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Appellation · United States

Santa Cruz Mountains

A scattered, high-elevation AVA above Silicon Valley, defined by altitude rather than by valley, and home to Ridge Monte Bello.

Santa Cruz Mountains AVAmaritimemoderate
What to expect in the glass

Cabernet Sauvignon that is structured, savoury and more Bordeaux-like than most of California; Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the cooler western slopes.

About Santa Cruz Mountains

The Santa Cruz Mountains AVA covers high ground between San Francisco Bay and the Pacific, and its vineyards are small, scattered and often steep.

It was among the first AVAs delimited by elevation contour rather than by a valley, on the reasoning that the mountains are climatically distinct from everything around them.

Ridge Vineyards’ Monte Bello, from the eastern slopes, was in both the 1976 Judgement of Paris and its 30-year re-run in 2006, where it placed first.

The ocean side grows Pinot Noir and Chardonnay; the warmer bay side grows Cabernet Sauvignon.

What the name means

Legal name
Santa Cruz Mountains AVA
Type
American Viticultural Area (AVA)
Set by
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB)
Recognised
1981
Regulates
Origin only. It sets no rules about varieties, yields, ageing or winemaking.

Only where the grapes were grown, plus the percentage that must come from the named area. An AVA sets no varietal, yield, ageing or winemaking rules whatsoever — the single most commonly misunderstood fact about US wine labels.

Worth knowing

One of the first AVAs defined by elevation contour rather than by a valley floor.

Grapes

Wines from here

red

California Cabernet Sauvignon

The broad statewide category — a very wide quality range, from Central Valley volume wine to serious coastal bottlings.

red

California Pinot Noir

Riper and fuller than Burgundy, with dark cherry, cola and baking spice — but retaining real acidity in the coolest sites.

What to eat, and how to serve it

Derived from this region’s signature styles. Each is listed separately, because a region does not have one serving temperature.

California Cabernet Sauvignon

Serve at 15–17°C (cellar cool).

Try with fillet steak, grilled chicken or turkey.

California Pinot Noir

Serve at 14–16°C (cellar cool).

Try with fillet steak, grilled chicken or turkey.

Where to go next

Places worth trying if you like this one — neighbours, rivals, and the obvious step across.

  • California — The source of roughly four-fifths of American wine, and a state long enough that its coolest vineyards and its hottest are 900 km apart.
  • Sta. Rita Hills — A cold pocket in a transverse valley that opens directly to the Pacific — one of the coolest sites in California, at one of its most southerly latitudes.

Sources

Sources consulted