The Santa Cruz Mountains have long been producing wines of renown. Few of the oldest vineyards survived prohibition, but many new ones have sprouted up to take their place. In 1981 the Santa Cruz Mountains Viticultural Appellation became federally recognized, one of the first American viticultural areas to be defined by geophysical and climatic factors.

The appellation encompasses the Santa Cruz Mountain range, from Half Moon Bay in the north, to Mount Madonna in the South. The east and west boundaries are defined by elevation, extending down to 800 feet in the east and 400 feet in the west. The individual micro-climates, marine influence, mountain terrain, distinctive soils and low crop levels, all contribute to the production of intensely concentrated fruit.

Our larger home is named the “Santa Cruz Mountains.” It is American’s first mountain appellation with winegrowing dating back to the 1860’s. The appellation encompasses the Santa Cruz Mountain range, with boundaries defined by the elevation of the fog levels at daybreak in the spring and summer months, typically, between 600 to 1000 feet. Those vineyards above the fog are dryer and see abundant sunlight; while below this line vineyards are compromised by the cooler moist conditions. Our estate vineyards are at 2,000 feet.

In California, winegrowing climates are controlled primarily by the Pacific Ocean—the closer a vineyard is to the coast, the cooler the daytime high will be. This is important in giving the vines an even and slow ripening environment, especially with the sensitive French varietals we specialize in at Mount Eden. Being high in the mountains, close to the ocean and the San Francisco Bay gives us ideal, long, fog-free days with low daytimes highs and a relative absence of heat spikes in the summer and fall.

In addition, most all of the forty acres we farm are on eastern slopes. This direction gives us an incidence to the sun which promotes this desired slow, measured ripening.

The combination of our elevation, which keeps us free of fog and frost California’s Mediterranean climate, and sufficient rainfall in the winter allows us to dry-farm our vineyards to produce superb fruit year after year.