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SEPTEMBER 2008
This region is becoming
known for much more than
just beautiful scenery.
By Anthony Head
M
onterey County is one of California’s geographic anomalies. It’s often referred to as the Monterey
Peninsula, but that leaves out the inland agricultural expanse. Some believe it’s part of the Upper
Central Coast; others insist that, being a winding two hours from San Francisco, it should be labeled
something like the South Lower Bay Area. At least one thing can be agreed upon: Monterey County
is Wine Country.
Grapes have been grown in this fertile hub for a couple centuries, and wine made from them
for almost as long. Then, in 1973, a collective was established, which would become the Monterey
Country Vintners & Growers Association. Until then, most of the grapes grown were shipped to other
parts of the state and country to blend into local wines. But today, more of those grapes stay put, and
Monterey wines are gaining national and international attention for their quality and affordability.
Within Monterey County there are nine American Viticultural Areas (AVAs). The vineyards—up along mountain terraces, down in long valleys—receive generous amounts of sunshine
and warmth, but also benefit from coastal breezes and cooling fogs drifting in from the coast. This
month, the vines are hanging low with ripening grapes. The wineries are gearing up for another
harvest, but it’s not quite time to bring in the crops. Monterey County has one of the longest growing seasons in California; in addition to earlier bud break, the grapes are left on the vines longer, an
extra two weeks or so. Because the fruit has more time to develop concentrated flavors, Monterey
wines are deeply colored and richly flavored.
Monterey County has more than 45,000 acres of vineyards. The majority of the vines hold chardonnay, merlot, and cabernet sauvignon. But with such a large and diverse area, vintners are also
finding success with gewürztraminer, pinot noir, sauvignon blanc, riesling, syrah, and zinfandel,
among other varietals.
There is plenty of room here, too. You’ll find vineyards from Big Sur inland past the Santa Lucia
Mountains, the Salinas Valley, and Highway 101; and from the city of Monterey on the northern
peninsula down past Salinas, Gonzales, Soledad, and King City—nearly all the way to Paso Robles.
Unlike a trip to Napa and Sonoma, it’s not the crowds you have to endure in order to see Monterey
County vineyards firsthand, it’s the mileage. Even with Highway 101 spanning the length of the
88 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 8 805 LIVING.COM
Ample sunshine
and abundant
coastal fog are
valuable elements
for Monterey
County wines.
805 living.COM S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 8 89
county, visiting the 80-plus wineries is a difficult but rewarding task.
On the road from Carmel to Carmel Valley
Village (on Carmel Valley Road) there is
Château Julien. Open since 1982, this 16-acre
French estate includes a country house, a tasting
room, and a winery surrounded by a small vineyard. Château Julien produces a wide spectrum
of wines, but is known for great merlot. A musttry is the 2005 Private Reserve Merlot ($36).
This flagship wine is a full-bodied blend of
vineyards that features dark, lengthy character
and complexity that all merlots should have.
Many of the wineries don’t have on-site visitor facilities, so the clusters of tasting rooms,
like those found in Carmel Valley Village, are
essential stops. Talbott Vineyards is in town,
showcasing its pinot noir and chardonnay. The
tasting room is a veritable classroom on how
to produce a wide range of styles—from the
light-bodied 2006 Kali Hart Chardonnay ($14)
to the richly textured 2006 Logan Chardonnay,
Sleepy Hollow Vineyard ($23). Talbott’s pinots
also display great scope: The 2005 Logan Pinot
Noir ($30) is nuanced with minerality and very
ripe blueberry, while the 2005 Case Pinot Noir
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($41) is a real heavy-duty red, much bigger and
much bolder.
Bernardus, which owns the nearby and highly
regarded Bernardus Lodge, also has a tasting
room worth a visit. There is a broad spectrum
of varietals to try, including the smooth, fullflavored Griva Sauvignon Blanc ($25). Don’t miss
tasting the newly released 2003 Marinus ($40),
a cabernet-based Bordeaux-style blend, which
continues the excellent reputation the winery has
gained for producing top-notch wines.
One of the most enjoyable tasting rooms
in Carmel Valley Village is Georis Winery.
Outside is a charming garden courtyard for
relaxing when the weather is warm. Inside—
well, there’s no easy way to describe the setting.
It seems to be equal parts cowboy adobe, Day
of the Dead museum, surfer hangout, and
Vatican City gift shop. With a fireplace. The
place reflects the eclectic interests of owner
Walter Georis, a native of Belgium who came
to the United States in 1956. He lived for a
time in Southern California, and his band, The
Sandals, recorded the soundtrack to the classic surf movie The Endless Summer. He’s also
a prolific painter and restaurateur in addition
Steve Pessagno, of Pessagno Winery
in Salinas, is approaching the 10th
anniversary of his brand’s inception.
Left to right: Talbott Vineyards
tasting room in Carmel Valley
Village; Château Julien’s
French-estate tasting room.
to being a vintner. Georis produces a number
of different wines, but I found the 2003 Estate
Merlot ($38) to be one of the best produced in
Monterey; and I can’t wait to return to the tasting room for more.
Eventually, visitors will want to get further
out into the California countryside and see
more wineries and vineyards. Heading south
from Carmel Valley Village there is Pessagno
Winery in Salinas. When I stopped in earlier
this year, the winemaker was in the tasting room pouring for anyone who happened
to stop by.
Steve Pessagno started the Pessagno brand
in 1999 and got the winery up and running
in 2005. “I have an engineering degree, and
I knew at the time it was going to be more
valuable than my winemaking degree,” he told
me. Acquiring a combination of both new and
used equipment, Pessagno basically built his
winery—tanks, refrigeration, crushing equipment, pumps—into the existing buildings as
the grapes were being harvested. “I remember
we got the tanks on a Friday and had them
filled by Saturday.”
Pessagno filled those tanks with the juice of
several varietals, but the winery is probably best
known for racy pinot noir. “I get away from the
theory that pinot needs to be treated so delicately. I get as much as I can from it,” Pessagno
says. His big, bold pinots have lots of flavors
and deep colors, approaching cabernet sauvignon strength. Pessagno also excels at chardonnay. “We do single-vineyard wines, with the
exception of our 2005 Intrinity Chardonnay.
It’s a hedonistic blend of our best five barrels of
chard.” ($45 for the 2005 vintage.)
A quick jag over to Gonzales and you’ll find
Blackstone Winery. In the bright, open tasting
room, visitors can sample Blackstone wines
from around the state. So in addition to trying
Napa Valley merlot and Sonoma County chardonnay, you can also sample Monterey County
Riesling ($12) that’s fresh and bright with stone
fruit flavors and nice acidity.
Further south and much further afield in
Soledad is Chalone Vineyard. It has more
than four decades of wine production up in
the Gavilan Mountain Range. The vineyard
is at the base of an extinct volcano, which
has furnished Chalone with some outstanding limestone-based soils that impart excellent
mineral notes. The estate takes full advantage
of low-yield, high-quality fruit, and Chalone’s
chardonnay is considered by many to be in
California’s top tier. Their pinot noirs, too, are
great examples of how the varietal excels in this
unique soil. The 2006 Estate Pinot Noir ($39) is
a mature-tasting red, priced just right.
Because of its remote location, dropping
by the winery unannounced during the week
isn’t recommended. But they’ll gladly show
you around with an appointment. That’s good
advice for many other wineries in the area, too.
Check their Web sites for tasting room hours or
to see if they even have visitor facilities. Then
build your own itinerary to explore Monterey
County Wine Country. 
Monterey County AVAs
Kerrick James; COPYRIGHT ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/ulie Tijerina; David Gubernick / Monterey County CVB
There are nine American Viticultural Areas that bring something distinct to Monterey winemaking.
Arroyo Seco is a 5,000-acre AVA in the middle of
the Salinas Valley. It boasts a unique, natural warming element in the form of “Greenfield potatoes.”
These are river stones that store up heat during
the day and warm the vines at night. Chardonnay,
riesling, and zinfandel are planted very successfully
in the Arroyo Seco.
