It may be hard to believe, but every bottle of wine that comes from Monterey County has in its essence the depths of one of the largest underwater canyons in North America. This 10,663-foot underwater valley, located off the Monterey Bay, holds not only the secrets of shipwrecks and sunken treasure, but also the spirit that gives the wines of Monterey County their distinctive quality. Bigger than the Grand Canyon, its water is colder than the surrounding waters of the Pacific Ocean and is the source of the cool air and fog that give the wines of Monterey County their special character.
A perfect marriage of mountains and sea has created a region with warm, sunny days; cool nights; and foggy mornings — all of which result in one of the longest growing seasons in the state. This extended season is a gift to winemakers, bestowing on them wines that are more concentrated and flavorful, but without the high alcohol content that can compromise taste.
Bounded by the Santa Lucia Mountains to the west, the Gavilan Mountains to the east, and the Monterey Bay to the north, this region is home to more than 80 wineries with more than 40,000 acres of planted vines.
Monterey County vineyards have been divided into American Viticultural Areas, geographical regions designated by the U.S. government for indicating a wine’s origin. For a wine to be labeled with a specific AVA, at least 85 percent of the grapes used to produce that wine must be grown there. In Monterey County, there are eight distinct AVAs, each producing wine with its own unique character. Four of those (Carmel Valley, Chalone, Santa Lucia Highlands, and Arroyo Seco) are within an hour’s drive from the Monterey Peninsula and produce some of the finest wines in the state.
Nestled in the hills of the Santa Lucia Mountains is the Carmel Valley AVA.This picturesque region is home to horse ranches, olive trees, and, of course, vineyards. The elevation of the planted vines varies from a few hundred feet at the valley floor to about 2,200 feet above sea level. Traditionally, the region is best known for cabernet sauvignon. In the 1960s, when commercial vineyards were planted in Monterey County on a large scale, Monterey cabernet sauvignon wines had a reputation for tasting vegetal. This was solely because those cabernet grapes were grown in the wrong areas. Today, winemakers have figured out where cabernet grows best, and the result is that these local cabernets are outstanding.
A top producer of Carmel Valley cabernet sauvignon is Galante Vineyards. These wines are well balanced between acid and fruit. “They are more of an Old World style and a wonderful change from the current trend of high-alcohol ‘fruit bombs,’” says owner Jack Galante. The winery’s two best cabernets, Red Rose Hill and Blackjack Pasture, are surprisingly different. As Galante describes them, “Red Rose Hill exhibits wonderful aromas of sandalwood and rose and fresh, bright fruit flavors. Blackjack Pasture explodes with chocolate, leather, and toffee flavors, providing a long, chewy finish.”
Although, cabernet sauvignon is the most common grape in Carmel Valley, other varietals — such as petite sirah, sauvignon blanc, and pinot noir — are starting to shine. Two other exceptional wineries include Bernardus, which also has a nearby lodge, restaurant, and spa, and Georis Winery, whose owner, Walter Georis, also owns Casanova and La Bicyclette restaurants in Carmel.
The Chalone AVA, located in the Gavilan Mountains, was named after the area’s first winery: Chalone Vineyard.With an average elevation of 1,650 feet, the vineyards are planted above the fog layer, where the climate is hot during the day and cold at night with little rainfall. Ordinarily, this would make for a poor place to plant a vineyard. However, thanks to another geologic feature, the chardonnay and pinot noir wines made here are considered some of the best in the country because of the soil.
The vineyards here sit on or near the San Andreas Fault. Over millions of years, the remains of an ancient ocean floor have been pushed up into these mountains, filling the soil with large deposits of limestone. The limestone gives these wines their flavor. Ask any winemaker in Burgundy why their chardonnays and pinot noirs are so special. They have limestone in their soil, too. In fact, the Chalone AVA and the nearby Mt. Harlan AVA in San Benito County (where the superb Calera pinot noir is made) are among the few places in the country that have soil rich in limestone and are suitable to growing grapes.
