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The 12-mile long Santa Maria Valley is located on an unusual topographical slice of land known as a transverse range. Unlike the majority of California's wine-producing valleys, the orientation is east to west rather than north to south. The unobstructed gateway to the Pacific Ocean delivers a daily dose of marine air into the vineyards.
Most mornings the vineyards are covered in thick billows of fog. The afternoon winds regularly kick in around 1:30 pm and stay until nightfall. The combined efforts of the two elements benefit the vines by restricting photosynthesis, cooling the fruit and mitigating mold and botrytis pressure on the bunches. Our estate vineyards on the Santa Maria Bench are considered Region I on the U.C. Davis scale (one being the coldest and five being the warmest) experiencing a daily annual temperature average of 74 degrees. With only 12 to 20 inches of rain a year, irrigation is a necessity, especially for young vines. Typically the vineyard sees budbreak in February, veraison in June/July and harvest in October, making it one of the longest growing seasons in California. |
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 History | Vineyards |
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