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Vineyard supervisor Tomas Leyva with winemaker Charlie Wagner

Mer Soleil
The Sea and the Sun

Our first vineyards were planted in the Santa Lucia Highlands in 1988. A 40-minute drive from Monterey, California, the land was previously ded­icated to row crops and cattle grazing. A small but exceptional appellation beginning about 20 miles from the coast, the Santa Lucia Highlands has a drama all its own, with morning fog, bright sunshine and howling gusts of afternoon wind.

The Longer Story

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On the one hand, intense sunlight ripens the grapes. Meanwhile, the sea — meaning Monterey Bay — creates cooling breezes that lead to a longer growing season. Together, these two forces of nature create greater complexity in our Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

The dramatic weather of the Santa Lucia Highlands shifts moment to moment.

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