Carmel Valley is a small mountainous AVA, covering about 300 acres of vineyards planted mostly
with cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Other than the
western edge of Monterey AVA, this is the closest
growing region to the Pacific Ocean. However, it’s
warmer here because, at a higher elevation, the vines
are out of reach of most of the marine influences.
Chalone is one of the smaller AVAs of the county,
with about 300 acres of planted vineyards. There is
only one winery in this AVA, not surprisingly named
Chalone Vineyard. Because of the granite, clay, and
limestone in the soils, many of the wines have strong
mineral characteristics.
AVA is a warm valley, with morning fog from Lake San
Antonio. Bordeaux and Rhône varietals flourish.
Hames Valley is an AVA with some lesser-known
varietals, such as souzão, tinta cão, and touriga
nacional—traditional port grapes. Just north of Paso
Robles, it’s a hot region, but the cool nights make it
good for growing cabernet sauvignon and merlot.
San Bernabe is a large, centrally located AVA with
more than 5,000 acres under cultivation. With so
much room and distinct terroir, it’s no surprise that
many varietals are grown, including barbera, cabernet sauvignon, gewürztraminer, merlot, and syrah.
Monterey AVA stretches the length of the 84-milelong Salinas Valley down nearly to Paso Robles.
Such a large, diverse area means several kinds of
grapes are grown successfully, including cabernet
sauvignon, chardonnay, chenin blanc, pinot noir,
riesling, and zinfandel.
San Lucas AVA is located at the southern end
of the Salinas Valley and has about 8,000 acres
planted. Elevations here range from 500 to 1,200
feet to grow mostly chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon,
and merlot.
San Antonio Valley has about 800 acres
planted in this relatively new AVA. Here, the Mission
San Antonio de Padua is believed to be one of the
first places in the state to grow grapes. This southern
Santa Lucia Highlands is known for cabernet
sauvignon, chardonnay, merlot, pinot noir, and
riesling. The 2,300-acre AVA runs along the Santa
Lucia Mountain range and enjoys plenty of fog and
coastal breezes.
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Monterey County W ineries
Bernardus Vineyards
Georis Winery
www.bernardus.com
www.georiswine.com
Blackstone Winery
Pessagno Winery
www.blackstonewinery.com
www.pessagnowines.com
Chalone Vineyard
Talbott Vineyards
www.chalonevineyard.com
www.talbottvineyards.com
Château Julien Wine Estate
www.chateaujulien.com
Ten More Bottles from Monterey County to Enjoy Right Now
Bargetto Winery
2006 Gewürztraminer, Viento
Vineyard ($14)
A bit of minerality further
enhances this already
expressive white.
www.bargetto.com
Wente Vineyards
2006 Riva Ranch Chardonnay,
Arroyo Seco ($18)
Dry, smooth, and lots
of mouthfeel.
www.wentevineyards.com
Morgan Winery
2006 Cotes du Crow’s Red
Blend ($20)
A medium-bodied and very
flavorful blend of grenache
and syrah.
www.morganwinery.com
Cima Collina
2005 Hilltop Red ($22)
Wonderfully blended cabernet
sauvignon, merlot, cabernet
franc, and petite sirah.
www.cimacollina.com
Joullian Vineyards
2005 Sias Cuvée Zinfandel
($22)
A dark and luxurious zin with
powerful red-fruit flavors.
www.joullian.com
Logan
2006 Chardonnay, Sleepy
Hollow Vineyard ($23)
From the Talbott family, this
French-oak-aged chard is rich
and complex.
www.talbottvineyards.com/
wines_logan.html
Heller Estate
2003 Estate Cabernet
Sauvignon ($50)
This big and balanced cab
rivals many from Napa.
www.hellerestate.com
Chateau Christina
2006 Pinot Noir, Franscioni
Vineyard ($30)
A solid, sumptuous, and very
smooth pinot.
www.chateauchristinawines.com
Tondre Wines
2005 Pinot Noir ($43)
This fruit-bomb jumps from
the glass and keeps opening
into nuanced flavors.
www.tondrewines.com
COPYRIGHT SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/KWEST
Hahn Estates
2005 Syrah ($12)
An incredible bargain for such
a balanced, lengthy syrah.
www.hahnestates.com