California's Central Coast
 by Tony Correia, ARA

The Central Coast of California has emerged as a premier production area, both for the production of high quality varietal grapes, and as the site of many successful wineries. The general area is typically defined as Monterey County, a portion of San Benito County, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara Counties. While quality grapes have been successfully grown in the more northern counties of Santa Clara and Santa Cruz, the rapid expansion of the San Francisco Bay area has essentially nullified the future of these areas for new vineyard development.

The Central Coast of California has a long history of international exploration, intrigue, and vineyard and winery development. Originally inhabited by the indigenous native Americans, the area was claimed for the crown of Spain, and explored on foot by Jesuit Padres who fought the slow war of conversion of the native population. Although the Russians did not lay claim to the area, their ships raided the coastal inlets for the rich pelts of sea otters and seals.

The wine industry was established early in the state's history by the missionaries, who planted vineyards of the Mission grape in southern California, and then northward along the coast. However, the mission variety proved ill suited to the coastal areas.

Over the following years, settlers fought the long battle of identifying those particular vicinages suited to the finer varietals, and sorting out the proper combination of soils, climate, rootstock and scion variety, or clone, which yields the elusive prize of that most sought after of agricultural products, the fine grape capable of producing a world class wine.

In its brief history, this area has been identified, in relation to the California Wine Industry, as the South San Francisco Bay, the Central Coast, the other coast, etc. Currently, it is typically referred to as the Central Coast, with some differentiation between the North Central Coast, the Central Coast, and the South Central Coast.

Wine grape producing areas have been categorized for different purposes, into several different categories. There are a number of methods used for discussing, and categorizing climate regions for grape cultivation. In 1855, a French scientist, A.P. de Candolle, observed that vines start active growth in the spring, when mean air temperature reach 50° F, so degree-days are defined as the total summation of average degrees above 50º during the typical growing season from April to October. Criticized by some as a one-dimensional methodology, the region method continues to be accepted by viticulturists. A traditional method of classifying grape growing areas was developed by Amerine and Winkler in 1944. This method defines areas as climatic Regions, with the separational criteria based on cumulative degree-days of heat. As Candolle noted, grapes do not grow effectively below 50º, so degree-days have been defined as the total summation of average degrees above 50º. The regions are defined as Region I, the coolest areas, which are the areas exhibiting 2,500 or fewer degree-days. Region II is defined, as 2,500 to 3,000, Region III as 3,000 to 3,500, IV as 3,500 to 4,000, and V, the warmest region, are those areas above 4,000-degree days.

The unique climatalogical conditions of the California coast create an interesting phenomenon in this regard. The coolest Regions, I and II, are also typically the most temperate. The lower maximum temperatures in these areas are typically mirrored by higher minimum temperatures, creating an average annual temperature that is relatively flat, when compared to the more volatile climates of the higher, warmer regions. E.g., average maximum monthly temperatures in the cooler Salinas area are accompanied by warmer minimums; while the average maximum January temp in Salinas never rises above 75, the average minimum temp does not drop below 40. Conversely, in the warmer King City area, average maximums reach 85 in July and September, but minimums drop to 35 in December and January. Paso Robles is even more volatile, with highs of 98 recorded in July, and lows of 32 in December. Thus, the Region I areas tend to be more moderate, or temperate, with fewer extremes of either highs, or lows.

Region I locations in this area are Lompoc, Watsonville, Bonny Doon, Aptos, Santa Cruz, Gonzales, and Santa Maria. These areas also tend to be attractive for vegetable production. Region II locations are Atascadero, Soledad, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Hollister. Napa is also a Region II location. Region III locations are Paso Robles, King City, Santa Margarita, and the Pinnacles. Region IV locations are Naciemento and San Miguel. Region V locations are typically in the Central Valley or other interior regions.

Obviously, the warmer regions, with the broader fluctuations of temperatures, also suffer the greatest threat of frost damage in the spring, thus, vineyards in these areas should allow for frost protection systems of some type, with the traditional method being overhead sprinklers.

Conversely, the California Department of Food and Agriculture has segregated the state into Grape Reporting Districts. These districts have been precisely defined and form the basis of the CDFA's Grape Crush Report, etc. District 7 includes San Benito and Monterey Counties, while District 8 encompasses San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties. Farther north, the premium growing areas are District 3, Sonoma County, and District 4, Napa County. These districts tend to be recognized by the industry, as many grape contracts reference average district prices as reported in the Grape Crush Report.

