Arroyo Seco

Lying in the middle of the Salinas Valley, the under-appreciated Arroyo Seco AVA is a beacon of cool-climate winemaking in Monterey County. Its vineyards—especially those to the east—are buffeted for much of the day by cold Pacific winds and shrouded by fog. This combines to give Arroyo Seco an extremely long growing season. Soils throughout the AVA are stony, and these stones absorb sunlight to provide additional heat to the vines. While winemakers face a challenging growing environment, the effort is worth it, as the area produces superbly balanced Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling; intriguing Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon perform well in the western part of the AVA.