Arroyo Seco is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in

Monterey County Monterey County ( ), officially the County of Monterey, is a county located on the Pacific coast in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 439,035. The county's largest city and county seat is ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, southeast of

Monterey Bay Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean located on the coast of the U.S. state of California, south of the San Francisco Bay Area. San Francisco itself is further north along the coast, by about 75 miles (120 km), accessible via California S ...

. The state's 15th appellation was established on May 16,1983 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF),

Treasury A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry; in a business context, corporate treasury. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be ...

after reviewing the petition submitted by the Arroyo Seco Winegrowers and Vintners, an association composed of grape growers and vintners with vineyards, to establish a viticultural area within Monterey County known as "Arroyo Seco." Arroyo Seco is a triangular shaped area adjacent to the

Arroyo Seco Creek Arroyo Seco is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed March 10, 2011 tributary stream to Schell Creek in southern Sonoma County, California, United States. In Spanish ''arr ...

which flows into the Salinas River near Soledad. The

appellation An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the ingredients of a food or beverage originated, most often used for the origin of wine grapes. Restrictions other than geographical boundaries, s ...

encompassed in the

Salinas Valley The Salinas Valley (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Valle de Salinas'') is one of the major valleys and most productive Agriculture, agricultural regions in California. It is located west of the San Joaquin Valley and south of San Francisco Bay and ...

with about of cultivation and two bonded wineries. Its proximity to the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

produces the maritime climate, and is best suited for those cool climate grape varieties. In 2019, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), Treasury expanded Arroyo Seco by , however in 2021, TTB ruled on a modification of the shared boundary between Santa Lucia Highlands and Arroyo Seco AVAs. The boundary modification transferred of foothills terrain from the west side of the Arroyo Seco to the southeastern area of the Santa Lucia Highlands. One vineyard containing approximately was affected by the realignment, and the vineyard owner included a letter of support in the petition. The modification reduced Arroyo Seco AVA by less than 1 percent and did not affect the boundaries of the Monterey or the Central Coast AVAs.

History

Arroyo Seco is the name historically given to a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

land grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...

and

rancho Rancho or Ranchos may refer to: Settlements and communities *Rancho, Aruba, former fishing village and neighbourhood of Oranjestad *Ranchos of California, 19th century land grants in Alta California ** List of California Ranchos * Ranchos, Buenos ...

existing on the banks of the Arroyo Seco Creek. The name ''arroyo seco'' meaning "dry stream" in

has been used continually through the years in conjuction with the river and rancho however, its link to a viticultural area is relatively recent as stated in the petition. The Arroyo Seco area was identified as a grape growing region by the Winkler- Amerine report in 1935. However, the area's history of viticulture actually did not occur until 1962 when vines were planted by Mirassou Sales, a San Jose winery. In 1963, Wente Brothers of

Livermore, California Livermore is a city in Alameda County, California. With a 2020 population of 87,955, Livermore is the most populous city in the Tri-Valley, giving its name to the Livermore Valley. It is located on the eastern edge of California's San Francisc ...

, planted wine grapes along the Arroyo Seco Creek which were known as Wente's Arroyo Seco Vineyards. Since 1963, many vineyards were established in the region and Arroyo Seco has been referenced in numerous magazines, newspapers and wine publications describing vintages sourced here.

Terroir

Topography

Arroyo Seco's topography distinguishes it from the surrounding areas consisting of sloping

benchland In geomorphology, geography and geology, a bench or benchland is a long, relatively narrow strip of relatively level or gently inclined land bounded by distinctly steeper slopes above and below it. Benches can be of different origins and created ...

surrounding the Arroyo Seco Creek. The highest elevations of over occur to the west on the

Sierra de Salinas Sierra (Spanish for "mountain range" or "mountain chain" and "saw", from Latin '' serra'') may refer to the following: Places Mountains and mountain ranges * Sierra de Juárez, a mountain range in Baja California, Mexico * Sierra de las Nieve ...

, foothills of the

Santa Lucia Mountains The Santa Lucia Range (sæntə luˈsiːə) or Santa Lucia Mountains is a rugged mountain range in coastal Central California, running from Carmel southeast for to the Cuyama River in San Luis Obispo County. The range is never more than fro ...

. A

ridgeline A ridge is a long, narrow, elevated geomorphologic landform, structural feature, or a combination of both separated from the surrounding terrain by steep sides. The sides of a ridge slope away from a narrow top, the crest or ridgecrest, wi ...

of between in elevation separates Arroyo Seco from areas immediately to the south. From these elevations, the area slopes gradually downward to the lowest points of elevation on the north along the Arroyo Seco Creek, and elevation on the west along the Salinas River. It is this sloping benchland high above the Salinas River which provides adequate drainage and freedom from frost for area vineyards.

