Pelio Unveils Posh New Tasting Room in Carmel Valley Village

May 16, 2023 – A complete transformation has taken place on the western edge of Carmel Valley Village. 

What was once a slice of old west ranching days—Cowgirl Winery—with its leather couches, casual country music vibe, wrought iron serving racks, is no more. In its place, Pelio Estate Wines has created a cool new sanctuary of escape among ancient olive trees and firepits, with plentiful outdoor seating to drink in the quintessential Carmel Valley Village scenery.

Inside, a dramatic glass walled fireplace welcomes you on chillier days, with abundant casual seating that feels like you’ve stepped into an upscale lodge, embellished with modern finishes and accents, including pebbled concrete floors and ethereally suspended lighting fixtures that float above. 

The gleaming wooden tasting bar—above which a pencil thin line of lighting augments the natural lighting—provides a view of the enormous wooden table built around three concrete piers which poke through the top, looking like peaks of fog. 

This grand table, which easily seats 20, is centered in the olive grove, providing a direct sightline to the mountains. Behind the bar, the stylized splash of an ocean wave is frost-etched onto mirrored glass. 

This same splashy wave appears on all the Pelio labels, tasteful, simple and classic. Its most impressive appearance is on the rosé of Pinot Noir, where it is silkscreened in white on clear glass to highlight the gorgeous pink color. 

A truly dramatic new Reserve line is in the works, featuring a black label with silver embossing. 

All the Pelio wines at present are sourced from the Pelio Vineyard, which was planted by Peter Figge in shale from a decomposed ancient seabed about 6 miles from the Pacific. If all goes well, the area, between Highway 68 and Carmel Valley Road, will become known as the Carmel Coast sub AVA. 

There are currently three tasting options: 

Classic, $30: 2020 Pelio Estate Rosé, 2020 Estate Chardonnay, 2019 Estate Pinot Noir

Comparative, $35: 2020 Pelio Estate Rosé, 2018 Lindsey Cuvée of Pinot Noir and 2018 Shelby Cuvée of Pinot Noir

Vertical, $40: 2017 Estate Pinot Noir, 2018 Estate Pinot Noir and 2019 Estate Pinot Noir

A welcome pour of 2021 rosé of Pinot Noir ($32) begins each tasting, which provides a nice upscale touch, typical of Napa and Sonoma tasting rooms. This is truly a beautiful wine in every way, from the elegant presentation to the perfumey lilac aromas and fresh strawberry, cranberry and rhubarb flavors. It is entirely derived of Pinot Noir clone 667. This wine had 45 minutes of skin contact to yield ideal color and freshness. 

The 2020 Rosé of Pinot Noir ($28) was made from clone 777, has aromas of cotton candy and strawberry parfait, with flavors of apricot and peach, and sports a bit more tannin on the finish. 

The 2020 Pelio Estate Chardonnay, done with 30% new French for 4 months, is softly perfumey, with fragrance of lemon blossom dominating, leading to a crisp, fresh reveal of apple, sarsaparilla, smooth minerality and delicate quince on the palate. It is light, lovely and persistent, like a cat nudging the back of your leg for a scratch on the chin. 

The 2019 Pinot Noir includes the four clones of Pinot Noir planted at the Pelio Estate Vineyard, including 115, 667, 777 and Pommard 4. The wine saw 20% new French oak and 15% whole cluster, delivering big ripe red fruit on the nose, primarily raspberry and cherry. Complex and medium weight in the mouth, it offers plum, dark cherry, licorice, gingerbread and finishes with a lush hit of raspberry truffle. A most delightful and intriguing wine.

We tried the 2018 Lindsey and Shelby Pinots side by side, a nice contrast and a revelation on the impact of clones. These wines are named for Les and Nini Pelio’s daughters, Lindsey and Shelby, who are directing the Pelio Estate brand and are in charge of the tasting room. 

The 2018 Lindsey is made from clone 777 and Pommard 4, and is from the upper part of the vineyard. Earthy, grippy, plummy and filled with blackberry, it comes across as subtly powerful with a dark meatiness. The 2018 Shelby comes from the lower part of the vineyard, and is made from clone 115 and 667, delivering more abundant fruit flavors, leaning to pomegranate, raspberry and dried cranberry. It, too, does not lack for grip or depth. They are both quite impressive and are priced at $70 per bottle.

It’s worth noting that the 2018 Pelio Chardonnay, now deemed a library wine ($52, and still available for purchase), was recently crowned Best White of Show and Best Chardonnay at the Monterey Wine Competition held in King City in March. It garnered 95 points, and exhibited that nuanced old World style that really stood out among the more Californiafied examples. Pelio was also awarded Best Monterey County Winery for 2023.

Solid examples of the craftsmanship of winemaking team Greg and Chris Vita, all the Pelio wines are extremely balanced, finely edged and nuanced. They benefit from decanting and aerating, as they are endowed with stamina. Watching this brand evolve has been a journey, and it’s exciting that this stunning new addition to the tasting room scene in Monterey County is now ready to welcome your visit. 

Beyond the impressive architecture and décor, the ambience of a place comes down to people. We very much enjoyed the hospitality that Mary, Jake and Will, all of whom were working their very first shifts in the tasting room, graciously provided.  We were told that food options are in the works as well. For now, bring your own picnic and sit outside in the shaded cabana like couch area, and pretend you’re on vacation. Or sit in the expansive secluded outdoor area where the chickens used to be. In perhaps a nod to the playful core of the former space, there’s also a rather substantial swing for those who crave a little adventure. It had yet to be inaugurated. 

The Pelio tasting room hours are: Thursday and Friday, 12 to 5pm, and Saturday and Sundays from 11:30am to 6pm.

A shared off street parking area is available for guests of the Pelio Estate tasting room and the Blue Fox Cellars tasting room, which is the former home of the Talbott tasting room that once housed Robb Talbott’s motorcycle collection, which has since moved up the road to the motorcycle museum. You may remember that a small vineyard used to occupy what is now the parking lot. At least it wasn’t paved over. Instead, the surface is finely crushed Carmel sandstone, reflecting the vineyard’s soil types, and bringing you a little taste of what underpins the wines, and quite frankly, the entire experience.