisans,

In August I told you the door had closed on ROAR. The wines were leaving distribution and going back into the winery library, and what sat in our shop was the last that came through wholesale. I believed it when I wrote it.

Then Nick Franscioni opened the family’s cellar.

Nick is Gary’s youngest son. He grew up in these vines, came home to them in 2017, and now runs the winery alongside winemaker Scott Shapley. He released a library drop to us from the family’s own cellar, just in time for Thanksgiving and the holiday season.

So here is all of it: eight Pinot Noirs, oldest to youngest, then two Chardonnays.

Years Already In The Bottle

The library bottles are the 2017 Soberanes, the 2021 Soberanes and the 2021 Sierra Mar. Fewer than 300 cases of the 2017 were made.

This is the bottle most people never taste: Pinot Noir that somebody else has already been patient with. The 2017 is nine years old, and at $84.99 it costs exactly what the 2024 Rosella’s costs. Seven more years in the bottle, and nothing added to the price.

Four Generations Of Farming

Silvio Franscioni came to the Salinas Valley from Switzerland in 1886. His grandson Gary planted Rosella’s Vineyard around the family home in 1996 and named it for his wife. Garys’ Vineyard followed in 1997 with his friend Gary Pisoni.

Each vine is hand-tended every 12 days by the family, and the wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered. Most of what the Franscionis grow is sold to other wineries. Kosta Browne, Testarossa, Siduri, Twomey and Rombauer have all bought their fruit. What the family keeps becomes ROAR.

The Pinot That Won Blind

In 2006, the ROAR 2004 Garys’ Vineyard Pinot Noir took first place in a blind tasting hosted by Robert Parker and Karen MacNeil, alongside wines from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Dujac, Marcassin and Kistler.

Parker’s account: “Ever since a ROAR Pinot Noir blew away a great number of Burgundies in a blind tasting I hosted at the Culinary Institute in Napa, I have taken a special interest in following the wines from this producer. They go from strength to strength.”

MacNeil, who wrote The Wine Bible: “Saying ROAR to a Pinot Noir lover is like saying ‘Ferrari’ to a person who loves cars.”

For The Holiday Table

Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are the two wines that get along with everything on a Thanksgiving table. James Suckling found “red flowers and holiday spices” in the 2023 Rosella’s. Vinous called the 2024 Rosella’s Chardonnay “a warm hug in Chardonnay form.”

Pouring for a crowd? The SLH Pinot and SLH Chardonnay are both $54.99, and Vinous calls that Chardonnay “an over-performer and a crowd-pleaser.” Giving a bottle? Garys’ 2024 is the one to lay down. Jeb Dunnuck’s advice: hold and drink 2028 to 2038.

Cheers,

James Tran

Artisan Wine & Spirits

Why This Matters

The Ten Wines At A Glance

Pinot Noir oldest to youngest, then Chardonnay. Every score, every price.

The Pinot Noirs

Oldest To Youngest

The library bottles first, then 2023 and 2024.

2017 Soberanes. The Challenger.

The oldest bottle in the drop, nine years in the making.

Library ReleaseEnthusiast 96Editor’s Choice

ROAR Soberanes Vineyard Pinot Noir 2017

Santa Lucia Highlands · 750 mL

The family’s nickname for Soberanes is The Challenger, and they describe it as more cowboy than scholar. Planted directly south of Garys’ with Gary Pisoni, it gives juicy berries, leather and savory herbs. Fewer than 300 cases of this 2017 were made.

Elsewhere: $115.00

2021 Soberanes. Four Years Younger.

Antonio Galloni, 94: “delivers the goods, big time.”

Library ReleaseVinous 94Enthusiast 94

ROAR Soberanes Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021

Santa Lucia Highlands · 750 mL

The same vineyard at the same price as the 2017, four years behind it. Open them side by side. Wine Spectator counted 410 cases.

Elsewhere: $115.00

2021 Sierra Mar. The Explorer.

Wine Enthusiast, 95: “elevate this wine to the upper echelon.”

Library ReleaseEnthusiast 95Dunnuck 94

ROAR Sierra Mar Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021

Santa Lucia Highlands · 750 mL

Gary planted Sierra Mar in 2007. It took three miles of pipeline to water, running from the valley floor to 1,200 feet, with parts of the site above the fog line. The family calls it adventurous and a little wild.

