About Monterey County
Monterey County is one of California's largest wine-producing counties, with more than 45,000 acres under vine across the Salinas Valley and its surrounding highlands. The region's extreme diurnal temperature swings — driven by cold Pacific air funneled through the Salinas Valley — produce wines of remarkable freshness, acidity, and aromatic intensity, particularly from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Riesling.
The Salinas Valley, often called 'the salad bowl of the world,' is also one of California's most important wine corridors. Cold air from Monterey Bay is drawn inland each afternoon, dropping temperatures dramatically and preserving the natural acidity that defines Monterey wines. The Santa Lucia Highlands, perched at elevations of 1,200 to 2,200 feet on the valley's western rim, is the county's most celebrated sub-appellation, producing benchmark Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with a distinctive cool-climate signature. Arroyo Seco, in the southern valley, is renowned for its Riesling and Gewürztraminer. Chalone, an isolated mountain appellation near Pinnacles National Park, produces some of California's most age-worthy Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc.