The Magic of the Santa Cruz Mountains
The SF team in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
If I was forced to pick a favorite wine region in California, I think it would have to be the Santa Cruz Mountains. These rugged coastal mountains are a truly special place to produce wine. First of all, the diversity of micro-climates within the AVA allows for an almost endless range of possibilities for grape growing. The generally warmer interior (SF Bay side) of the mountains is perfect for growing Bordeaux varietals as illustrated by the iconic wines of Ridge Monte Bello and close neighbors such as Fellom Ranch and Mount Eden. On the coastal side of the mountains the Pacific Ocean and Monterey Bay provide enormous tempering effects on temperature as well as persistent fog. This makes great conditions for growing world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Another huge factor in the Santa Cruz Mountains is elevation. The higher you get the less impact from coastal fog, but daytime highs are generally lower at significant elevation. However, many higher elevation sites are also significantly affected by an inversion layer—where cool air descends into the valleys and lower elevations at night pushing the warmer air of the day up to the mountain tops, so those vineyards experience warmer nights. Add in slope and various aspects (morning sun, afternoon sun), and you can see how complex this region is.
Beyond that, perhaps the most complex part of the Santa Cruz Mountains is the underlying geology. Sitting directly on the faultline where the Pacific and North American plates meet, the geology of the region is a complex mix of limestone, sand, clay, shale, volcanic, granite, sandstone, and schist. The majority of the mountains are characterized by uplifted ancient seabed interspersed with volcanic origin soils. In many places the earth’s crust has twisted 90 degrees meaning that millions of years of geological layers can be found just feet from one another. Taken together all these elements mean that for those willing to grow grapes in this rugged, mountainous, diverse region, anything is possible. The Santa Cruz Mountains can do it all—from powerhouse, age-worthy Cabernet, to laser-focused, mineral-driven Chardonnay and everything in between. Here are some of my current favorite wines from the region:
2023 Madson Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay 34.95 95JD If you don’t know Madson’s wines you’re missing out. A project spearheaded by two friends, Cole Thomas and Ken Sweggles. Cole is a supremely talented young winemaker who learned his craft under Jeff Emery of Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard, one of the region's most respected and experienced vignerons. Cole takes this classical approach and infuses a little of his own dynamic energy and tension into the wines with great effect. Ken is one of the most renowned viticulturalists/grape growers in the mountains, leading a team that farms dozens of sites across the AVA. He personally lives on and farms Ascona Vineyard (Madson’s de facto estate). The 2023 SCM Chardonnay is a picture of precision and finesse. From several sites Ken farms organically across the AVA but all with marine sedimentary, high calcium soils. The wine is racy, fresh, saline with tingling, mouthwatering acidity and incredible length on the palate.
2023 Farm Cottage "Trout Gulch Vineyard" Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay $39.95 97JD Ryan Alfaro’s Farm Cottage wines have gone from fledgling project three years ago to borderline cult icons in the region. Thankfully for us, we supported Ryan’s wines from the very first release when he would drive from Corralitos to our store in Redwood City to hand-deliver his wines. Now that the monster scores (97-98 points) are dropping from top critics we still get our fair share of these tiny-production wines. Trout Gulch is a highly renowned vineyard just a few miles from Monterey Bay surrounded by coastal redwoods. The Alfaro family had leased and farmed the vineyard for 15 years before buying it outright in 2020. The Chardonnay is 40+ year old Wente selection producing fruit of an uncommon concentration of flavor and beautifully high acidity to complement the intensity of flavor. Ryan whole-cluster presses the fruit, and ferments the juice using only native yeast in a stainless steel tank. After fermentation the wine is aged on fine lees in entirely neutral French oak barrels for nine months. A wonderful Chardonnay that perfectly reflects this Grand Cru site.
2021 Rhys Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay $39.95 95WE This SCM appellation wine from Rhys allows you to peek into the incredible world of this iconic producer at an extremely reasonable price. Fruit for this wine is entirely estate grown at Rhy’s several estate vineyards across the mountains. The vineyards are high-density plantings of heritage clones, farmed using organic and biodynamic methods. The wines are produced in a very traditional Burgundian manner in Rhy’s state of the art underground winery off Skyline Rd at the peak of the mountains. The very low yields and drought conditions in 2021 made a wine with big concentration and wonderful crystalline golden fruit characters. Hints of toasted hazelnut mingle with saline minerals and baked orchard fruit. Drinking beautifully right now. Fantastic value.
