2024 Santa Lucia
Highlands: It’s Complicated

BY BILLY NORRIS | MAY 28, 2026

After years of extremes, the 2024 growing season in the Santa Lucia Highlands arrived with something close to an unfamiliar quality: normalcy, or at least a version of it. “It was one of the most normal-ish vintages we’ve had in a long while,” said Scott Caraccioli, proprietor of Caraccioli Cellars. Why normal-ish and not simply normal? “Because we don’t really know what ‘normal’ is anymore.”

That statement lands with particular weight after a string
of anomalous years up and down California. Take the recent run: an extra-smoky 2020,
an extra-dry 2021, an extra-extra-hot 2022 and an extra-long 2023. And 2024?
Extra…ordinary? On paper, maybe. In the glass, it’s not so simple.

Whatever may constitute normalcy in the Santa Lucia
Highlands—the 18-mile-long stretch of vineyards that climbs the foothills at
the western edge of the Salinas Valley south of Monterey Bay—the 2024 growing
season was generally unremarkable, a relief for growers and winemakers alike.
However, even absent obvious extremes, the vintage delivered a slate of wines
that defy what many, including myself, have come to expect from the region.

<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1779971972948-rosellas_original_dimensions_compressed.jpg">Looking west over Rosella’s Vineyard.

The Growing Season

Following a record-late harvest in 2023 that tracked into
November for some, just-above-average winter rains replenished groundwater
reserves and primed vines for the season to come. For producers who eschew
irrigation when possible, there was ample water in the soil to allow for dry
farming. Cover crops flourished, and vines appeared to be in a general state of
happiness, a sentiment echoed by many of the producers with whom I spoke. Flowering
arrived as expected in early spring, but a period of cool temperatures delayed
budbreak by anywhere from one to two weeks. At fruit set, cluster counts were
down across the region, but the clusters were small, dense and tightly packed
with small berries so that final yields ended up coming in about average.

A moderate summer followed, only to be disrupted by a brief heat
spell at the end of August. “It was a pretty cool summer, especially relative
to the rest of California, which was tracking early. Everything was pretty
normal, except that we noticed early on that the skins on all the berries were
really thick,” said Jeff Pisoni of Pisoni Estate. Harvest commenced in the
first week of September, but unusually cool-to-cold weather brought ripening to
a halt, in some cases for nearly two weeks. Average September temperatures in
the SLH sit between 88-92° F, but on September 15, 2024, the high topped out at
only 58° F. As temperatures recovered, another push of 95+° F weather toward
the end of that month and into October brought about the conclusion of harvest.
That’s where the plot thickens.
The vineyards at the southern end of the SLH have historically been the earliest
to ripen, for the simple reason that they are situated further from the cooling
influence of Monterey Bay. These sites are thus the first to be picked, setting
off a general south-to-north wave of harvests. But in 2024, that pattern
happened in reverse. Though many sites were approaching the ideal balance of
physiological and phenolic ripeness as September opened, the cold that set in
shortly thereafter slammed the brakes on sugar accumulation.
“Sugars actually rolled back over about eight to ten days, then they stabilized
and finally started to increase again,” said Ian Brand of I. Brand &amp;
Family. An extra week or two of hangtime is generally considered a positive for
flavor development, but in 2024, it actually set off a disparity in the fruit
as phenolic ripeness continued to march ahead. Some producers chose to harvest
through the cool weather, some waited until just after it passed, and others
held out until the final week of September and slightly beyond. As you might
imagine, the differences are clear in the wines.

