The passing of Steve Pessagno reminds us how special he – and his belief in the area – were.

A month before he died in his sleep last weekend, possibly due to a faulty heart valve, Stephen Pessagno, 55, said goodbye to a special black lab.

“Keno, his best friend in world,” says longtime friend and star chef Todd Fisher. “That may have taken a piece of him. There was no place he went where Keno wasn’t there.”

If it’s a small comfort, in the face of his sudden loss, that they’re together again, it’s a larger one that Pessagno’s impact isn’t going anywhere. Because of him, Monterey County – and its wine industry – will never be the same.

He leaves as one of the sector’s most cherished pioneers, policy changers and winemakers, having helped pave the way for small-plot vineyards, wine tourism and all sorts of other flavorful breakthroughs with heart, vision, salt-of-the-earth persistence and a personality as big as his famed paella pan.

“Our area would be different without him,” says Dan Lee, friend and fellow trailblazer of the tiny Monterey County grower-vintner operations. “And it probably wouldn’t be as fun.”

The grape juice certainly wouldn’t be as good. Before Lee and Pessagno, there were really only big boys like Estancia and Blackstone growing massive payloads of grapes, often for other winemakers, often out of the area. Even today, nine or 10 groups grow at least 80 percent of our grapes.

“He saw the greatness of the area,” says Ken Rauh of A Taste of Monterey, which stocks the full range of local wines, some 90 all told. “And the missing element was the small artisan wineries.”

Fisher collaborated with Pessagno for years on an ahead-of-its-time pop-up dinner series and reveled in sharing bottles from Pessagno’s personal stash with the winemaker’s own backyard fava beans, braised in wine, naturally.

“Some people thought he was out of his mind because of a visionary mindset,” Fisher says. “But he could literally do anything, whether bottle a wine, fix a tractor or cook an amazing paella.”

Talk to enough of Pessagno’s pals and colleagues and that how-the-hell-did-he-do-it ability becomes a theme. He abandoned a promising career in engineering to study grapes. He was acting general contractor in remodeling his home while working ruthless hours winemaking with Lockwood. He raised four boys – the oldest, Anthony, helps steer the winery, the youngest graduates Cal Poly SLO Saturday – and found time to hunt and house boat.

“He was like a Renaissance man,” Lee says. “He did it all. And worked incredibly hard. I don’t think he slept.”

Oh, and he could farm grapes and craft wines with a quality as clear as their identities – drawing plaudits from Wine Enthusiast and our readers’ loyal vote as Best Red Wine in Monterey County – all while managing and marketing a successful brand.

Rich Smith, who led the first wave of larger-scale wine pioneers in Monterey County with Paraiso, took note.

“It’s hard enough to build a business,” Smith says. “He built a business while building a community.”

After Lee and Pessagno showed it could be done – and damn good wine could result – and other family-run ops followed, we can now toast a local landscape that includes dozens of tiny and tasty wineries like his River Road neighbors Manzoni and Marilyn Remark.

“He was a no guts, no glory kinda guy,” Fisher says. “If you don’t have the balls, step aside.”

Fisher and Pessagno’s 1645 River Road dinner series – or, more accurately, their dinner experiences – presents further evidence to that effect. It proved a destination meal hatched when “pop-up” still referred to children’s books, and one that balanced pedigreed food and wine with down-home hospitality – and a kitchen Fisher charitably calls “a hole.”

“In a way it was designed to test our steel,” Fisher says. “That’s the way we both looked at it. He wasn’t in the restaurant business, but he was in the business of creating memories and experiences.”

What’s lost on many is the fact Pessagno toiled as much for an area as he did his own projects. He didn’t just elevate Jekel and Lockwood with his winemaking wherewithal, making several million friends along the way. He chaired the Vitners and Growers Association. He served as secretary of the Santa Lucia Highlands’ Wine Artisans from its start. He helped lead Knights of the Vine and, most miraculously, helped coach the county supervisors into adopting a general plan with a wine corridor that allows River Road to be the robust growing-and-tasting wonderland it is today, a linchpin of arguably the best place in the world to cultivate Pinot and Chard, and a huge part of Wine Enthusiast’s decision to rank it ahead of Napa and Sonoma on a list of the world’s 10 best wine travel spots.

“Steve was engaged in trying to raise the tide for everybody,” Smith says. “He was very generous with time and enthusiasm – the time to do even one of those boards or advisory groups is gigantic.”

Best of all, with his real character came a real character.

“He never lacked an ounce of personality,” says Fisher, a personality-plus himself. “It was a heavyweight battle when he and I got in the same room.”

“The thing about Steve, he was an open book,” says Chris Vivit, part of the nuclear crew at Pessagno that works, in Steve’s spirit, on a little bit of everything. “He had no problems sharing everything with everyone. If you knew him, you felt like you were his best friend, whether you knew him for a year or a lifetime.”

Then Vivit adds this: “We don’t want to lose what his dream was.”

Fortunately, then, his vision survives as vividly as his impact, along with his four sons for whom his pitch-perfect Four Boys Pinot is named: Live for family and community, industry and appellation, formidable food and worthy wines. Take on any challenge, fix any farm equipment, master any fickle grape and share any story. Take pride and take pains. Make friends fast. Drink wine slow. Braise backyard favas. Work hard. Find fun. Prioritize wine, stories and people with personality.

QUICKBITES

•The Beach House at Lovers Point (375-2345) has cleared its final health department hurdle and is closing in on a glorious opening. More on the blog, www.mcweekly.com/edible, including a tour.

•New Monterey Beer Festival (372-8106) leadership has even braver visions for beer, starting with an upgraded VIP experience. It’s Saturday, June 15 ($45-$75), and the lowdown appears on the blog.

• Oh, Carmel-by-the-Controver-Sea. Even as the hamlet readies for its debut farmers market 10am-2pm Thursday, June 20, there are rumblings from business owners and other curveballs afoot. Learn more with Sara Rubin’s news piece (p. 8) and on the blog.

• Bernardus Lodge (658-3400) remains the rare luxury resort that isn’t owned by a corporation – and is owned by a wine-loving former racecar driver and skeet-shooting Olympian (in Bernardus Pon), no less – after escrow fell through with a potential buyer.

• The tequila kings are heading hard north. Lopez Restaurante y Cantina (324-4260) are pulling out all sorts of scotches – Old Pulteney 21 year single malt, Glenfiddich 15, some 16 all told – for a bargain tasting ($20) 6-9pm Monday, June 17, complemented by brand ambassadors and snacks.

•Tarpy’s Roadhouse (647-1444) enjoys the patio and the countryside setting for a bangin’ brunch. Now the venerable outpost has added apple streusel pancakes ($12.50), cinnamon-caramel waffles ($12.50) and a cremini mushrooms, broccoli, avocado-pepper jack omelet ($12.95) for summer brunch 11:30am-3pm Sundays.

•MEarth (624-1032) brings star chefs to its shiny LEED-platinum kitchen with Yousef Ghalaini and Ted Walter June 23 and July 11, respectively. Only 30 seats each, so the school garden-benefiting tix ($65) go quick.

•I reported Brett Wales was out as part owner of Brophy’s Tavern (624-2476). Turns out he was never really in – though he was helping manage the place. No longer, and good news: Brian Christensen is already back in the kitchen dishing garlic frog legs ($14) and hangar steaks with garlic waffle fries ($18). $1 Taco Tuesdays 3-7pm too.

•The Haute Enchilada (633-5843), the Moss Landing café/tasting room/art gallery/wonderland, offers spirited fans a shot that’ll go down smoothly: With their June 20 installment of their Art of the Drink event ($20-$25), tequila takes center stage, with tastings, small bites and cocktail recipes.

•Boost Tatum’s Garden, a proposed egalitarian, handicap-accessible playground in Salinas, with the Saturday, June 15, Drive Thru Dollar Drop (809-2056) in Salinas High School’s parking lot. Firefighters and police compete in events; retired NFL players sign autographs; the Walk and Roll Foundation Dance Team performs; and, for $10, barbecue tri-tip satisfies.

• “A good head and a good heart,” Nelson Mandela said, “are always a formidable combination.”