Overview
One of the wine world’s best kept secrets, the Santa Cruz Mountains have long produced some of the New World’s very finest wines. For decades, inspirational wines like Ridge Montebello and Mount Eden Chardonnay have thrilled serious wine enthusiasts. In addition, there have been many legendary Pinot Noirs from producers like Mount Eden, David Bruce and Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyards. At their best, Santa Cruz Mountain wines offer all the key ingredients for truly fine wine – breathtaking balance, terrific concentration, uncommon minerality, thrilling complexity and Old World ageworthiness. With less than 200 acres planted to Pinot Noir in the entire appellation, Santa Cruz Mountain Pinots are also quite rare.
Santa Cruz Mountain Pinot Noir derives its quality from a very unique confluence of climate and geology. The appellation is bordered by two bodies of water – the Pacific Ocean on the west and the San Francisco Bay on the east. This situation creates a cool climate that moderates California’s late season heat spikes, producing intense wines with beautiful balance.
Our vineyards have been carefully selected to highlight the unique conditions in these mountains, which encompass three distinct micro-climates and five different geological profiles. These different “terroirs” make for five very different Pinot Noirs. Each year these vineyards reveal more of their personality and we hope that you will join us on our journey of discovery.
