34 July 2013 WBM

Editor’s Note: To many people in the wine industry, 1983 was a typical year

for California wines. But in the history books, the year marked the largest

concentration of appellations granted in the state. In this special WBM series,

Christopher Sawyer follows the birth of these unique appellations and the

accomplishments made in these wine-growing regions over the past 30 years.

grape growing

The California Appellation Series 1983-2013

Arroyo Seco and Carmel ValleyChristopher Sawyer

A S T h E M A i n C h A r A C T E r in John Steinbeck’s East of Eden, a vulner-

able young lad, Cal Trask, is willing to take the risk on an agricultural project

for capital gain in Monterey County. In many ways, the powerful theme of

this book parallels the real-life challenges that many farmers and vintners

faced when they purchased land and planted vineyards in the county during

the 1970s.

One of the regions that became an early test zone for these challenges is

Arroyo Seco, an appellation that was granted in 1983. Located at the foot of

the Santa Lucia Highlands, between the rural towns of Soledad and Green-

field, this cool-climate region is known for its fog-laden mornings, sunny

mid-days, chilly windblown afternoons and ancient riverbed-based soil.

Through the years, the AVA has become a respected wine-growing region that

has become a source of high-quality fruit used by large-scale and boutique

producers alike.

Success in the county can also be found in Carmel Valley, an isolated

region that also became an appellation in 1983. Running from north to

south between Highway 1 and ridges on the western side of the Santa Lucia

Highlands, the appellation is shaped like a tiny model of California. Beyond

Carmel Valley Village, the majority of vineyards are located along the windy

road which runs through the isolated Cachagua Valley.

Today, the Carmel Valley AVA covers nearly 20,000 acres, only 300 acres of

which are planted to grapes. Overall, more than 70 percent of the vines are

planted to Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. But unlike old flavor profiles, like

“green beans,” “bell pepper” or “vegetal,” commonly associated with Bordeaux

varietals planted in the interior part of Monterey County, the wines made in

Carmel Valley have a solid track record of packing richer, more developed

fruit flavors, balanced tannins, bright acidity and structure.

Arroyo Seco’s focus is on selling grapes to top producers and getting the

name of the AVA on the label of the finished wines. With the relatively small

amount of vineyards planted in the Carmel Valley AVA, more of the emphasis

is placed on earning brand loyalty and finding the type of consumer, club

member, sommelier or wine buyer that will support the small offerings from

the region for many years to come.

in the VineyardsUnder the leadership of Father Junipero Serra, Spanish padres were the

first to plant grapes in the region in the 1800s. But by the early part of the

last century, Monterey County was more known for its beautiful coastal

towns, high elevation cattle ranches and a vast agricultural landscape that

produced sugar beets, lettuce, broccoli and other row vegetables on the

valley floor.

In the early 1960s, when the images of characters from classic Steinbeck

novels started to change, professors at University of California, Davis fore-

casted Salinas Valley as the land of promise for the new wine frontier.

Christopher Sawyer is a journalist, wine consultant and sommelier based in Sonoma, California.

In the coming months, look for more in this series:

August: Anderson Valley September: El doradoOctober: dry Creek ValleyNovember: Santa ynez ValleyDecember: howell Mountain

WBM July 2013 35

Among the early risk takers were the fourth and fifth generations of the

Mirassou family, who purchased the Mission Ranch west of Soledad in 1961,

and Karl L. Wente of Wente Brothers (now called Wente Vineyards),

who began developing 260 acres of vineyards on property that would later

become the Riva Ranch. These sites became the first commercial vineyards

in Monterey County.

In the 1970s, the district continued to blossom with major investments

from Jerry Lohr and business partner Bernie Turgeon of J. Lohr Vineyards

& Wines, who planted their first 280 acres of vineyards west of Greenfield

in 1972. That same year, Bill Jekel began developing the first part of the

famous Cobblestone Vineyard, and the Jekel brand was born. Since then,

new vineyards have been planted by a long list of enthusiastic vintners and

growers, including Hahn Estate, Smith & Hook, Ventana Vineyards, Scheid

Vineyards, Arroyo Seco Vineyards, Inc., Monterey Pacific Vineyards,

Valley Farm Management, Zabala Vineyards, Blair Wines, GO Farming

and Jackson Family Wines.

In Carmel Valley, the transition phase was more slowly paced during the

1960s. After the original plantings by the missionaries in the region were

abandoned, a French settler planted winegrapes and nut trees in decom-

posed granite soils at a site now called Almond Flat at Galante Vineyards

& Winery. But until Durney Vineyard was planted in 1968, the land was

primarily used to farm other agricultural products and raise cattle, or was

simply left untouched.

Hahn, Ste. Nicholas Vineyards – Arroyo Seco

36 July 2013 WBM

Arroyo Seco and Carmel Valley

The playersFor the Arroyo Seco appellation, the petition was submitted to the BATF

by a mixture of farmers and visionaries that included Lohr, Jekel, the

Wente Brothers, Arroyo Seco Vineyards (ASV), Doug Meador of Ventana

Vineyards and Rich Smith of Paraiso Vineyards. The boundaries of the

appellation were based on the unique combination of soil, water and wind

that impacted the region as a whole.

“To me, it doesn’t seem like the lines were drawn in terms of politics and

who was where. Instead, it was based on accuracy, attention to detail, soil

samples, climate records and a tremendous group effort to design the borders

of an appellation that we still abide by today,” said Michael Griva, proprietor

of Griva Vineyards in Greenfield, who began planting his vineyards in the

mid-1990s.

In Carmel Valley, the application was submitted to BATF by Hollywood

screenwriter Dorothy Durney and her husband William, who began devel-

oping the first commercial vineyards in the region in 1968. In 1993, Durney

Winery was sold to the Heller family and renamed Heller Estate.

Over the past 30 years, new wineries joined the fold and brought a new

sense of international style to Carmel Valley, including the Galante family,

who purchased their 690-acre ranch deep in Cachagua Valley in the 1960s

and began developing their vineyards in the early 1980s; Walter Georis, a

Belgium-born chef and musician who founded Georis Winery on the heels

of the success of his family-style restaurant Casanova in downtown Carmel;

and Ben Pon, a Dutch-born retired European race car driver for Porsche,

who acquired the property formerly owned by the Talbott family in upper

Carmel Valley to established Bernardus Winery and open the Bernardus

Lodge in the 1990s.

Terroir ExplorationIn the Arroyo Seco AVA, the grapes are primarily grown on the well-drained

Elder loamy soils that feature a combination of sand, limestone, shale, gravel

and cobblestones (affectionately called “Greenfield potatoes” by locals),

which provide adequate drainage for the vines’ root system and retain

warmth on cool breezy nights.

For irrigation, the AVA is rooted in the unique geography and regional

aspects of the Arroyo Seco River, a seasonal waterway that serves as a conduit

of rain and snowmelt from the Santa Lucia Mountains to the Salinas River.

This natural process results in access to pure mountain water with admirable

levels of pH and hard minerals.

Leading up to harvest, the fog blows off in the late morning, and the

temperature rises to a peak in the high 70s to low 80s for a short amount

of time in the early afternoon. As the wind picks up, the temperature drops,

and the stomatas on the vines close to ensure long hang time and preserve

the crisp acidity in the clusters. Due to this daily surge of wind, frost is a

rare issue in the appellation. The end results are low yields and unique

soil attributes.

In contrast, Cachagua Valley is relatively sheltered from maritime influence

by 3,000 to 4,000 foot ridges on the Santa Lucia Highlands. Most of the vines

are planted at elevations of 700 to 2,200 feet in a mixture of sandy and loamy

clay soils, river rock and gravel terraces that provide exceptional drainage.

There are also small pockets that feature beautiful white sand.

During growing season, temperatures in the AVA commonly reach the

90s during the day, dropping down to the 40s at night. This massive diurnal

swing helps preserve the deep flavors in the berries.

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38 July 2013 WBM

Arroyo Seco and Carmel Valley

The VarietiesChardonnay is the most dominant variety grown in Arroyo Seco. Over the

past three decades, viticulturists in the region have put an emphasis on

testing the newest clones and special selections available in the United States.

At the top of the list of achievements is the work done by the Wente family

and vineyard manager Ralph Riva, who worked with Jim Wolpert of UC

Davis to revive 02A, the old Wente clone known for its concentrated flavors,

small clusters, shot berries and the frequent “hens and chicks” morphology.

Although the clone was planted throughout the state before the late 1960s,

no plant material was grown at the UCD Foundation Block after 1969. In

an effort to bring the clone back to the FPS book, Riva cultivated a special

test vine at the Wente property in Arroyo Seco and donated a large amount

of wood to UC Davis for analysis in 1991. After undergoing shoot tip tissue

culture treatment for virus elimination, the plant material was registered as

FPS 72 in 2002.

