The Monterey appellation covers the entire Salinas Valley and extends west to Carmel Valley. While no appellation has only one single attribute that defines the typicity of its growing conditions, many growers there will point to the ever-present afternoon winds that come howling eastward from Monterey Bay through a gap in the Gabilan and Santa Lucia ranges as the single most influential weather-related element affecting viticulture here. Vines shut down in the face of intense winds in order to preserve moisture. This phenomenom has the practical effect of increasing the amount of time it takes to fully ripen fruit. In fact, the pervasive winds coupled with daytime growing temperature that rarely exceed 75^o contribute to the Monterey appellation having one of the world's longest growing seasons.

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SAN VICENTE VINEYARD

This vineyard site located near the Soledad prison on the east side of Highway 101 was the second commercial site the fourth and fifth generations of the Mirassou famly planted in the 1960s. Originally San Vicente covered a section (640 acres) but the current owner, a develop, has taken acreage off-line in preparation for the building of houses. Planted to a number of classic Pinot Noir clones including Pommard and Martini, San Vicente has been one of the major suppliers of Chardonnay, Merlot, and Riesling to Mirassou Vineyards for decades.

The fruit from this site, farmed by Mark Mirassou, Steven Mirassou's cousin and fellow sixth-generation family member, goes into our Pinot Noir, San Vicente Vineyard wine made exclusively for Pinot Noir Program members as well as into the Pinot Noir, Monterey appellation wine. San Vicente is composed mostly of sandy loam soil and is planted on the Salinas Valley floor 238 feet above sea level and 115 miles south of the Winery. The vineyard's coordinates are n36^o 26' 43.6 Latitude and w121^o 19' 27.9" Longitude.