Chardonnay Wins the DayFirst, the good news. The hallmark bright acidity that typically characterizes
both whites and reds from this windswept region is fully present across all
varieties in 2024. The wines are juicy, fresh and energetic. I have at times been
critical of Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay for its lack of
identity or distinctiveness in a crowded field of excellent California
Chardonnays. Happily, that took a turn in 2024. The 2024 Chardonnays are the
bright spot of the year and the most universally successful across the region. Thicker
Chardonnay skins made for more textural, phenolic wines that deftly balance
their typical rich fruit and vibrant acids with a sense of “chew.” This is a
hugely positive development, and one that I hope to see continue in the coming
years. The 2024 whites from Caraccioli Cellars, Lucia by Pisoni
and ROAR have reached new heights and are on equal footing with
the finest Chardonnays being produced anywhere in California. Special mention
also goes to Caraccioli’s sparkling wine program, which continues to deliver
some of the finest sparkling wines in the country. All of these wines also
offer remarkable relative value in a region where red wine prices (Pinot Noir
in particular) can be on the high side compared to elsewhere in California.

<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1779895605509-Caraccioli26_Vinous.JPG">Scott Caraccioli presented an impressive range at his
expansive winery in Gonzales, crowned by his finest edition of Brut Rosé yet,
the 2020.
Speaking of Red Wine…
I tasted the majority of the 2024 Pinot Noirs twice: once in January in
Sonoma, where many of the SLH producers actually live and make their wines, and
a second time in the SLH in March. My January tastings were concerning, with
many of the nascent wines showing fierce, imposing tannins that felt both
uncharacteristic for the region and uncharacteristic for the variety.
Thankfully, the second set of tastings showed much better tannin integration.
However, make no mistake, aside from a handful of appellation-level bottlings
intentionally made for earlier drinking, the 2024s are massively structured
wines.

Adam Lee of Clarice Wine Co. noted the development of
unexpected structure in his Pinot Noirs as they fermented: “Everything came in
with really thick skins and small berries, but the musts were very juicy. I
actually saignéed 20-25% off before fermentation. Usually, I press off
the skins at anywhere from 17 to 21 days, but after about ten days, I noticed
that things were getting really tannic. I pressed everything by day 15.” This proved
to be a sage choice; though unmistakably structured, the 2024 Clarice wines are
once again the most complete and balanced the SLH had to offer.

There are other Pinot Noir successes in 2024, most of
which come from the vineyards situated further south in the appellation.
Remember that harvest took place from north to south, so the wines from the
southern vineyards (namely Pisoni and Sierra Mar) had the most hangtime and the
most time to recover from stalled sugars, rather than getting caught somewhere
in the grey area. As such, these wines show the best balance between rich fruit
and firm tannin. The wines from the more northern sites possess less complexity,
less aromatic development and generally less intrigue. The mismatch of sugar
and phenolic ripeness appears to be the culprit.

<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1779891785722-2026+Franscioni_Vinous.JPG">From left to right, Gary Franscioni, Scott Shapley, Adam Franscioni and Nick Franscioni presented an impressive set of 2024s.

The one characteristic shared by all of the best 2024
Pinot Noirs is that they are wines for the cellar, not wines for near-term
enjoyment. In that sense, the wines are reminiscent of the 2021s, but with even
more tannin and a bit less complexity at this stage. I’ve never before
encountered this level of tannin in SLH Pinot Noir.

The 2024 Syrahs, though not nearly as tannic as the Pinot
Noirs, are less exciting than usual. They are dark and rich, but generally come
across as monolithic, thick and lacking in their usual depth. That said, there
appears to be enough stuffing in these wines to set the stage for potential
improvement with time as they find their footing.

Though 2024 was not extreme in a climatic sense, its
decisive factor was the interaction between berry morphology and interrupted
ripening at the finish line, with quality determined by choices made in the
vineyard and the winery. The result is a set of wines that often show
impressive freshness and structure, but not always the expressiveness or
completeness that defines the Santa Lucia Highlands at its best. This is a
vintage to approach buying decisions selectively rather than broadly. Readers
should feel confident looking to the top names, who also happen to be the most
meticulous farmers in the region: Pisoni, ROAR, Caraccioli and Clarice.

<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1779891666130-Pisoni+Fam_Vinous.jpg">

From left to right, Jeff Pisoni, Gary Pisoni and Mark
Pisoni in the underground cellar of the family’s farmhouse at their vegetable
farm in the Salinas Valley.

