Santa Cruz Mountains – The Chameleon&nbsp;

BY BILLY NORRIS |&nbsp;OCTOBER 22, 2024I’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.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1729605895539-Mt+Eden+TOP_copycover.jpg">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. &nbsp;

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. &nbsp;

At its heart,
the Santa Cruz Mountains is a chameleon.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1729605921358-Rhys+Overlook_copy.JPG">Looking east from the ridgeline at
Rhys, with the fog line that defines the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA visible in
the distance. A Bit of Context Winemaking
has enjoyed a long history in the Santa Cruz Mountains, dating back to the
mid-to-late 1800s. Legendary Burgundian Paul Masson set up shop around 1900,
eventually selling his operation to Martin Ray due in part to the downturn
caused by the nearly simultaneous arrival of Prohibition and phylloxera. Throughout
the mid-1900s, more and more serious winegrowing operations took up residence. Gaining
its formal designation in 1981, the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA was one of the
first to be defined not by geographical boundaries but by topographical guidelines
—following the fog line around the mountains at elevations between 400 and 800
feet.

Remarkably
sparse vineyard plantings account for only 1,600 acres out of the AVA’s 480,000
total. Understanding the sub-divisions of the region can be challenging. While
not officially recognized, the internally used sub-regions include Summit,
Corralitos, Skyline, Saratoga, Coastal Foothills and the official Ben Lomond
Mountain AVA. Rumblings of formal applications for AVA status for each sub-region
are afoot, but it remains to be seen whether that will ever transpire. Several local
owners and winemakers balk at the idea, expressing real concern over further
muddying the water for consumers and citing the divergence of microclimates as
a strong case against the validity of any broad-stroke designations.The Meat and PotatoesSo, what
generalizations can we make about the wines? For one, proximity to the
Pacific Ocean and its influence are huge factors, bringing cooling marine winds
that allow grapes to develop thicker skins and racy acidity. Elevation rises to
nearly 3,000 feet in some spots, while exposure to the elements and orientation
to the sun magnify a mountain tannin structure that permeates even the lightest
wines. Proprietor and winemaker Robert Bergstrom of Sandar &amp; Hem explains,
“The character here is driven by climate, geology and aspect (orientation to
the sun).” He adds, “Brightness, acidity and phenolics are the hallmarks of
these wines. You can bet on super fresh, pure expressions with structure.” The
wines here are often more classically styled and built on finesse while neither
overtly rich nor exuberantly fruit-forward.This report focuses primarily on the 2022s for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and the 2021s for Bordeaux and Rhône varieties. I also tasted a select few 2023s (though most producers have yet to bottle those) and an assortment of older vintages that are either current releases or that producers shared for context. <img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1729613379181-CabMB_copy.jpg">Pre-veraison 2024 Cabernet Sauvignon in the Torre Vineyard of the Monte Bello estate. The Growing SeasonsThe 2022
growing season presented a unique set of challenges. Spring frost after bud break
wiped out some crops entirely and knocked down yields for many producers. Rainfall
was significantly higher than in 2021 but still below average. Moderate
temperatures persisted through the summer, but the same multi-day 100-plus
degree Labor Day heat spike that befell the rest of the state settled in right
on cue at harvest time. Ryan Beauregard of Beauregard Vineyards explains, “The
2022 vintage made a lot of people not want to be winemakers anymore. It was
brutal.” Thomas Fogarty winemaker Nathan Kandler echoes that sentiment. We had
Pinot Noir that went from underripe to overripe in a blink. We had Chardonnay
that shriveled up on the vine but was still weeks away from full ripeness. I’d
never seen Chardonnay shrivel up at only 17 Brix.” Because of the separation
and distance between vineyards, some producers fared fine, while others
suffered mightily.

The 2022
Chardonnays are soft and generally lack the minerality, tension and depth readers
have come to expect from the Santa Cruz Mountains. Chardonnay is capable of
reaching stratospheric heights here, but the 2022s under-deliver. There are
some notable exceptions, such as Model Farm’s 2022 Chardonnay PM Staiger
Vineyard, Sandar &amp; Hem’s 2022 Chardonnay Mountain Winery Vineyard and Rhys’
entire stable of 2022 Chardonnays.The 2022
Pinot Noirs did better than the Chardonnays, with more immediacy and fruit
generosity than is typical here, but they come up short of the depth and
expressiveness present in the best years. Site characteristics still shine
through, but they aren’t as amplified as usual—almost as if the master volume
knob was turned down. However, Thomas Fogarty’s three fabulous 2022 Pinot Noirs
from Rapley Trail Vineyard and Rhys’ full range of Pinots clearly missed the
memo on the challenging season, venturing into the territory of exceptional.

