Central Coast - Monterey County

Question 1

AVA and Wineries

Answer 1

9 AVA
82 Wineries

Monterey County lies south of Santa Cruz County, east of the Pacific Ocean, north of San Luis Obispo County and west of San Benito, Fresno, and Kings counties. It’s a large county, spanning cool climate areas close to the ocean and warm zones far to the southeast. Monterey County includes all or parts of nine AVAs: Arroyo Seco, Carmel Valley, Chalone, Hames Valley, Monterey, San Antonio Valley, San Bernabe, Santa Lucia Highlands, and San Lucas.

The California Missions Trail passes through Monterey County and brought wine production there very early. The first plantings were at Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, established in 1791. Commercial planting didn’t begin in earnest until the early 1960s though, when parts of the county were identified as promising for cool-climate varieties.

Question 2

KEY VARIETIES

Answer 2

Chardonnay,
Pinot Noir,
Cabernet Sauvignon and
Merlot

Question 3

CLIMATE

Answer 3

Warm Summer Mediterranean Winkler Index Regions I-III

Question 4

KEY SOIL TYPES

Answer 4

Generally marine sedimentary in origin, the textures range from clay to accumulations of potato-sized stones

Question 5

Sub AVA’s

Answer 5

Carmel Valley
Chalone AVA
Arroyo Seco AVA
Monterey AVA
San Lucas AVA
Santa Lucia Highlands AVA
Hames Valley AVA
San Bernabe AVA
San Antonio Valley AVA

Question 6

Chalone AVA

Question 7

Arroyo Seco AVA

Answer 7

Topography/Elevation/Water Sources/Geographic Features
Much of the AVA is benchland, though some gives the appearance of being a valley floor. It generally slopes downward from the Santa Lucia and San Lucas foothills in the west toward the valley in the east. It drops from about 600 feet to less than 200 (183 to 61 m).

Arroyo Seco Creek provides the water for irrigation.

Geology/Soil Composition
Mocho, Lockwood, Arroyo Seco, Rincon, Elder, and Chular gravelly and sandy loams. Some of the “gravel” is actually quite large and referred to locally as “Greenfield potatoes.”

Climate
Warm-summer Mediterranean. Winkler Index Region II, with a range of 1,875 to nearly 2,800 degree-days (1,024-1,538° C), depending on the year and location. The area is cooled by breezes passing through the Salinas Valley from Monterey Bay. Perhaps surprisingly, the narrow canyon area in the west is warmer than the larger, eastern zone. This is because any cooling the canyon gets from the ocean is less than that the eastern area gets from the Monterey Bay winds from which the canyon is isolated.

Rainfall averages less than 10” (254 mm) per year, due to the rain shadow cast by the San Lucas Mountains.

Main Grape Varieties
In the cool areas, Chardonnay, Riesling, and Pinot Noir dominate. In the warmer zones, there’s Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah.

Question 8

Monterey AVA

Answer 8

Topography/Elevation/Water Sources/Geographic Features
The AVA includes flat, low-lying valley floor, gently sloping benches, and steep hillsides. Altitude ranges from sea level to more than 2,000 feet (610 m).

Irrigation water for most areas comes from the Salinas River.

Geology/Soil Composition
Lockwood shaly loam, Chualar loam, Placentia sandy loam, Rincon clay loam, Garey sandy loam

Climate
Warm-climate Mediterranean. Winkler Index Regions I-IV. In general, the AVA is coolest and foggiest near Monterey Bay, becoming steadily warmer and less humid moving to the south.

Average annual rainfall is 10 inches (254 mm).

Main Grape Varieties
The massive acreage includes both cool and warm climate grapes. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir dominate.

Question 9

Santa Lucia Highlands AVA

Answer 9

Topography/Elevation/Water Sources/Geographic Features
Little of the AVA is flat. Its degrees of slope vary, but vineyards can be found from 300 feet up to 1,400 (91 to 427 m).

Water for irrigation is provided by the Salinas River and wells.

Geology/Soil Composition
Chualar loam, Arroyo Seco gravelly sandy loam

Climate
Warm-summer Mediterranean, Winkler Index Region I with 2,286 (1252° C) degree-days. The AVA’s location in the northern part of the Salinas Valley exposes it to very cool, brisk breezes. Wind speeds in the late afternoon can reach 25 miles (40 km) per hour. Between the wind, altitude and lack of scorching afternoon sun—due to screening by the Santa Lucia range—the AVA rarely gets very hot. Daytime temperatures generally remain between 60 and 80° F (15.5-26.5° C) during the growing season.

Annual rainfall is 10-15” (254-381 mm)

Main Grape Varieties
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay