Exploring the Santa Cruz Mountains
BY ANTONIO GALLONI |
The Santa Cruz Mountains remains one of the most fascinating regions in the United States. These hillside vineyards, tucked above the urban sprawl of Silicon Valley, are home to a number of world-class estates, as I was reminded once again this year after tasting a number of older wines. Mountain viticulture is by its own definition a struggle against the elements. But it is precisely that struggle that so often yields wines of singular beauty.
Getting a handle on the Santa Cruz Mountains takes a bit of time, but that is an investment will be richly rewarding. The area is quite vast, but only sparsely planted relative to most viticultural regions around the world. Burgundy, Bordeaux and Rhône varieties are all capable of producing exceptional wines. Readers who want to read more about the general layout of the Santa Cruz Mountains might want to revisit my article, Santa Cruz Mountains: Scaling the Heights. A further challenge is that some of the best wines from these vineyards are made from producers based in other parts of California, including Arnot-Roberts, Ceritas and others. To make browsing a bit easier, readers can see a list of all the Santa Cruz Mountains wines I tasted in 2019 here.
David and Stacey Gollnick and their winemaker, Ehren Jordan (not pictured), make compelling wines at Mindego Ridge
The Santa Cruz Mountains remains one of the most fascinating regions in the United States. These hillside vineyards, tucked above the urban sprawl of Silicon Valley, are home to a number of world-class estates, as I was reminded once again this year after tasting a number of older wines. Mountain viticulture is by its own definition a struggle against the elements. But it is precisely that struggle that so often yields wines of singular beauty.