Climate

The climate of the Arroyo Seco area is unique in amount of rainfall, temperature range, and the variability of the winds. The major climatic influences are the Pacific Ocean and Monterey Bay. To the west, the Santa Lucas Mountains block damaging Pacific rains from the area. Winds off Monterey Bay, however, blow down the Salinas River, cooling the valley and providing a moderate climate. The cooling effects of the wind make the northern Salinas Valley quite cold.

Gonzales Gonzales may refer to: Places * Gonzales, California, U.S. * Gonzales, Louisiana, U.S. * Gonzales, Texas, U.S. * Gonzales County, Texas Other uses * Battle of Gonzales, 1835 * Gonzales (horse) (1977 – after 1996), an American-bred Thoroughbr ...

is classified as Region I on the scale developed by Winkler and Amerine to measure degree days, with 350 degree days. In the Arroyo Seco area, the climate is considered Region II. Soledad, to the immediate north, registers 2880 degree days while Wente's Arroyo Seco Vineyards average between 1875 and 2250 degree days. The cooling effect of the wind diminishes further south. King City averages 3150 degree days, placing it in Region III while

San Miguel San Miguel, Spanish for Saint Michael, may refer to: Places Argentina *San Miguel Partido *San Miguel, Buenos Aires * San Miguel, Catamarca * San Miguel, Corrientes * San Miguel, La Rioja *San Miguel Arcángel, a Volga German colony in Adolfo Al ...

is classified as Region IV. The growing season is approximately 245 days. Rainfall is sparse in the Arroyo Seco viticultural area. Soledad averages just 9.5 inches per year, less than received to the north where Salinas averages 13.7 inches and Gonzales 12.3 inches per year. Because of the sparse rainfall, all vineyards within the Arroyo Seco region irrigate, using water from Arroyo Seco Creek rather than from the Salinas River. Arroyo Seco Chard

Soil

The soils in the Arroyo Seco area consist of a series of gravelly and fine sandy loams well suited to the cultivation of grapes. The proposed viticultural area consists of an alluvial fan formed by well drained soils with slopes ranging from 0 to 9 percent. Principal soil series include Mocho, Lockwood, Arroyo Seco, Rincon, Elder and Chular. The prominent soils, Chular and Arroyo Seco, are coarse sandy loams derived from decomposed granite washed down from the Gabilan Mountains. These soils are gravelly and low in lime content similar to the vinyards in the Medoc and

Graves A grave is a location where a dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as grave ...

districts of

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

, and to the better vineyards in the Palatinate. The boundaries of the proposed Arroyo Seco viticultural area are based on a combination of climate, physical features, soils and irrigation sources. The proposed boundaries and the appropriate U.S.G.S. maps are fully described in the. regulatory language. ATF notes that it has received a petition for an adjacent viticultural area immediately south of the proposed Arroyo Seco area.

Viticulture

Arroyo Seco AVA has celebrated four decades of viticulture and innovative wine-making showcasing varietals such as its Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Noir with newer vintages like the

Musqué ''Musqué'' is a French language, French term applied to certain variety (botany), varieties or clone (plant), clones of grapes used for making wine. The term means both perfumed ("musky") and Muscat (grape and wine), Muscat-like, and indicates t ...

clone of Sauvignon Blanc. As one of California's early pioneer AVAs, Arroyo Seco winegrowers, vintners, and landowners had the desire and knowledge to grow the AVA using science, geology, hydrology, and microclimate data contributing to the state's international standing as a primer viticulture producer. Today, the region hosts a blend of large wineries, many of which have been here for 40 years or longer, and many small and prestigious wineries that source its distinctive fruit throughout California. The Arroyo Seco Winegrowers Association provides advocacy, marketing and support services to its winery and winegrower members by educating consumers, media and trade audiences on the distinct characteristics of Arroyo Seco. As the third oldest AVA in Monterey County, it helped establish the county's historic reputation has a popular destination for American viticulture.

References

External links

Arroyo Seco Winegrowers

TTB AVA Map
{{coord, 36.29247856, -121.28978102, format=dms, type:adm2nd_region:US-CA_dim:27000, display=title American Viticultural Areas American Viticultural Areas of California American Viticultural Areas of Monterey County, California Salinas Valley 1983 establishments in California