Another veteran viticulturist accustomed to working with Chardonnay

clones is Roger Moitoso, who originally moved to Monterey County at the

age of four. After attending Chico State and working for Almaden Vine-

yards, Moitoso was hired by Arroyo Seco Vineyards, Inc. in 1986.

Today, Moitoso and the team work with a multitude of Chardonnay selec-

tions in the 1, 000-plus acres of vines the company farms in Arroyo Seco,

including Wente, Robert Young and Olmo 108 (FPMS clones 4 and 5), as well

as newer Dijon clones 76, 95 and 96. While some of the fruit is used to make

the Muirwood, Scott Family Estate and Martin Ranch brands owned by

ASV, a high percentage is used as the core of the Niebaum-Coppola Estate

Winery Diamond Series.

“From tropical fruit to citrus and minerals, it’s become quite clear that

each clone offers special takes on new flavors when planted in the unique

soils and cool-climate conditions in Arroyo Seco,” said Moitoso, who also

works with the UC Davis FPS program and Casa Cristal Nursery Inc., a

supplier of benchgrafts, rootings, cuttings and hot water treatment based in

Delano, Kern County.

In addition to Riesling and Pinot Gris, another popular white grape grown

in the region is Sauvignon Blanc. At Griva Vineyards, Michael Griva has been

working with the Musque clone since 1998 and sells most of his fruit from

these blocks to Bernardus Winery in Carmel Valley. The vines are planted

between the Arroyo Seco River and a bypass channel that dates back to the

Mission days when the monks hand-dug a waterway to transport water to the

Soledad Mission. Through the centuries, erosion has depleted the amount of

top soil, which causes vines to struggle. But the distinctive varietal character,

intense aromas and mineral notes in the finished product are worth the toil.

For red grapes, the main variety grown in the region is Pinot Noir. Some

of the first cuttings of the grape were planted at the Mission Ranch by the

Mirassou family in the early 1960s. Today, it’s common to find Dijon clones,

Pommard, Wadenswil, Mariafeld and special selections of Swan, Calera and

Pisoni planted in specialty vineyards of the AVA.

In Carmel Valley, the most widely planted grape varieties are Cabernet

Sauvignon and Merlot. Although known for the Sauvignon Blanc that comes

from vineyards in Arroyo Seco and Chardonnays from Santa Lucia Highlands,

the most well-known red wine at Bernardus Winery is Marinus, a Bordeaux-

style blend that typically contains 60 to 70 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 25

percent Merlot and smaller portions of Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit

Verdot grown at the 36-acre estate vineyards in Cachagua Valley.

According to winemaker Dean De Korth, the magic of the area is based

on the slow accumulation of sugars. As the heat rises in late September and

October, the deep flavors of small berries with thick skins develop slowly and

are enhanced with exceptional levels of natural pH and bright acidity.

“The ultimate goal is to express the character of the vineyard and the

uniqueness of the soils in the wines we make from the estate,” said De Korth,

who usually finishes picking the grapes around Thanksgiving.

For Merlot, Georis Winery is a specialist in the region. In 1981, Walter

Georis planted grapes in Cachagua next to Galante. Today, most of the fruit

from the 28 acres of estate vineyards is used to make big reds with a heavy

emphasis on producing complex flavors and silky tannins.

“I want my reds to have an elegant style that people recognize each time

they taste them,” said Georis. “That is one of the main reasons I chose to

plant my vineyards in Carmel Valley. The characteristics of climate and soil

are so unique that it gives the red grapes an adequate chance to mature for

each vintage.”

Near the popular tourist destination of Carmel Valley Village, the daily

maritime breezes from the ocean encourage producers to grow Burgundy and

Alsace varieties in the northern part of the appellation. Producers in the area

include Frank Joyce’s Chateau Christina/Joyce Vineyard; Carmel Ridge

Winery, owned and operated by the husband-wife team of Paul Stokes and

Lynn Sakasegawa; Chateau Sinnet Winery, which makes sparkling and

fruit-based wines in addition to regular varietals; and Holman Ranch, an

historic estate with vineyards planted by the Lowder family, who purchased

the property in 2006.

innovative prowessBeyond updated improvements to row spacing, row orientation and sun

exposure on both sides of the canopy, most of the growers in Arroyo Seco

and Carmel Valley use sustainable farming practices to help preserve the

long-term health of the vineyards.