History has further defined the major areas of production, which have been certified by the US ATF as American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), or Appellations. The distinction must be noted, however, that these are not areas of "Controlled Appellation" (Appellation Controle) as found in France, where not only is the area specifically defined, but also the varieties of grapes to be grown, vinification techniques, and the style of wine to be produced.

Central Coastal AVAs include the large Central Coast AVA, which includes 1,000,000 acres in Monterey, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, Alameda, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara Counties. Beginning in the north, the discrete AVAs include the Monterey AVA, including all of Monterey County, (35,758 acres) a rather generic AVA which includes the subject property, along with some substantial vineyards, the most significant of which is the industry colossus, the San Bernabe Vineyard. Developed by Leland McCarthy and Vernal Amaro in the late 70s, the San Bernabe spills over 12,000 rolling acres southwest of King City, with 8,000± acres of producing vineyards. Purchased by Delicato in the late 1980s, this property stands as a monument to the engineering skills of Vernal Amaro. An elaborate irrigation system pulls water from a huge well field along the Salinas River, which is then pumped into a system of canals and reservoirs, which service solid-set sprinklers over the entire vineyard. Attacked by both soil pests of nematodes and phylloxera, the owners are gradually converting the entire ranch to drip irrigation, which allows more efficient control of both pests.

Originally planted to the traditional varieties in vogue in the 1970s, the vineyard has since undergone massive grafting programs. The first such venture converted thousands of acres to Chenin Blanc and French Colombard in the early 1980s, as the industry swooned to the swan song of consumers' desire for Chablis, and the other generic cocktail wines. Most recently, however, the vineyard has undergone another change, with several thousand acres grafted to the currently popular premium varieties. Under its current management, the grapes have become popular with many major wineries, with much of the ranch's production sold to north coast wineries.

Within the larger, generic AVA, we find two small areas, Chalone and Carmel Valley, which are not significant in terms of future commercial vineyard development. While Carmel Valley comprises over 19,000 acres, the area has not developed as a significant player in the coastal game. Carmel Valley is somewhat unique in that it does not share in the general microclimate of the general area. Monterey County is essentially the Salinas Valley, a long, narrow, funnel stretching 100 miles south from its broad mouth above Salinas. The dynamics of the Salinas Valley are typical of California's coastal valleys. Summer sun shining on the interior of the valley's floor creates thermal updrafts, which suck the cool marine air into the valley from its mouth at the ocean's edge. In the case of Salinas, these cool marine drafts often achieve dramatic magnitude, with local "breezes" sometimes stripping vines of their leaves and uprooting trees. The influx of marine air creates the summer fog over the northern end of the valley, which gives rise to the lucrative lettuce and vegetable growing industry. Vegetable growers will pay extreme rents for those lands caressed by the summer fogs, often $1,500+ per acre, as the ability to grow summer lettuce attracts the major market participants.

Established in 1982, Chalone, at only 8,640 acres, is home solely to the vineyard and winery of the same name. A checkered history bespeaks the almost avataristic challenges endured by the owners and operators of this lone outpost upon the basalt of the Gabilan (or Gavilan) Mountains. Matt Kramer perhaps says it best;

"that someone, a Frenchman, could have first found Chalone's remote location and established a vineyard there at the turn of the century continues to leave me in awe. He must have been a Burgundian, crazed by the heat and urged on ever higher into the mountains, propelled by an atavistic French hunger for limestone."

More than any other central coastal product, perhaps, the wines of Chalone trumpet the truth of terroir, these wines speak "limestone". High (1,650') above all other wineries, this vineyard looks out over the fog-bound sea of the Salinas Valley, enjoying the heat of the afternoon sun, but yet, the cooling evening breezes. Famous for its Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir, Chalone has become the flagship of the Chalone Wine Group, which now also owns Acacia in Napa, Carmenet in Sonoma, and enjoys a fruitful partnership in Edna Valley Vineyard, and a substantial cross-investment in France's Domaine Rothschild. While still working its way through the past financial travails typical of the industry, Chalone demonstrated some unique marketing skills, including the sale of stock in the company to its fans, who gather each year for the legendary stockholders meeting on the vineyard's warm slopes in May. The success of these sessions is measured in the quantities of Blue Point oysters and roast duck consumed by the owners of the company, who travel from all over to sip fine Chardonnay and Pinot and slip oysters in the bright spring sun.

