I am Annette Hoff, winemaker and “operations manager” for Cima Collina, one of Monterey’s newest “artisan” wineries. As you might be able to deduce from our website, we here are on a mission—a mission to not only make great wines from this area, but also to educate folks about our lovely, little-known county and all of the new things happening on the vineyard and winery front. We love Monterey. We love it for it’s geographical diversity and all the potential it has to grow a diverse set of winegrapes across a wide variety of microclimates. Think Monterey Cabernet tastes green? Think again—there are up-and-coming vineyards and small wineries now producing Cabernet, as well as Cabernet Franc, Petite Sirah, Malbec, Merlot, etc. that will make you want to investigate more. Think great Monterey Pinot only comes from the Santa Lucia Highlands? As much as I love SLH Pinots and respect the great vineyards and wineries making wines from the regions, I can assure you that there will be other areas in Monterey that will produce great Pinot to add to the mix…..What about Rhone varietals? Syrah, Roussanne, Marsanne…..there are now some wonderful Rhones coming out of the area that I just love…....
What will I blog about, one might ask? Why put this out there? There are more motivations than I can list, but a few might include: goings on here at the winery; the ups, downs and challenges of a small, start-up winery; insight into the winemaking and winegrowing process; introducing the characters in our winery and ranch crews and those from which we source our grapes, etc…...I endeavor not so much to create a soapbox from which I will offer, well, words of wisdom(?), but a channel from which to communicate insights and ideas for all who are interested in Monterey and the wine industry at large.
So, with that said, I would like to post here an article I wrote in Fall of 2005 for the “Monterey County Magazine” as a way of introducing this region. I will expand on this article more in the future by examining each region on a more in-depth basis.
Winegrowing in Monterey County
As a local winemaker, I am very excited to be a part of Monterey County’s viticultural (grape growing) and winemaking communities. This region is a unique and interesting place to grow grapes and make wine and has established a strong reputation throughout the world. What are the reasons for this distinction? In my mind there are a number of factors including history, a combination of geographical and climactic factors unique to this region, and unrealized potential that promises a prominent future in California’s wine industry.
Monterey County has had a long, rich agricultural tradition, of which grape growing has played an important role beginning in the 1800’s. Grape cuttings were brought to the region by Franciscan friars in the early 1800’s and vineyards in the Soledad region as well as in Carmel Valley were planted and maintained by the local Esalen Indians under mission direction. Once the missionary era ended, however, so did those vineyards and grape growing was not pursued in the region on a large scale again until the 1960’s. At this time, a study from the University of California at Davis declared that the Monterey region could be a prime location for grape growing and compared its climate to those of Burgundy and Bordeaux – a supreme compliment at the time. It was then that a number of viticultural pioneers – whose names, among others, included Wente, Mirrassou, J Lohr—began planting vineyards around Monterey County, mostly in areas where viticulture had not been attempted previously. Many of these early efforts did prove that a number of grape varieties – most prominently white grape varieties—could be grown quite successfully and with distinctive, consistent varietal attributes from year-to-year.
Today, Monterey County has almost 40,000 acres planted to wine grapes, second only to Sonoma County, and the economic value of the wine grape crop is the 7th largest in the county at almost $175 million. Over 50% of acreage is planted to the white grape varietal Chardonnay. Other white wine grape varietals include Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling. Red wine grape varietals are Pinot Noir, Syrah, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
What sets viticulture in the Monterey region apart from other areas in California? Most would say the climate plays a dominant role. We have, generally, a much cooler, milder climate here than grape growing regions to the north or south. Fog and windy conditions occur most days keeping temperatures low. As a result, the grape growing season is longer than in other regions in California which can be a key factor in the flavor development of the wine grape. The weather in all parts of the county is determined largely by the Pacific Ocean with the general rule that the closer a vineyard site is to the bay or ocean, the cooler it is. This sets up some guidelines about where different types of wine grapes are planted in the county. White wine grapes and the red grape Pinot Noir generally require less heat to ripen, so these are planted mostly in the relatively cooler regions of the Salinas Valley, Santa Lucia Highlands (on the west side of the Salinas Valley on the bench above River Road), and to a certain extent in the Chalone (to the east of Soledad in the Pinnacles area), lower Carmel Valley (west of Carmel Valley Village), and Arroyo Seco (west of Greenfield) regions. As one moves further south, and inland, however, the climate changes considerably and becomes much warmer over the course of the day than in the northern areas. These areas, which include upper Carmel Valley, San Lucas, Hames Valley and the Lockwood Valley regions, grow varieties which require more sun exposure and heat to ripen, namely Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot, Petite Syrah. It must be pointed out, however, that although these regions can get relatively warm during the day, nighttime temperatures are usually as low as those in the rest of the county. This enables the grapes to cool during the night, which can prove exceptional for flavor development and grape quality.
Another reason viticulture is so interesting here is geography, particularly a large variety in topography and soil types. The landscape of Monterey County ranges from steep, rugged mountains that might have decomposed granite or clay soils to numerous river valleys, large and small, with sandy, sedimentary or rocky soil. Each type of soil, coupled with the microclimate created by the local topography as well as the viticulturist’s choice of varietal and vineyard management style, creates a unique opportunity to grow high-quality, distinctive grapes and, as an extension, make interesting and unique wines from the region.