2022 Ridge Vineyards "Estate" Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay $69.95 98JD We’re down to the last 10 or so cases of this incredible estate Chardonnay from Ridge Vineyards. Sourced entirely from the legendary Monte Bello Vineyard high above Saratoga. A large proportion of the vines for this bottling are almost 50 years old, planted in the 1970s. The vines grow on Franciscan shale soil (a brittle, grey/red fractured rock). Native fermentation in mostly used American and French oak barrels (just 15% new oak). Powerful and yet focused and chalky in texture. A baby that clearly will age gracefully for 10+ years.
2022 Beauregard Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir $24.95 (EW $50) 92WE The Beauregard family has a long history of farming in the Santa Cruz mountains. Amos Beauregard bought their first parcel of land back in 1945. The land he bought, now known as Beauregard Ranch, was part of the historic Quistorf Ranch first planted to grapes in 1887. Three generations later, the winery now run by Ryan Beauregard is into its 80th year of grape growing. Fruit for this bottling comes from their Coast Grade Vineyard, an old apple orchard right next to the winery and tasting room in Bonny Doon. The vines sit at around 1,300ft in limestone rich soils (there’s an old limestone quarry right below the vineyard). This wine is made in a very fresh, approachable soil with lifted floral aromatics mingling with forest floor elements and bright red berry fruits. I love this wine at a cool cellar temperature with roast chicken. We have incredible, winery-direct pricing on this wine, so stock up!
2023 Assiduous "Volkmann Vineyard" Santa Cruz Mountain Pinot Noir $29.95 The Assiduous wines continue to be huge staff favorites at K&L and we sell a significant amount of this winery’s total production in our stores! Owner/winemaker Kegan Mayo strikes the perfect balance with his non-interventionist winemaking style. The wines are expressive, authentic, non-manipulated, but always fantastically pure, fresh, and with beautiful fruit/savory interplay.
2022 Madson Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir $34.95 93JD The Madson guys are making some of the most intriguing wines in the appellation. This Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir from them is the perfect introduction to the house style. For the Burgundy drinkers out there this wine totally has that subtle hint of what I like to call sexy reduction, the wine is coy, not ready to give up all its secrets in the first instant. Leaf litter and sous bois give way to spicy, dusty berry fruits, dried herbs, sassafras, hints of bramble leaf. A silky, polished texture with super fine tannins and piquant acidity. A very food friendly elegant style.
2018 Mindego Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir $49.95 96VN Mindego Ridge is one of the most westerly sites in the AVA just a few ridges in from Pescadero and the frigid Pacific Ocean. The vineyard is laid out in parcellated blocks at a few different elevations up the steep hillside and surrounded by thick forest. Husband and wife Dave and Stacey Gollnick live on the property and farm it meticulously. The fruit is sold to many of the best wineries in the region. The small quantity of estate wines are made by Ehren Jordan of Failla winery. The 2018 is quite rich and opulent with deep cherry fruit, baking spice, sandalwood, warm earthy notes. Silky and broad on the palate with a dried floral lift in the finish.
2023 Samuel Louis Smith "Sandstone Terrace" Santa Cruz Mountains Syrah $39.95 98JD I first met Samuel Smith during his tenure as winemaker at Morgan Winery in the Santa Lucia Highlands. Beyond the wonderful wines he made at his day job, a few years back Sam started his own small label. A self proclaimed “micro-negociant” Sam sources small parcels of fruit from top-notch vineyards around the Santa Cruz Mountains and beyond. A Syrah aficionado, Sam has worked multiple vintages in the northern Rhône valley including with François Villard who he considers a mentor. The Sandstone Terrace Syrah comes from Gali, Nelson, and Coastview Vineyards. Fermented using 85% whole-clusters and native yeast. The wine matured for 10 months in neutral French oak. Classic fragrance of violets, lavender, pepper crusted red meat searing on cast iron, dry chaparral, hints of crushed rock. Elegant and pretty, but with a gamey, savory core. Such an epic wine. Just 200 cases made.