The Santa Lucia Highlands AVA, established in 1992, comprises 22,000 acres on the western bench of the Salinas Valley. Dominated by Smith & Hook, a 15,000 case producer of exceptional Cabernet Sauvignons, the area is also becoming noted for surprising, subtle Merlots. Chardonnay is the primary product of the area's two other wineries, Robert Talbott and Paraiso Springs Vineyards, and the area's newest vineyard neighbors, Wagner's successful Mer & Soleil, and Mondavi's massive new 800 acre vineyard development on leased land. Planted mainly on the higher benches of alluvial fans, Santa Lucia offers a broad spectrum of soils, exposures, and temperature changes, which have not all yet been explored.

Just below Santa Lucia we find the Arroyo Seco AVA, named for the creekbed of the same name, which is Spanish for "Dry Creek". Established in 1983, Arroyo Seco covers 18,240 acres, populated by the Jekel and Ventana wineries. Originally established by the Wentes, the AVA enjoys a large acreage of vineyards, many of which produce recognized Chardonnay, Cabernet, and Merlot. Arroyo Seco essentially defines the border between the cooler northern valley, and the warmer southern valley, and enjoys higher yields of almost all varieties. Some area vineyards receive significant premiums for their grapes, providing lucrative returns to their owners, with Doug Meador's Ventana the source of a veritable plethora of award-winning vineyard designated wines. Ventana has been the pioneer of progressive viticulture on the central coast, with the controversial Meador pursuing an almost transcendental vision of planting patterns, cultural techniques, vine densities, and trellising schemes. This AVA has recently experienced the construction of the new, 1.3 million case, Kendall-Jackson winery, which will clearly be a landmark feature.

A few miles south of Arroyo Seco, the San Bernabe vineyard drapes across the rolling hills south of King City. Just south of the San Bernabe, the San Lucas AVA covers an area of 32,000 acres. Almost twenty degrees warmer than Salinas, San Lucas was home to a large vineyard developed on leased land by Almaden in its heyday. With the demise of Almaden after the series of sales to Heublein and Grand Metropolitan, these vineyards were abandoned. With its warmer evenings, San Ardo vineyards can ripen larger crops even more than Arroyo Seco, but often cannot match the higher quality of the more northern AVA.

North of these AVAs, San Benito County sports the "ghost" AVAs of Cienega and Paicines. Also the results of Almaden at its peak, these areas are now warming the bench, awaiting the coach's call to return to the game. Paicines was the site of the most massive efforts of Almaden, which developed thousands of acres, much, again, on leased land, rolling over the low hills of this narrow valley.

Just west of Cienega is the Mt. Harlan AVA, home to Josh Jensen's spectacular Pinots and, most recently, Viognier. This AVA shares the terroir of Chalone, with the limestone of the hills evident in these unique wines.

South of Monterey County, we enter San Luis Obispo County, and the huge (614,000 acres) Paso Robles AVA. The warmest of the established AVAs, this area perches high atop the ridges of the Santa Lucias, yet the ocean's influence still produces cool nights, allowing for some spectacular vintages. The geography of the area allows for the broadest variety of rainfall, from 8 to 45 inches. The hills west of the city are home to some of the oldest Zinfandel on the coast. These older, dry-farmed vines can produce spectacular wines, albeit in only small quantities. Peachy Canyon produces only 800 cases of this traditional Zinfandel, but what is lacking in quantity is more than offset by superior quality. And few experiences can match an evening on Adelaida's "crag upon the rock", listening to John Munch discourse upon his superb Zinfandels, Cabernets, and wholly spectacular sparkling Chardonnays, as the sun sets in a rosy glow into the Pacific, 2,500' below. Locals are watching with interest the Beaucastel Estate, a recent joint venture of the French Perrin family and Robert Haas, another of the coastal ventures into the traditional Rhône varieties. Some local vintners are displaying optimism about recent experiments with Sangiovese.

