Santa Cruz Mountains – The Chameleon 

BY BILLY NORRIS | OCTOBER 22, 2024

I’m sure Neal Martin would approve of me assigning a soundtrack for this report. If you have the means, drop the needle on Herbie Hancock’s “Chameleon” and read on…

The Santa Cruz Mountains is a confusing place.

Overlooking Silicon Valley from the top of Mount Eden.

It’s tough to navigate. Vineyards are tucked away behind thick pine and redwood groves so that you might never even know you were in a winegrowing region if you didn’t know you were in a winegrowing region. Winding mountain roads require a dose of Dramamine (a medication used to ease motion sickness) for those inclined toward queasiness, stretching short geographical distances into numbingly long treks. Visiting more than a few wineries in a single day requires a nearly Herculean effort. Rhys winemaker Jeff Brinkman warned me as I departed our meeting for a tasting at Mount Eden, “The GPS says 45 minutes, but plan on twice that. Do you have an SUV? It’s pretty steep.” My rental Chevy Malibu would have to suffice.  

The climate is erratic and practically impossible to boil down into predictable regionality. It’s cold, damp, foggy and wickedly windy in some sites, occasionally even snowing at higher elevations in the winter. Conditions are endlessly sunny, dry and relentlessly warm in others.

The soils? Good luck counting them—you can thank the prehistoric convergence of two geologic plates and the San Andreas Fault for that.

Depending on who you ask, there may be four, five or six sub-regions, but their defining characteristics and boundaries are nebulous and up for debate. Of those, only one of them is officially designated, the nested Ben Lomond Mountain AVA.

Many producers who make wines from the Santa Cruz Mountains aren’t based there, including top names like Arnot-Roberts and Kutch in Sonoma, while many of the ones who are also make wines from elsewhere outside the area, such as Rhys with their Anderson Valley offerings and Ridge’s extensive range from Sonoma and beyond. The connection between producer and place can be difficult to nail down.

And the varieties? Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc, Zinfandel, Nebbiolo and a smattering of others of all shapes and sizes come from every corner of the map. Current releases are never confined to a certain vintage because every producer marches to the beat of their own drummer.  

At its heart, the Santa Cruz Mountains is a chameleon.