Robert Parker has called Chalone Vineyard the “Montrachet of California.” Michael Michaud was the Chalone winemaker at the time of Parker’s accolade. Now he has Michaud Vineyard, located only a few miles away. “The biggest challenge to growing grapes here is adequate water,” Michaud says. “In 1985, we put in a well, but we still have to buy some of our water from Chalone. Also, it is such a remote area and the soil is hard on the equipment.” But the results are well worth the effort. “These wines are most identifiable by their minerality, complexity, and how well the wines age — 10 to 12 years for most of the wines. I just had a 20-year-old chardonnay that was outstanding.”
The Santa Lucia Highlands AVA, set against the eastern slopes of the Santa Lucia Mountains, has vineyards ranging from 40 feet to higher than 1,200 feet in elevation.The mornings are cool from the fog and the afternoons warm, although not as hot as Chalone. The afternoon winds play an important role here too, as they help keep the grapes from ripening too early. Chardonnay and pinot noir are the main grapes grown here, and it is said that there is a pinot noir here for every taste.
Talbott Vineyards makes both chardonnay and pinot noir wines from their vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands. Their most famous vineyard, Diamond T, has a southern exposure that benefits from cool ocean fog, both in the morning and the evening, leading to an extended growing season. From this vineyard, Talbott makes its Diamond T chardonnay and its Cuvee Audrey chardonnay made with carefully selected grapes, unfined and unfiltered. Parker said the 2002 Cuvee Audrey had a “subtle, restrained, noble/elegant personality. It is unlike any other California chardonnay I have tasted.”
The Arroyo Seco AVA has two distinct areas: the eastern/ central region and the western region.The eastern and central part of this AVA is planted mostly with chardonnay and Riesling. Although the days are warm, the nights here can be quite cold — too cold, in fact, for the vines.Yet again, the local geology helps. Four-inch cobblestones (locally known as “Greenfield Potatoes”) surround the vines and release the day’s heat during the night. (This thermal process is the same as that of Châteauneuf-du-Pape of the Rhone Valley in southern France).
The western part of the Arroyo Seco AVA, tucked into the Santa Lucia Mountains, is protected from the cool winds that blow to the east.The result is a climate suitable for zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon, and syrah varietals.
Arroyo Seco is known for having one of the longest growing seasons in the state.This has dramatically extended the time the grapes hang on the vine before harvesting. Though originating from the chilly Rhine region in Germany, Riesling greatly benefits from this extended hang time in the warm sun of Arroyo Seco.This grape matures to a level of ripeness unheard of in Germany, yet still maintains its acid, giving the Rieslings of this AVA their character. These wines typically have peach-like aromas with fresh floral traits.They are also more extracted with higher alcohol than their German counterparts, while maintaining sufficient acidity.
Further south are the other four distinct Monterey County AVAs: Hames Valley, San Bernabe, San Lucas, and San Antonio Valley. These can take quite a bit longer to get to from the Monterey Peninsula; but if you have the time, it can be well worth the trip.
Hames Valley AVA is known for Bordeaux-style wines made from cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and cabernet franc grapes. San Bernabe AVA is home to San Bernabe Vineyards, the largest continuous vineyard in the world at more than 20 square miles and with at least 20 microclimates. Lockwood Vineyards is located in the San Lucas AVA and makes wines that are a little softer than the ones made in the northern part of the state.The chardonnays have more tropical fruit, and the reds are a little rounder with riper fruit. San Antonio Valley AVA is located in the Santa Lucia Mountains next to Lake San Antonio.This region is as rich in history as it is in winemaking.The San Antonio de Padua mission was founded here in 1781. Shortly afterwards, the missionaries planted one of the earliest known vineyards in North America.The mission has been fully restored and is worth a visit between wine tastings.
Once considered the poor stepchild of the Napa and Sonoma wine regions, Monterey County is now recognized throughout the country as a spectacular region for growing grapes of distinction.
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