Elsewhere: $115.00

2023 Rosella’s. The Madame.

Double 96, and #83 on James Suckling’s Top 100 Wines of the USA.

Dunnuck 96Enthusiast 96#83 Top 100 USA

ROAR Rosella’s Vineyard Pinot Noir 2023

Santa Lucia Highlands · 750 mL

The vineyard that wraps around the family home, planted in 1996 and named for Gary’s wife. Vinous calls it “always the last vineyard that ROAR harvests,” and the family calls this their most floral and elegant Pinot. 455 cases made.

Elsewhere: $126.00

2023 Sierra Mar. Four 95s.

Vinous, Jeb Dunnuck, James Suckling and The Wine Palate all landed on 95.

Vinous 95Dunnuck 95Suckling 95

ROAR Sierra Mar Vineyard Pinot Noir 2023

Santa Lucia Highlands · 750 mL

Four critics gave it one number and described different wines. Vinous found “a massive wine” that will need time. Suckling found “A warm, broad, generous wine.” It is also ten dollars less than the 2021.

Elsewhere: $85.00

2023 SLH Pinot. The Stalwart.

Wine Enthusiast 96 and Editor’s Choice on the appellation bottling.

Enthusiast 96Editor’s ChoiceDunnuck 93

ROAR Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2023

Santa Lucia Highlands · 750 mL

Fruit from six vineyards across 12 miles of the appellation, and the same 96 from Wine Enthusiast as the single-vineyard Rosella’s. Matt Kettmann’s reasoning: “the regional cuvees are often better than the sum of their parts.” This is the one to pour for a crowd.

Elsewhere: $65.00

2024 Garys’. The Godfather.

Jeb Dunnuck, 95: “a huge-impact site of muscular intensity.”

Enthusiast 96Dunnuck 95Wine Palate 95

ROAR Garys’ Vineyard Pinot Noir 2024

Santa Lucia Highlands · 750 mL

Named for two Garys, Franscioni and Pisoni, and the vineyard behind the 2004 that won that blind tasting. ROAR’s winemaker describes it as “a 19th-century library with a cigar in hand.” Vinous says “Give this time,” which makes it the bottle to give.

Elsewhere: $90.00

2024 Rosella’s. The Newest Pinot.

Jeb Dunnuck 96. The Wine Palate 96. James Suckling 95.

Dunnuck 96Wine Palate 96Suckling 95

ROAR Rosella’s Vineyard Pinot Noir 2024

Santa Lucia Highlands · 750 mL

The youngest Pinot in the lineup, from the same vineyard as the 2023. Lisa Perrotti-Brown on the palate: “so silky and soft.”

Elsewhere: $126.00

The Chardonnays

Two For The First Course

The appellation blend, then the single vineyard.

2024 SLH Chardonnay. The Harmonizer.

Vinous, 93: “an over-performer and a crowd-pleaser.”

Dunnuck 94Enthusiast 94Editor’s Choice

ROAR Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay 2024

Santa Lucia Highlands · 750 mL

Fruit from Rosella’s, Soberanes and Sierra Mar. Wine Enthusiast made it an Editor’s Choice and called it “a wise buy,” saying it competes with the winery’s single-vineyard bottlings.

Elsewhere: $60.00

2024 Rosella’s Chardonnay. The Leading Lady.

The Wine Palate, 96: “finishing long and whispery.”

Wine Palate 96Dunnuck 95Enthusiast 94

ROAR Rosella’s Vineyard Chardonnay 2024

Santa Lucia Highlands · 750 mL

ROAR’s first Chardonnay came from this vineyard in 2007, and the family still calls it their shining star. Wine Enthusiast named this 2024 a Cellar Selection, so it will hold well past the holidays if a bottle survives them.

Elsewhere: $80.00

The Bottom Line

The family cellar opened. Thanksgiving is three weeks away.

After August I did not expect to write this email. Nick Franscioni released a library drop from the family’s cellar, and it landed in time for the holiday table. Eight Pinot Noirs, two Chardonnays, from $54.99.

If you take one bottle, take the 2017 Soberanes: Wine Enthusiast 96, Editor’s Choice, nine years old, $84.99. If you are setting a table for a crowd, the SLH Pinot and SLH Chardonnay will carry it at $54.99.

Cheers,

James Tran

Artisan Wine & Spirits

Artisan Wine & Spirits · 2495 Old Middlefield Way, Mountain View, CA 94043
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