One of the pioneers with experience in both appellations is Steve

McIntyre, who was recently honored as 2013 Grower of the Year by the

California Association of Winegrape Growers. After designing the

original vineyards at Galante Ranch in Carmel Valley at the ripe age of 23,

McIntyre was hired by Hahn Estate and Smith & Hook wineries to develop

new vineyards in Arroyo Seco and the Santa Lucia Highlands from 1984 to

1992. The following year, McIntyre and his wife Kimberly started Monterey

Carmel Valley Holman Ranch

Galante

MarinusBernardus

HellerHeller Estate Organic

Joyce

Chateau Sinnet

0 1 20.5

Miles

First Vineyards: 1968AVA Approved: 1983Approx. 300 acres planted

Arroyo SecoZabala

Riva RanchWente Family Estates

ClarkJackson Family Wines

J. Lohr

Scheid

PanoramaJackson Family Wines

SuterArroyo Seco

Mark’s RanchValley Farm Management

SanctuaryJekel

Ste PhilippeHahn

Ventana NorthVentana

Rancho TierraJackson Family Wines

Mission RanchMonterey Pacific

ZanettaArroyo Seco

GravelstoneJekel

Vineyard Library #1Valley Farm Management Ste Nicolas

HahnLoma Pacific

Monterey Pacitic

Force CanyonMonterey Pacitic

ElmScheid

Sycamore CellarsArroyo Seco Canyon

VaqueroArroyo Seco

Twin OakArroyo Seco

Rocky RanchGo Farming

Ventana SouthVentana

Arroyo VistaJ. Lohr

WindmillArroyo Seco

Griva/J. Lohr

KimberlyMonterey Pacific

Massa

Sciaroni RanchBlair

Cobblestone

El Camino RealValley Farm Management

Vineyard Library #4Valley Farm Management

BeeswaxMonterey Pacific

El CaminoScheid

Loma VistaValley Farm Management

0 1 20.5

Miles

First Vineyards: 1962AVA Approved: 1983Approx. 7,000 acres planted

WBM July 2013 39

Pacific, Inc., which is currently the fifth largest vineyard management and

development company in the U.S. at over 10,000 acres—945 acres of which

are located in the Arroyo Seco AVA.

“Back in the late 1990s, it wasn’t about sustainability but rather about

sharing great practices. Out of that we saved ourselves money, aggravation

and now have grapevines that are much healthier than they would have been

in the past,” said McIntyre, one of the founding members of the Central

Coast Vineyard Team’s Sustainability in Practice program and a member

of the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance.

in the CellarIn addition to selling fruit to big producers, many vineyard owners in

Arroyo Seco take pride in working with boutique producers who put the

name of the AVA on their labels. One of the devotees to the region is Mike

Kohne, co-owner of Mercy Vineyards, a winery that is named after the

windy conditions vineyards in Arroyo Seco face on a daily basis.

The fruit is sourced from three contiguous vineyards—Griva, Cedar Lane

and Zabala—that feature old river bed soil. “We love the dimension and the

profile the Arroyo Seco region offers us as winemakers. While red and black-

tone fruit dominates, there is still that extra touch of delicacy, floral aspects,

earthiness and depth of flavor that you cannot find in other winegrowing

regions,” said Kohne, who started the winery with business partner Mark

Dirickson and winemaker Alan Philips in 2008. “We like the uniqueness of

place, and that’s what you get in Arroyo Seco.”

The Future of the AVALike the sum of the parts, both appellations help promote Monterey County

in their own unique ways. In the case of Carmel Valley, the recent emer-

gence of new tasting rooms in Carmel and Carmel Valley Village has helped

the wineries establish long-lasting relationships and broadcast the message

to consumers, travel writers and members of the media. “Over the past 30

years we’ve learned there is a very distinctive flavor to wines made in the

region,” said Jack Galante, a professional geologist, who became a full-time

employee at his family’s winery in 1991. “Like the old Folger’s ad used to say,

there’s something special about products made with pure mountain fruit.”

In Arroyo Seco, the signs are promising, but there’s still work to be done.

For while a growing number of producers who purchase fruit from the

region put the name of the AVA on the bottle, others simply use the fruit as

secret ingredients in “fighting varietals” blends that say “Monterey,” “Central

Coast” or “California” on the label.

According to Moitoso, the key to success is patience. “While it’s important

to have the appellation recognized, if the production gets up to 200,000 cases,

we might not have enough fruit to put Arroyo Seco on the label. In the end,

it comes down to case good sales and getting great wines in the hands of

consumers,” said Moitoso.

“As an AVA grabs traction, it really starts to grow on its own. For now

our job is to grow high-quality grapes to get the message across in the best

way possible.” WBM

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