Looking Ahead

So far, I have&nbsp;yet to taste more than a few 2025 barrel
samples, but initial signs point to a balanced year. The wines show excellent
concentration, bright acidity and much more polished structure than the 2024s.
Time will tell, but I am optimistic. As for 2026, at the time of this writing,
most of the vineyards in the region are at least three to four weeks ahead of
schedule, spurred on by ridiculously unseasonable temperatures that coincided
with my visit in March—it was upwards of 95° F for a couple of weeks, which
rocketed vine development ahead at blinding speed. “It all depends on what
happens in August, but this may very well be the first time ever that I get to
take a day off in October,” said Gary Franscioni of ROAR, implying that harvest
will likely be wrapped up very, very early.

<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1779891695619-26+buds_Vinous.JPG">Pinot Noir vines were well past budbreak in March 2026, easily
three to four weeks ahead of schedule.

Uncertain Times
It should come as no surprise that the difficulties of the broader wine
industry are being felt in the Santa Lucia Highlands. Nowhere in the SLH is
that more evident than at Talbott and the historic Sleepy Hollow Vineyard,
which Gallo has owned since 2015. The entire Talbott property is for sale,
including Sleepy Hollow and the massive winery, which is both the largest and
one of the only winemaking facilities actually in the SLH. The vineyard appears
to be no longer meaningfully maintained, and the once-prominent Talbott brand
has essentially been shuttered. Though this is the most visible example, it is
not the only such case, as smaller production vineyards throughout the area are
being ripped out and put on the market as fallow land. That said, it’s not all
doom and gloom. The region’s stalwarts continue to invest and develop. The
Franscioni/Pisoni families’ newest vineyard, WindRock, is now old enough to
deliver distinctive vineyard-designate wines, which will likely emerge in the
ROAR stable in the near future. Early tastings have been promising.

<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1779891715559-Joyce_Vinous.JPG">Russell Joyce, pictured at his tasting room in Carmel Valley Village.

Lastly, though the SLH lacks hospitality infrastructure
(there are very few tasting rooms, no restaurants and no hotels in the region
itself), the adjacent Carmel Valley shows encouraging signs of growth.
Producers like Joyce Wine Co. and I. Brand &amp; Family are sourcing fruit from
across Monterey County to make excellent wines geared toward an
earlier-drinking, fresher style that is wildly appealing to young consumers.
Their tasting rooms, among the slew of breweries, restaurants and other tasting
rooms in Carmel Valley Village and Carmel by the Sea, are drawing noticeable
traffic. That’s a very good thing.

I tasted the wines for this report in January and March
2026, in both Sonoma and the Santa Lucia Highlands. This report also includes
wines from broader Monterey County, Carmel Valley and the proposed new Carmel
Coast AVA (which covers 4,100 acres at elevation, closer to the Pacific coast),
as well as Sonoma wines made by the aforementioned SLH producers who are based
there.© 2026, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or redistributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.<hr> You Might Also Enjoy<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/high-highs-santa-lucia-highlands-2023-jul-2025">High Highs: Santa Lucia Highlands 2023</a>, Billy Norris, July 2025<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/santa-lucia-highlands-steely-and-steadfast-in-2022-aug-2024">Santa Lucia Highlands: Steely and Steadfast in 2022</a>, Billy Norris, August 2024<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/santa-lucia-highlands-cool-climate-excellence-in-2021-nov-2023">Santa Lucia Highlands: Cool-Climate Excellence in 2021</a>, Antonio Galloni, November 2023 <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/santa-lucia-highlands-back-to-back-greatness-in-2018-2019-may-2022">Santa Lucia Highlands: Back-to-Back Greatness in 2018 &amp; 2019</a>, Josh Raynolds, May 2022 <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/vinous-santa-lucia-highlands-map-behind-the-scenes-jan-2021">Vinous Santa Lucia Highlands Map: Behind the Scenes</a>, Antonio Galloni, January 2021

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