The Santa Lucia Highlands appellation in Monterey County is best known for pinot noir and chardonnay, two cool-climate grapes. But the founding of the appellation actually was tied to heat-loving cabernet sauvignon.
Monterey cabernet had developed a reputation for being vegetal, and vintner Nicky Hahn wanted to differentiate his Smith&Hook cabernet, grown on the lower slopes of the Santa Lucia Mountains, from those other wines. So in 1988, he started pushing for federal recognition of the Santa Lucia Highlands as an American Viticultural Area. The AVA was approved in 1991. Now even Hahn, who owns Hahn Estate, acknowledges that the appellation is really too cold in many vintages for cabernet to ripen properly. He, like so many of the appellation’s other vintners, is looking to pinot noir as the region’s signature grape.Originally Syndicated via RSS from SanLuisObispo.com: Wine
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