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The Maturation of California’s Central Coast Viticultural Region

© Alan Boehmer

It's hard to imagine that little more than a decade ago California's Central Coast was largely viewed as an enological backwater, with neither Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, or Zinfandel capable of outperforming the competition from Napa Valley and Sonoma County.

Pinot Noir was struggling to find a home in the Central Coast, but only a couple of vineyards were yielding fruit to match northern examples, most notably the Sanford and Benedict Vineyard near Lompoc and the Bien Nacido Vineyard on the Santa Maria Mesa. Interesting Pinots had been made in the 70s at HMR (Hoffman Mountain Ranch) west of Paso Robles by pioneer enologist André Tchelistcheff, but had become a fading memory.

A decade ago the Central Coast region was casting about for an identity. The years ahead would bring exponential progress in search of that goal.

Anyone making the drive up US 101 from Santa Barbara to the bay area will need no convincing that Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Monterey counties are California's fastest developing viticultural region. The world's largest single vineyard is here (San Lucas). Enormous plantings may be seen near Los Alamos and north of Lompoc on Highway 1. Creston, east of Paso Robles, once a parched rangeland, is now carpeted in almost Biblical proportions with vibrant green vineyards.

As Napa Valley reaches maximum development, growth in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties has exceeded all other California counties.

That's the large picture. But just how did such phenomenal progress come about?

A decade ago most Central Coast wineries followed the northern lead of offering a spectrum of established varietals to their customers. One usually found the obligatory Cabernet Sauvignon, along with Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, an off-dry white (usually Gewürztraminer or Muscat Canelli, occasionally Riesling), and sometimes a second red such as Zinfandel or Pinot Noir.

Unlike the gentrified wineries of the North Coast, the Central Coast attracted more than its share of maverick winemakers willing to experiment with unproven terroirs and unproven varietals.

Jim Clendenin held forth at Au Bon Climat, introducing some of the best Central Coast wines of the early 90s, including some outstanding Pinot Noir. His associate, Bob Lindquist released top quality Syrah when few had ever heard of the varietal. Bill Mosby was quietly perfecting Italian varietals in Buellton and Richard Sanford and Bryan Babcock were discovering multitudinous microclimates in the Santa Ynez Valley which would eventually earn a separate AVA designation (Santa Rita Hills) and produce some of California's top Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.