East of Paso Robles, on the Estrella Prairie, the AVA includes the large-scale homes of Arciero and Meridian. A spectacular vineyard development, with an impressive winery, Arciero's wines have, so far, proven to be disappointing. Meridian is the former Estrella River Winery, purchased out of bankruptcy by Nestlé, for their Wine World group, recently acquired in totality by Silverado Partners. Under the steady hand of Charles Ortman, Meridian is establishing itself as a major player in classic coastal Chardonnay, with recent Cabernets offering exceptional bargains at relatively low cost. While the Chardonnay is almost entirely produced from grapes from Santa Barbara County, the reds here have done well. To the east of Meridian is the Tierra Rejada, a vineyard originally developed by a partnership including some famous Hollywood names.

The plains extending to the northwest of the Meridian location may be an intriguing area for development of new vineyards, as land may be available at relatively inexpensive rates, and the area has potential for producing good reds. South of Paso Robles, just outside Templeton, Wild Horse is producing some admirable Pinots, albeit mostly from grapes purchased from southern vineyards.

Moving further south, just below San Luis Obispo, we find the Edna Valley AVA. Although it covers a total of over 22,000 acres, this AVA sports less than 2,000 acres of vines, although new vineyards are appearing in many areas. Famous for its Chardonnays, Edna Valley is the home of the winery of the same name, the joint venture of the Niven family and the Chalone group. Another Chalone winery, Carmenet, produces a delightful Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon wine from these grapes. The famous Paragon vineyard lies just above the Edna Valley Vineyards. A small winery just recently relocated to a new winery built of straw, Claiborne and Churchill has developed a small but enthusiastic following of fans of their Alsace style Gewurtztraminer, produced from grapes from the Ventana vineyard, and is producing some quite interesting Pinots from the nearby MacGregor vineyard.

Again to the south, the Arroyo Grande AVA represents essentially, Maison Deutz, Talley Vineyards, and Saucelito Canyon. Another French venture into California, Maison Deutz has already demonstrated the ability to produce traditional style sparkling wines. Talley has won some recognition for a tasty Pinot, and Saucelito Canyon's Zinfandel, produced from ancient vines, ranks with the best from Paso Robles.

Santa Barbara County lies at the corner of southern California, where California's coast makes a sharp turn towards the cultural wasteland of the Los Angeles megalopolis. This area is unique, in that its coastal valley runs transverse, i.e., perpendicular to the general coastline, rather than parallel to it. The unique geography of this region allows for a great diversity of climate, while Cachuma Lake can often see readings approaching 110º, Santa Maria and Lompoc rarely approach the mid-90s. The Santa Maria Valley AVA is home to the cult wineries of Au Bon Climat and Qupe, while large-scale commercial vineyards, many of which were also developed by McCarthy and Amaro in their heyday, lurk just south of the AVAs boundary. Competition from various directions are driving land prices much higher than the more northern locations, and this may act as a damper upon new vineyard development, although Kendall-Jackson is aggressively pursuing significant ventures in this area. Within the AVA, Lucas's Tepusquet is now Cambria, and Robert Mondavi's Byron. The area also includes the legendary Bien Nacido, Sierra Madre (recently acquired by Mondavi) and Santa Maria Hills vineyards. Clearly, in the hills and valleys of the Santa Maria area, we have entered the home of premiere Pinot Noirs.

South of Santa Maria, and east of the flower fields of Lompoc, the Santa Ynez Valley AVA is home to the fabled Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, another of the area's legendary producers of spectacular Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. Again, although the AVA covers almost 154,000 acres, less than 2,000 acres are actually developed to vineyards. Befitting its reputation, high-profile names work here at producing wines under their own labels, the wineries of Fess Parker and Brooks Firestone are neighbors near the northern end of the area.

In summary the Central Coast has emerged as an attractive premium vineyard area, with the primary vicinages being Santa Maria/Los Alamos in the south, and Arroyo Seco, Chalone, and the Santa Lucia Highlands in the north, for Chardonnays. Many locations, including Arroyo Seco, King City, Paso Robles, San Miguel, and the warmer areas of Santa Maria, produce fine Merlot. Cabernet Sauvignon performs well in the warmer areas, while Pinot Noir remains the exotic star, fickle and difficult to grow, with limited production, and a desire for the cooler locations.

The current recognition of the immediate subject area is perhaps best illustrated by quotes from a recent (December 30, 1998) article in the New York Times, "Monterey: The Next Napa (or Is It Burgundy?)". The article extols the attraction of the region to premium winemakers, and suggests wineries will continue to expand premium production in the area. To quote the author, William Grimes:

Monterey -- the next Napa. You hear that a lot from winemakers in the area, but behind the bragging, some serious moves are being made. Robert Mondavi, which began leasing and buying land in Monterey eight years ago, recently leased another 1,000 prime acres near Soledad. Kendall-Jackson, which has acquired six vineyards in Monterey, most of them planted in chardonnay vines, has begun building a large winery at the southern end of Monterey County and has hired Dan Kleck, the winemaker at Palmer Vineyards on Long Island, to run it. Chuck Wagner, of Caymus Vineyards, has been turning out some stellar chardonnays under the Mer Soleil label, made from grapes grown on a 100-acre plot in the Santa Lucia Highlands that he bought in 1992. And two years ago, Mr. Lee acquired 65 acres next door to Mr. Wagner, and both winemakers are cheek by jowl with the highly regarded Robert Talbott Vineyards. ''That stretch of benchland is sort of our Cote d'Or slope,'' said Dean De Korth, the winemaker at Morgan, who gave up a job in Burgundy four years ago to make wine in Monterey.

The next Napa does not look the part. Only a handful of the 20 wineries in the area have tasting rooms. Mr. Lee plans to build a snappy-looking winery on his new vineyard, but in the meantime, Morgan carries on in a glorified garage in an industrial park in Salinas.

The tourist who tries to follow a wine trail in Monterey quickly finds that there isn't one, really. It can take hours to negotiate the twisting roads between, say, Chateau Julien, at the northern end of the region, and Chalone Vineyard, perched 1,800 feet above the Salinas Valley, just a few miles away from the Pinnacles National Monument. And that's just halfway into the county.

There are virtually no fancy restaurants. In towns like Gonzales, set amid endless fields of lettuce, broccoli, asparagus and strawberries, pickup trucks cruise the streets, driven by farmers wearing cowboy hats. The hotels house migrant farm workers. It's not tourists that irritate the winemakers, it's wild boars and coyotes.

Yet when winemakers look into their crystal balls, Monterey County shines very brightly. The future, as Mr. Shyvers of Mondavi sees it, will require a redrawing of the California wine map. ''We won't know the definitive answer for 15 or 20 years,'' he said, ''but I think Napa and Sonoma will be our Bordeaux, and Carneros, which people thought might be a sort of little Burgundy -- well, it's beginning to look as though merlot belongs there.'' It is Monterey, in this vision of things, that will emerge as California's Burgundy.

Monterey County's winegrowing area begins a few miles inland from Monterey Bay and runs in a southeasterly direction for 70 miles, ending about 30 miles north of Paso Robles. Most of the area is taken up by the Salinas Valley, an almost preposterously fertile swath taken up by vast vegetable farms. On the west side of the valley lie the Santa Lucia Highlands, on the east side the Gabilan Range. Hillside slopes, once considered good for nothing more than grazing cattle, have turned out to be ideally suited for wine grapes, in part because of the granite and limestone underneath the soil, in part because of the area's peculiar climate, which allows growers to plant two weeks earlier than the rest of the state and harvest two weeks later.

Because the valley opens onto Monterey Bay, it receives fog and cool winds, a good thing for chardonnay and pinot noir, as well as for pinot blanc and riesling, because temperatures on the valley floor can rise to more than 100 degrees in summer. ''If it weren't for the wind,'' said Dan Karlsen, the winemaker and general manager at Chalone, ''this place would be Fresno.''

Above the fog line, altitude takes over the job of refrigeration. From day to night, temperatures can fluctuate by 50 degrees, which means that grapes can develop sugar but retain the proper amount of acidity. When things go right, the chardonnays come out sleek and racy, with lots of lush fruit but a good acidic snap, a refreshing contrast to the thuggish, over-oaked monsters that often come stumbling out of Napa and Sonoma. The pinot noirs have bright, berry fruit and soft tannins, making them unusually approachable and pleasing. ''They all have a deep intensity of fruit and a balance that at first, quite frankly, surprised me,'' said Joseph Scalice, a co-owner and the wine director of March restaurant in Manhattan.

For each mile of distance southward from Monterey Bay, the daytime temperature rises by one degree. This means that wineries in the southern half of Monterey concentrate on hot-weather grapes like cabernet, sauvignon blanc, zinfandel and assorted Rhone varietals.

And there is one more peculiarity to the area: Carmel Valley, a tiny pocket at the north end of Monterey County, is protected from wind and fog and is therefore hospitable to cabernet.

For consumers, the area can be tricky to figure out. About 80 percent of Monterey grapes are sold to wineries outside the county and, like uncredited actors, slip into various blends. Mondavi's Woodbridge wines have used Monterey grapes for years, for example. Some wineries, like Testarossa and Nichols, use grapes from Monterey and indicate this fact on the label, but they are not situated in Monterey. Others, like Wente, the Hess Collection and Mirassou, own vineyards in Monterey but do not make the wine there.

Monterey itself has 20 wineries, but the wines may be designated in any of several ways. Many carry the designation Monterey County, but some use a specific appellation, like Santa Lucia Highlands, Arroyo Seco, Carmel Valley or Chalone. Durney Vineyards prints ''Carmel Valley'' on its labels, with no mention of Monterey.

Bernardus, also in the Carmel Valley, puts ''Monterey County'' on its wines that use grapes from vineyards scattered around the county, but its Marinus wine, whose grapes come from the Carmel Valley vineyard of the same name, is labeled ''Carmel Valley.'' Testarossa makes a Chalone chardonnay, but it is, of course, not the same winery as Chalone Vineyard. In any case, no one can say what the appellations really mean when it comes to the personality of the wine.

"It's a hodgepodge of areas,'' said Peter Marks, the wine buyer for Draeger's, the deluxe supermarket chain in Northern California. ''It will take a lot more wineries to lend definition to these names.''

More broadly, Mr. Marks said, Monterey remains a wide-open region, with a great deal of land still available for vineyards and a lot of detective work to be done before winemakers figure out exactly what goes where. ''A lot of these places remain to be discovered, but once that happens, Monterey will really take off,'' he said.

At the moment, Monterey enjoys a solid reputation at the lower end of the price scale, with wineries like Estancia and J. Lohr turning out approachable, easy-to-drink chardonnays and pinot noirs for about $10, and Lockwood Vineyard, at the southern end of Monterey County, making some eye-catching chardonnays for about $15. At about $10, Mondavi's Coastal label chardonnay and pinot noir deliver unexpected elegance. The chardonnay is tart and steely, with an underlay of rich butterscotch. The pinot is light-bodied, fruity and bright.

''At the moment, we're sourcing about two-thirds of our grapes from Monterey and a third from Santa Barbara County,'' Mr. Shyvers said. ''We'd like to evolve everything to Monterey, although it will take time to understand the area."

Upward from the bargain-priced wines, Monterey has several wineries that have caught the eye of the critics in recent years. Chalone Vineyards, the oldest winery in the region, comes near the top of any list, with its lean, minerally chardonnays and a luscious pinot blanc.

''After being in a slump for about a decade, they are back with a vengeance,'' John Gilman, the sommelier at Gotham Bar and Grill in Manhattan, said. ''Their reserve chardonnay came out first in a recent tasting we held at the restaurant. We were shocked.''

Robert Talbott has attained something like cult status for his classic, silken pinot noirs and for his chardonnays from the Diamond T and Sleepy Hollow vineyards. They are priced accordingly, from $30 to $45. Almost next door, Mr. Lee has been making rich, Meursault-like reserve chardonnays that sell for about $25. Another standout is a vineyard, not a winery. The pinot noir grapes from the Pisoni Vineyard have been used to stunning effect by Nichols and Testarossa.

Carmel Valley, with only five wineries, has two top-level performers in Durney Vineyards and Bernardus. In the last five years or so, Durney has been turning out luscious, deep cabernets for less than $20 and a fruity, crisp chenin blanc that qualifies as a real charmer. Bernardus, just up the road, makes a rich, deep Bordeaux-style blend called Marinus that, at $30, is the kind of bargain that wine lovers expect from Monterey.

''In the past, the big guys would trash Monterey and then buy our fruit,'' said Robert Talbott, swirling a glass of his pinot noir and looking at it with unfeigned admiration. ''Now they're buying up the whole valley. Everybody wants to be here now.''