The Monterey County Viticultural region consisting mainly of
the Salinas Valley area is probably the most versatile grape growing
region in California. The Salinas Valley can be best described
as a huge funnel with the city of Salinas on the North end directly
open to the Pacific Ocean like the fill end of a funnel then narrowing
down and stretching inland some 120 miles south to a small farming
town called San Miguel. The sides of the funnel are created by
the Santa Lucia Mountain Range to the west and the Diablo Range
to the East.
Though only a mere 25 miles inland, the whole
Salinas valley is blocked from the marine influence directly west
by the Santa Lucia's, thereby forcing all marine climatic influence
to enter at the entrance of the "funnel" (Salinas side)
where the average summer temperature is around 68 degrees F. One
hundred twenty miles to its southernmost point in San Miguel,
temperatures can commonly reach into the low 100's just like its
neighbor the great Central Valley another 50miles inland.
This "funnel" is also force fed from
the Pacific Ocean opening every day when the early afternoon sun
heats the valley floor, causing the air at the ground to heat
up then rise, leaving only the seaward opening to rush in with
cold, heavier marine air to fill the gap left by the rising air.
This "bellows" type cooling effect causes windy afternoons
which stretch through the entire length of the valley. If we were
to drive a car inland down the Salinas Valley we would find a
temperature increase of approximately 1 degree F for every two
miles driven.
At Salinas, there are not enough degree days
to ripen even the earlier maturing grape varieties; we need to
start planting our grapes further in around the Chualar and Greenfield
areas where the temperatures are barely enough to ripen Chardonnay,
one of the earliest ripening varieties. This area could be compared
to the Burgundy and Chablis regions of Northern France where world
renowned Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are grown. In the Napa/Sonoma
regions this would be directly compatible to the renowned Carneros
region which borders the San Pablo Bay, the entrance to the Napa
and Sonoma Valleys.
To more emphasize the importance of this time
to ripening, if we were making a wine from the Central Valley
region we would be harvesting our Chardonnay grapes around late
July whereas the Monterey County Chardonnay would not be ripe
until mid-October to mid-November. It is this longer "hang
time" and lack of burning, damaging type heat, which gives
the coastal regions their more intense superb quality wines.
As we continue on southward through the Salinas
Valley we reach the King City area where we gain enough temperature
to ripen Cabernet Sauvignon, one of the latest ripening varieties,
and other red varieties which commonly ripen after Chardonnay.
The King City area could be best compared to the Bordeaux Region
of France or the Rutherfold/Oakville area of Napa Valley. These
areas are the most ideal in the world for Bordeaux varieties and
Rhone style varieties such as Cabernet, Merlot, and Syrah. Harvest
time for Cabernet Sauvignon would typically begin in mid-October
and extend into late November such as the case of this year's
1999 harvest (rain and weather permitting.) Referring back to
our Central Valley comparison Cabernet Sauvignon is typically
harvested in Early September through mid-October.
Because of this unique geographical situation
in the Salinas Valley we can drive through Chablis, Burgandy,
Rhone and Bordeaux in close to 2 hours time! It is indeed a winemaker's
paradise.
Back in 1991 when Baywood Cellars (known as Las Viñas
until a name change in 1997) won an international Gold in the
super-premium category for their Cabernet Sauvignon, the standards
changed for the Central Valley's Lodi region in that quality
wines could be produced from this area. Though it's little known,
Lodi's niche in the northern San Joaquin Valley contains a climate
only slightly warmer than some of the inland coastal regions.
Lodi's flat terrain differs from much of the Coastal regions,
but vineyards around Lodi can use coastal growing techniques to
enhance their quality. The Delta breeze that moves through the
area provides dynamic day-night temperatures that differ from
other parts of the Central Valley.
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