June 2001

Oceans of Personality
Santa Cruz and Monterey vintages ooze character
By Stacey Vreeken

If you’ve ever wondered what it was like to visit the Napa Valley 20 or 30 years ago, back when it was one of California’s best-kept secrets, tour the vineyards of the Santa Cruz Mountains and Carmel Valley. You’ll find complex, elegant wines poured in an intimate, scenic setting without the hustle and bustle. The winemaker is often there to share his vision of crafting the perfect vintage.

The wineries that wind through the mountains and valleys surrounding the Monterey Bay produce wines that are influenced by warm afternoons, foggy mornings and nights and cool, ocean breezes. It’s a climate where the popular Chardonnay grape and the provocative Pinot Noir excel.

The Santa Cruz Mountains has a special place in the history of California wine. It is a region so distinct, it carries its own appellation. The cool region is highly rated for the grapes in that thrive there, providing a long growing season, which adds to the complexity of the grapes.

A long summer of warm days and cool nights creates "hang time," which allows for the formation of more complex flavors at the end of the ripening season, says Pamela Storrs of Storrs Winery. Both Pamela and her husband Stephen consistently create the award-winning wines year after year in their winery in downtown Santa Cruz.

The grape growing land in the Santa Cruz Mountains, whose appellation is set at a minimum 400 feet, is more homogenous, says Pamela Storrs, while Monterey deals with more wind, valley soils and the influence of the Salinas River creating seven appellations in these microclimates. Storrs says the winemakers are a congenial group, independently owning their businesses, which translates right down through the wine.

"It’s wines with personality," she says.

In addition to the Chardonnay and Pinot, Storrs suggests trying Zinfandel, Merlot, Gerwurztraminer, Syrah and Petit Syrah in the northern end of the Bay and try Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zinfandel in the southern end of the Bay.

You should also try Storrs Winery’s 1997 BXR meritage. Combining all five of the classic Bordeaux varietals (Merlot Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Saugivnon, Malbec and Petit Verdot), it tied with Joseph Phelps Insignia at the San Francisco International Wine Competition.

"The Storrs are so highly regarded," says fellow winemaker June Smith of Roudon-Smith Winery. "They make small amounts, both have degrees, and they consistently win such high ratings."

Although the Smiths are semi-retired, the winery produces its own fine vintages, reflecting the winemaking philosophy of its owners, at the cellar just outside of Scotts Valley and one at Carmel Valley Village.

"What I love is how winemaking is more of an art than a business." She describes how wine is "made from fruit that won’t last into a product that will last over time. We’re all in it for that magic thing that happens."

Winemaker Bob Roudon says he can’t think of any job where every aspect is such a pleasure. June Smith agrees that living in an area with redwoods and the beautiful Monterey Bay climate, creating a product that gives pleasure to thousands of people, is the way to make your dreams come true.

But the most pleasure comes from crafting your own wine. "Having your own vineyard is a way to control how the grapes come out," says Smith. "You can’t make a great wine out of poor grapes."

She gives examples of wineries that have bought grapes from the same vineyard, picked the same day, but producing wines completely different. "It’s interesting, because that’s the winemaker’s likes and dislikes showing up," says Smith.

And that’s the key to tasting in the Monterey Bay. These are wines with character. Storrs calls them elegant; Smith calls them complex. Either way, these are not shy wines.

"The Chardonnays are complex and have a high acid which may be more suitable for a meal versus afternoon sipping. They are known more as food wines," says Smith. Try a ’97, if you can find one, which was an optimal year for Santa Cruz wines. "Chardonnays tend to age well because of acids. That’s why the ‘97 is tasting so well right now. We take out an ‘83 every once in a while and it’s still holding well," she says.

In the Monterey region, Chardonnays tends to be more tropical. And the warmer nights encourage fine Sauvignon Blancs, says Storrs.

Storrs suggests matching local wines with local foods, asking for recommendation at local restaurants. But most of all, she recommends trusting your own senses with what you like. "It doesn’t matter what others say," she says.

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