MB09 — Wine, Where Nature Meets Nurture

Every bottle of Monterey County wine has in its essence the depths of one North America’s largest underwater canyons. The 10,663-foot underwater valley, located off the Monterey Bay, holds not only the secrets of shipwrecks and sunken treasures, but also a spirit that distinguishes the character of the local wines.

A perfect marriage of mountains and sea has created a region with warm, sunny days; cool nights; and foggy mornings that result in one of the longest growing seasons in California. This enables 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 has 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. A wine gains a specific AVA label if at least 85 percent of the grapes used to produce it were grown there. Monterey County has eight AVAs, each producing distinctive wines. Four of them — Carmel Valley, Chalone, Santa Lucia Highlands, and Arroyo Seco — are within an hour’s drive from the Monterey Peninsula.

The Carmel Valley AVA is home to horse ranches, olive trees, and vines planted at varying elevations (from a few hundred feet at the valley floor to about 2,200 feet above sea level). The region is best known for cabernet sauvignon, well balanced between acid and fruit. A top producer is Galante Vineyards. “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. “Red Rose Hill exhibits wonderful aromas of sandalwood and rose and fresh, bright fruit flavors,” he says. “Blackjack Pasture explodes with chocolate, leather, and toffee flavors, providing a long, chewy finish.”

Other varietals — petite sirah, sauvignon blanc, and pinot noir — also shine in here. Two other exceptional wineries are 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. Its chardonnays and pinot noirs are considered some of the best in the country because the vineyards 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, which gives the wines their flavor. 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 a few miles away.

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 help keep the grapes from ripening too early. Chardonnay and pinot noir are the main grapes grown here. Talbott Vineyards makes both chardonnay and pinot noir wines from their vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands.

The Arroyo Seco AVA has two distinct areas: the eastern/central and western regions. The eastern and central part is planted mostly with chardonnay and Riesling. Although the days are warm, the nights are too cold for the vines. Yet, 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 cool winds, enabling a climate suitable for zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon, and syrah varietals. Arroyo Seco’s long growing season dramatically extends the time the grapes hang on the vine before harvesting.

Farther south are the other four Monterey County AVAs: Hames Valley, San Bernabe, San Lucas, and San Antonio Valley.

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. San Antonio Valley AVA is located in the Santa Lucia Mountains next to Lake San Antonio.

Once considered the stepchild of the Napa and Sonoma wine regions, Monterey County is now recognized throughout the country as a formidable region for growing grapes of distinction.

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