Puma Road Tasting Room – Monterey, CA

These wine tasting rooms fit in perfectly with the low-key, come-as-you-are coastal vibe this town is known for. Because, sure, you may spend your afternoon whale watching in the Bay or playing a round of golf at Pebble Beach, but when the day’s activities are done, what we all really crave is a glass of vino. 

With such a high concentration of tasting rooms in downtown Monterey, you’ve got a lot of options; Puma Road is a good place to start.

From Grape Growers to Winemakers: Creating Puma Road Winery 

Ray Franscioni, who owns Puma Road Winery, comes from a deeply rooted family in Monterey County’s Salinas Valley. The Franscionis were part of a wave of immigrants who came to the Monterey Peninsula in search of fishing and agricultural opportunities in the late 1800s. 

When Silvio Franscioni Sr, Ray’s grandfather, arrived from Switzerland, he purchased a ranch in Gonzales, California, which is about 30 miles east of Monterey. Silvio went on to become a successful row crop and dairy farmer, but that was nothing compared to the scaled-up grape growing operation Ray would build. Ray took his knowledge of farming, handed down from his father and grandfather, paired it with a lot of ambition, and expanded the family’s interests from row crops like lettuce to a 1,500+ acre grape growing empire!

Ray’s holdings are one of the largest per acre grape growing operations in the Salinas Valley.

Pivoting to Wine 

Much like his grandfather, Ray started his career in agriculture with row crops. But Ray recognized something that his grandfather didn’t: Monterey County isn’t just perfect for plants like strawberries, sugar beets, and artichokes; it’s perfect for grapes. The unique microclimates are a grape grower’s dream, so, seeing an opportunity in the early 1990s, Ray began experimenting with vines.

Thirty years later, Ray’s 1,500 acres of vines are split between his Paciances and Santa Lucia Highlands vineyards. Puma Road wine releases between 4,500 and 5,000 cases a year, which means just 10% of his vineyard portfolio goes towards his own wine production – the first vintage of which was released in 2003.

The remaining grapes and there are quite a lot of them, are sold to wineries throughout California. A few of Ray’s current and former buyers include:

• Kendall-Jackson 
• Mer Soleil
• Cru
• Coppola
• Daou
• Morgan
• Alpha Omega
• Prim Family

To craft his own Puma Road Wines and that of a newly acquired sister property, Pessagno Wines, Ray has partnered with French-born winemaker Olivier Rousset, who was previously the assistant winemaker for Vérité Wine, La Crema Winery, and Anakota Winery.

The two wine labels, Puma Road and Pessagno appear to fit into different spaces within the wine market. Among the better wines, we tried at Puma Road at Portola Plaza were the big, bold red blends – our tasting included three of them. Pessagno, on the other hand, whose tasting room is located in Salinas, is marketed as a higher-end label, and the brand seems to really lean into their Santa Lucia Highlands pinot noirs. 

The Puma Road at Portola Plaza Tasting Experience

Puma Road works with 15 different grape varieties, from pinot noir and chardonnay to Bordeaux grapes like cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and petit verdot.

We found the best wines were the red blends with fruit sourced from the Pedregal de Paicines Vineyard and the sparkling wines made with grapes from the Santa Lucia Highlands. Of the red blends, our favorites were:

• 2016 TKO, Pedregal de Paicines Vineyard $45 – 90 PTS
  • (50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Petite Sirah)

• 2015 The Predator, Pedregal de Paicines Vineyard  $40 – 89 PTS
  • (60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cab. Franc, 15% Merlot, 2.5% Malbec 2.5% Petit Verdot)

• 2015 Cache, Pedregal de Paicines Vineyard $37 – 87 PTS
  • (50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc

And of the Puma Road sparkling wines, we enjoyed:

• 2014 Cuvee, Santa Lucia Highlands
• 2014 Blanc de Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands

Overall, it was a mixed bag experience, with mostly average wines, but the tasting room is lively, and the energy in the place is pretty good. While most of the wines were just so-so, don’t let that stop you from visiting. If you’ve spent the day exploring downtown Monterey and you’re looking for a wine tasting room near Fisherman’s Wharf where you can just kick back and relax with a glass of wine before heading back to the hotel or out to dinner, Puma Road fits the bill.

The Puma Road tasting room also features indoor and outdoor seating, live music Friday through Sunday, and a very dog-friendly patio. Small bites like charcuterie, specialty wine chips, and a few sweeter snacks are a nice touch.