Regardless of
variety, the 2021s are compelling across the board. The result of punishingly
dry conditions with slightly cooler temperatures at harvest, the 2021s display
the hallmarks of an even, relatively stress-free season with long hangtimes. Bordeaux
varieties, in particular, deliver at the highest level, balancing vibrant,
delineated fruit, polished tannins and lively acids. Ridge’s 2021 Monte Bello
is an instant classic, as is Mount Eden’s 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate
Bottled. Big Basin’s 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Odeon Betchart Vineyard and Lexington
Wine Co.’s 2021 White Blend Alma Gist Ranch Estate also punch above their
weight. The 2021 Pinot Noirs, most of which Antonio Galloni covered in last
year’s report, <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/santa-cruz-mountains-california-s-hidden-gem-nov-2023">Santa Cruz Mountains - California's
Hidden Gem</a>, show equally impressive concentration and
layered personalities, with Mount Eden’s just-released 2021 Pinot Noir Estate
Bottled one of the best editions in recent memory. The 2021 Chardonnays? Also
fantastic. Once again, Mount Eden scores top marks for the 2021 Chardonnay
Estate Bottled. Rhône varieties, most notably the 2021 estate Syrahs from Big
Basin, are deep, brooding and concentrated, excelling in the drought conditions
and clearly announcing a sense of place.All
signs point to 2023 being another one for the books, as a long, cool, even year
with no adverse events allowed sites to express their full potential and
winemakers to take their time making decisions. The wines I’ve tasted so far
have been quite good, although it’s still too soon to make sweeping proclamations
of quality.&nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1729613356749-Lineup_copy.jpg">Standouts from 2021 and 2022 beyond the usual suspects. The Chameleon It’s not
unusual to focus solely on a region’s power players and marquee producers—especially
when they’re consistently great—but that also means it’s easy to miss the
forest for the trees. In a place like the Santa Cruz Mountains, where a unified
identity is neither blatantly obvious nor clearly communicated to the
wine-drinking public, you have to look under the hood to understand the true
nature of the place.

The
strongest asset here is a core of capable, scrappy, adaptable, quality-minded
producers who utilize the region’s diversity to succeed in spite of adversity.
They change colors as necessary to blend in with their environment—like
chameleons—churning out wines of precision, transparency and value year after
year without much outside recognition or glory. John Benedetti of Sante
Arcangeli refers to it as the “phalanx of quality”—a tight-knit group of
winemakers tirelessly dedicated to pursuing excellence by holding one another
accountable for the quality of their collective work. Their goal is simple: to elevate
the region on the world stage. All you have to do is look—they’re always there,
and their voices are getting louder.&nbsp;

As we
have done in the past, this report also contains reviews from locations outside
the Santa Cruz Mountains, including Calera’s noteworthy 2021 Pinot Noirs from
Mt. Harlan and Ridge’s extensive array of 2022s from Sonoma. We have also added
Antonio’s reviews of the 2022s from Rhys and the 2017s from Clos de la Tech,
which he tasted earlier this year as we transitioned into my coverage of the
region. Lastly, readers can search reviews of Santa Cruz Mountains wines from
producers based outside the region published earlier this year <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/wines?term=Santa+Cruz+Mountains&amp;filters=reviewDateMin-2024_reviewDateMax-2024&amp;page=1">here</a>.

I tasted the
wines for this report during a visit to the Santa Cruz Mountains in July 2024
and in subsequent tastings in both our New York office and my home office in
Florida in September and October 2024. © 2024, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or re-distributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright, but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.<hr> You Might Also Enjoy<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/santa-cruz-mountains-california-s-hidden-gem-nov-2023">Santa Cruz Mountains – California’s Hidden Gem</a>, Antonio Galloni, November 2023 <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/santa-cruz-mountains-the-compelling-2018s-&amp;-2019s-may-2022">Santa Cruz Mountains: The Compelling 2018s &amp; 2019s</a>, Antonio Galloni, May 2022 <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/santa-cruz-mountains-wines-of-breathtaking-pedigree-sep-2020">Santa Cruz Mountains: Wines of Breathtaking Pedigree</a>, Antonio Galloni, September 2020<div><div></div></div><div><div></div></div><a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/exploring-the-santa-cruz-mountains-oct-2019">Exploring the Santa Cruz Mountains</a>, Antonio Galloni, October 2019

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