The Monterey region has largely established a reputation as a viticultural and winemaking success. Many wineries from all over the state not only have sourced their grapes from Monterey County for decades but also own large vineyards here as well. The most well-known example is the San Bernabe vineyard just south of King City on the west side of Highway 101 which is the largest contiguous vineyard in the world. It is comprised of over 12,000 acres of which 5600 is planted to wine grapes. But in addition to the larger vineyards of Monterey, there are a growing number of small vineyards and wineries that are creating reputations for themselves not only locally but around the world. A prominent example is a number of small vineyards located in the Santa Lucia Highlands. These vineyards in recent years have produced a number of highly regarded wines, especially Pinot Noir, that have found great appreciation by wine lovers.
As a winemaker and as someone who enjoys and appreciates this region very much, I am excited not only by Monterey’s current reputation, but also in its future potential. Dedicated viticulturists are planting new vineyards every year, and new wineries are coming into production as well, which means only one thing: there will only be a greater variety of interesting, distinctive, and local wines for you too seek out and enjoy.
As a local winemaker, I am very excited to be a part of Monterey County’s viticultural (grape growing) and winemaking communities. This region is a unique and interesting place to grow grapes and make wine and has established a strong reputation throughout the world. What are the reasons for this distinction? In my mind there are a number of factors including history, a combination of geographical and climactic factors unique to this region, and unrealized potential that promises a prominent future in California’s wine industry.
Monterey County has had a long, rich agricultural tradition, of which grape growing has played an important role beginning in the 1800’s. Grape cuttings were brought to the region by Franciscan friars in the early 1800’s and vineyards in the Soledad region as well as in Carmel Valley were planted and maintained by the local Esalen Indians under mission direction. Once the missionary era ended, however, so did those vineyards and grape growing was not pursued in the region on a large scale again until the 1960’s. At this time, a study from the University of California at Davis declared that the Monterey region could be a prime location for grape growing and compared its climate to those of Burgundy and Bordeaux – a supreme compliment at the time. It was then that a number of viticultural pioneers – whose names, among others, included Wente, Mirrassou, J Lohr—began planting vineyards around Monterey County, mostly in areas where viticulture had not been attempted previously. Many of these early efforts did prove that a number of grape varieties – most prominently white grape varieties—could be grown quite successfully and with distinctive, consistent varietal attributes from year-to-year.
Today, Monterey County has almost 40,000 acres planted to wine grapes, second only to Sonoma County, and the economic value of the wine grape crop is the 7th largest in the county at almost $175 million. Over 50% of acreage is planted to the white grape varietal Chardonnay. Other white wine grape varietals include Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling. Red wine grape varietals are Pinot Noir, Syrah, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
What sets viticulture in the Monterey region apart from other areas in California? Most would say the climate plays a dominant role. We have, generally, a much cooler, milder climate here than grape growing regions to the north or south. Fog and windy conditions occur most days keeping temperatures low. As a result, the grape growing season is longer than in other regions in California which can be a key factor in the flavor development of the wine grape. The weather in all parts of the county is determined largely by the Pacific Ocean with the general rule that the closer a vineyard site is to the bay or ocean, the cooler it is. This sets up some guidelines about where different types of wine grapes are planted in the county. White wine grapes and the red grape Pinot Noir generally require less heat to ripen, so these are planted mostly in the relatively cooler regions of the Salinas Valley, Santa Lucia Highlands (on the west side of the Salinas Valley on the bench above River Road), and to a certain extent in the Chalone (to the east of Soledad in the Pinnacles area), lower Carmel Valley (west of Carmel Valley Village), and Arroyo Seco (west of Greenfield) regions. As one moves further south, and inland, however, the climate changes considerably and becomes much warmer over the course of the day than in the northern areas. These areas, which include upper Carmel Valley, San Lucas, Hames Valley and the Lockwood Valley regions, grow varieties which require more sun exposure and heat to ripen, namely Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot, Petite Syrah. It must be pointed out, however, that although these regions can get relatively warm during the day, nighttime temperatures are usually as low as those in the rest of the county. This enables the grapes to cool during the night, which can prove exceptional for flavor development and grape quality.
Another reason viticulture is so interesting here is geography, particularly a large variety in topography and soil types. The landscape of Monterey County ranges from steep, rugged mountains that might have decomposed granite or clay soils to numerous river valleys, large and small, with sandy, sedimentary or rocky soil. Each type of soil, coupled with the microclimate created by the local topography as well as the viticulturist’s choice of varietal and vineyard management style, creates a unique opportunity to grow high-quality, distinctive grapes and, as an extension, make interesting and unique wines from the region.
The Monterey region has largely established a reputation as a viticultural and winemaking success. Many wineries from all over the state not only have sourced their grapes from Monterey County for decades but also own large vineyards here as well. The most well-known example is the San Bernabe vineyard just south of King City on the west side of Highway 101 which is the largest contiguous vineyard in the world. It is comprised of over 12,000 acres of which 5600 is planted to wine grapes. But in addition to the larger vineyards of Monterey, there are a growing number of small vineyards and wineries that are creating reputations for themselves not only locally but around the world. A prominent example is a number of small vineyards located in the Santa Lucia Highlands. These vineyards in recent years have produced a number of highly regarded wines, especially Pinot Noir, that have found great appreciation by wine lovers.
As a winemaker and as someone who enjoys and appreciates this region very much, I am excited not only by Monterey’s current reputation, but also in its future potential. Dedicated viticulturists are planting new vineyards every year, and new wineries are coming into production as well, which means only one thing: there will only be a greater variety of interesting, distinctive, and local wines for you too seek out and enjoy.
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