2022 Farm Cottage "Ryan Spencer Vineyard" Santa Cruz Mountains Syrah $39.95 98JD 97WE Another tiny production, cool-climate Syrah from the Santa Cruz Mountains that will knock your socks off! Coming from one block of high-density planted Syrah on the Alfaro estate in Corralitos. The block was planted in 2001 and is named after Ryan himself by his father. This steeply sloped site ranges from 450-800ft elevation. Fermented using native yeast, 100% whole-cluster, and gentle pumpovers. So bright and aromatic, dried floral notes, lots of toasted spices, black raspberry fruit, loamy earth, and subtle leather. Elegant and poised, yet immensely aromatic with linear power and energy. World-class by any measure.
2022 Madson “Ascona Vineyard” Santa Cruz Mountains Syrah $44.95 98JD Another Santa Cruz Mountains Syrah, this time from a single, spectacular vineyard right off of Skyline some 2,500ft above the town of Los Gatos. Ascona Vineyard is one of the most incredible vineyards in the appellation. With views out over old-growth redwood forest to the fogbank sitting on the Pacific Ocean 14 miles away, you really feel on top of the world up there. The vineyard was established on an old Christmas tree farm back in 2000. The soils are uplifted marine sedimentary. Madson owners/viticulturists/husband-and-wife Ken and Abbey live on Ascona Vineyard and personally farm it with incredible thought and deliberate attention to detail. For this small, 100-case production, Ken chooses his six favorite rows of Syrah from particularly shallow, rocky soils. The fruit is fermented using 100% whole-clusters and aged in entirely neutral oak. This is a truly authentic expression of varietal and place. Floral lift, bright, vivid purple fruits, spiced forest berries, peppercorns in a mortar and pestle, the freshly cracked dry spice, but also the stone on stone flinty mineral component that’s in this wine. Every swirl and sip reveals another dimension. Incredible.
2021 Ridge Vineyards "Estate" Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon $89.95 95JD Made entirely from Monte Bello fruit, but blended to be more open and accessible at a younger age than the flagship Monte Bello bottling. A truly spectacular “second wine” that oftentimes even outshines its big brother in early years. Monte Bello is divided up into four main parcels growing at varying elevations between 1,300ft and 2,700ft on mostly fractured shale soils with underlying limestone. Some blocks date all the way back to the 1950s and are some of the oldest Cabernet vines in California. Native fermentation, aged in American oak, 50% new. This wine really shows the quality of the vintage and low yield concentration. A powerful wine with deep cassis and mulberry fruit, cigar box tones, pine forest, ferrous notes, spice and dried herbs. One of the best values in California Cabernet.
2021 I. Brand & Family "Fellom Ranch" Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon $79.95 Sharing a fence line with Ridge Monte Bello, Fellom Ranch Vineyard is another historic property in this part of the Santa Cruz Mountains that has long produced world-class, long-lived Cabernet Sauvignon of distinction. Ian Brand gets fruit from two old, east and north facing blocks planted in 1980 and 1982 to a historic Beringer selection or “clone.” Wanting to highlight the aromatic intensity and vitality of this old vine Cabernet grown on limestone soils, Ian ages his Fellom Ranch Cab in a large format Austrian Stockinger cask. The wine is so fine and detailed yet subtly powerful at the same time. Bright, lifted, aromatic red and black fruit. Crushed rock minerals, hints of camphor, sagebrush, leather, and leafy tobacco. Enjoyable young because of the refined tannins, but clearly a wine that will age decades in the cellar if you have patience.
2019 Mount Eden "Estate" Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon $99.95 95VN One ridge away from Monte Bello and Fellom Ranch is yet another historic property that helped put the Santa Cruz Mountains on the world wine map. Cabernet Sauvignon at Mount Eden was established in the 1940s by Martin Ray. The vine material is La Questa Clone, cuttings brought to California from Château Margaux in the 1880s by Emmet Rixford. The current plantings from the early 1980s are massal selections from those original vines. This site produces singular wines with lots of savory, earthy notes intermingled with quite a red fruit flavor profile. Lots of iron tones, leather, and briar patch notes. In one sense refined and elegant, but also quite wild, savory, and ultimately terroir driven. Proven to age beautifully, no rush here, it will develop beautifully over the next 15-20 years.