Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/637107
{ SOMMjournal.com } 79 a rroyo Seco—one of the country's first American Viticultural Areas (estab- lished in 1983)—sits in its own unique corner of Monterey County. It is a place where you find hardscrabble farmers, some of whose families have been there for over 150 years, working about 7,000 acres of planted vines, whipped mercilessly by bone-chilling, ear-ringing 20-, 30-mile-per-hour winds. Well off the beaten path of one might consider wine country, who even goes to Arroyo Seco? We do! This past October 25–27, 2015, Arroyo Seco Winegrowers and The SOMM Journal hosted 19 sommeliers on a two-day study of this appellation. Arroyo Seco may not have quite the shiny newness of other coastal appellations, but what Arroyo Seco does have are vineyards prized by artisanal producers for their integrity of acidity and moderation of alcohol—qualities tantamount to cold climes of the most extreme West Coast appellations, and what we idealize about the Côte de Beaune—infused by invari - able lacings of pungent fruit and distinctively earthy notes all its own. Patrick Le Bras CS, CSW, the longtime Food & Beverage Director of the Newport Harbor Yacht Club in Newport Beach, confessed, "I have been selling Arroyo Seco wines by producers like Wente and J. Lohr for years, but never had much of an idea of where Arroyo Seco is, or what it is about the wines that really works. This trip opened up my eyes." Michael Griva—a founder and current Board President of Arroyo Seco Winegrowers—typifies Arroyo Seco growers: His property, straddling both sides of the Arroyo Seco River, has been farmed by his forebears, the Franscioni and Griva families, since 1868. The first blocks of grapes in Griva Vineyard did not go in until 1998, but the vineyard now totals 379 acres, consisting mostly of specialty clones of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, plus a strong commitment to Sauvignon Musqué (the flowery clonal variant of Sauvignon Blanc, first isolated as such in Arroyo Seco, during the mid-1970s). At our opening night reception in Soledad's little La Fuente Restaurant—where we enjoyed authentic "from scratch" Mexican cuisine and live, infectious mariachi music— Griva welcomed our sommelier group while stating: "We understand why most people are probably not all that familiar with Arroyo Seco. It's a growers' region, not one filled with wineries. But we formed the Arroyo Seco Winegrowers association to delve deeper into the symbiotic relationship between farmers and winemakers. Gone are the days of winegrowers and winemakers working independent of each other. Today we understand that when you grow wine grapes, you have to understand that you're part of the winemaking process. If you want to be the best, you can't cut corners." THE WENTE FAMILY'S HISTORIC RIVA RANCH At 9 a.m. on our first day, our group was transported west of Highway 101 from Greenfield, to the southern end of the AVA, where the Arroyo Seco River— which originates further west in a steep, narrow canyon carved through Sierra de Salinas (part of the coastal Santa Lucia range)—begins to bend northwards into Salinas Valley. It was here that Karl L. Wente—grandson of the winery's founder (C.H. Wente) and grandfather of present- day winemaker Karl D. Wente—established one of the first modern-day vineyards in Arroyo Seco in 1962 (about the same time that Paul Masson and the Mirassou family also began exploring the region). Today the Wente planting, increased over the past 52 years from 300 acres to over 1,000, is known as Riva Ranch, in honor of Alfred Riva, who grew apricots on the property before selling to the Wentes. Four th-generation grower Philip Wente, along with his nephew Karl D. Wente, greeted us with glasses of Wente Vineyards 2012 Small Lot Arroyo Seco Brut—bone dry, creamy and lemony, with apricot and toasty notes, fresh as oven popped biscuits. From there, the Wentes ushered us to some of the original Chardonnay blocks—-53 and 49-year-old vines, still thriving on AxR1 rootstock—perched on the edge of a The Somm Campers pose for a group shot with Arroyo Seco Vineyards President Roger Motoiso (center). DAY 1 Vineyard Walks with Founders Bottles and barrel samples of Wente Riva Ranch Chardonnay.