This article originally appeared in the October issue of NCGA Golf Magazine
Noted for a recent surge of new wineries and tasting rooms, Monterey County is a hip destination for ‘nine and wine,’ and where winemaking history extends further than almost anywhere in the U.S.
By Alex Hulanicki
Delving into the concept of “nine and wine,” no one is suggesting that the back-nine should be skipped. But what the heck, you might have just snap-hooked into the vineyard on the left of No. 10 at Carmel Valley Ranch, and it doesn’t get any easier on the Pete Dye-designed mountain holes. Why not repair to the clubhouse patio bar and order the Swing Wines Pinot Noir made from those grapes?
With a glass of that wine made by Ian Brand in hand, consider the wine’s lore. Winemaking dates back to the founding of missions by Franciscan friars in the 1700s, but there is a bit of noir contributing to the establishment of pinot noir in California. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, winemakers have slipped cuttings past U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors for decades “in their clothes and false-bottom suitcases, spawning the term ‘Samsonite clone,’ thus bypassing the minimum five-year-long quarantine for legally imported vines.
One of those “importers” is Gary Pisoni, whose careful transplantation of pinot noir cuttings in the shale of the Santa Lucia Highlands in the early 1980s made the appellation famous—with the demand for the grapes by winemakers in Napa, Sonoma and Paso Robles leading to a $200 million industry in Monterey County. About 70% of the county’s wine grapes are exported to wineries elsewhere. Comparatively, Monterey County has almost double the vineyard acreage of Napa Valley County, but when the movie “Sideways” turned cabernet sauvignon drinkers into Pinot Noir drunkards, Napa’s wine corridor took off, and Napa’s burgeoning wine industry climbed to over $1 billion. Meanwhile, sleepy River Road’s wine-tasting rooms are now changing hands and boutique wineries are being sold to corporate groups, such as Constellation Brands and Gallo Family Wines.
“The county’s wines wouldn’t be famous without the quirky personality of winemaker Gary Pisoni,” says Victor Kong, whose wine aisle at Star Market presents a comprehensive supply of local wines. He often suggests that buyers take a good look at the label to see where the grapes come from. Some of them came from the cuttings smuggled in Pisoni’s underwear, thus the “Pisoni clone.”
A collection of restaurants, bars and tasting rooms line John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row in Monterey and extend into the adjacent towns of Carmel-by-the-Sea and Pacific Grove. Slightly inland, Carmel Valley is home to two dozen tasting rooms situated alongside eclectic restaurants and popular resorts. Let’s tour some of Monterey’s nines and wines.
Carmel Valley Ranch
For more than a decade, Carmel Valley Ranch has partnered with Ian Brand to cultivate and harvest four acres of pinot noir grapes. Their Swing Wines selection include Reserve Pinot Noir, Arroyo Seco Pinot Noir, Reserve Rosé, and a Sauvignon Blanc.
Brand was named Winemaker of the Year for California in 2018 by the San Francisco Chronicle, and he has created select wines from vineyards in the Salinas and Carmel Valleys. Growing from a modest beginning in a Salinas warehouse, Brand has branched out to establish a tasting room east of Carmel Valley Village, just down the road from Carmel Valley Ranch.
“Membership (at CVR) provides access to a variety of exclusive events and tournaments, including ‘Wine and Nine,’ seasonal wine-pairing dinners featuring local and regional vintners, and other themed gatherings,” says Travis McCabe, director of golf and club operations at CVR. “Non-members are also welcome to play the course and enjoy our estate wine on the scenic Golf Clubhouse Patio after their round.”
In addition to the vineyard, CVR has a "farm-to-table" approach, sourcing ingredients for its cuisine from its on-site organic garden. The produce and herbs are grown seasonally, with a selection of wildflowers, mint, squash, artichoke, strawberries, raspberries, stone fruits, garlic chives, rosemary, tarragon, melon squash, apples and more.
Quail Lodge
Could it be that Quail Lodge’s exquisitely maintained layout, originally designed in 1964 by Robert Muir Graves and refined in 2015 by Todd Eckenrode of Origins Golf Design, can be matched by the casual cuisine, firepit and views of Edgar’s and the Covey Grill? Cozy up to the bar, order local pinot noir, such as ROAR, Bernardus, Folktale and Josh, and raise a toast to the late Ed Haber, who created the club and neighborhood in the 1960s.
The story behind the spirit of hospitality of Haber is that he once caught a young county prosecutor sneaking onto his course for a few holes at twilight. By the end of the conversation, Haber, who was a strong supporter of law enforcement and a longtime member of the Sheriff’s Rescue Team until his death in 2005 at the age of 93, handed the young man an autographed card granting “lifetime playing privileges for free” at Quail Lodge. No wonder “Love thy Neighbor” is the name of the prix fixe three-course special at Edgar’s. The wine list includes reds and roses from neighboring Bernardus and Folktale wineries. Of course, the Garys (Pisoni and Franscioni) wines are available at Edgar’s and the Covey Grill of the 93-room Lodge.
Daytrips to wine-tasting rooms at Folktale and Parsonage on Carmel Valley Road, and various rooms in Carmel Valley Village provide wine beyond nine. A recent promotional association of local wineries was recently formed with the moniker of Uncork Carmel Valley.
The name ROAR is inspired by winemaker Gary Franscioni’s passion for work and play; paying homage to the Monterey Bay winds that roar through the Santa Lucia Highlands vineyards and the thunderous roar of a stadium full of sports fans. By the way, Franscioni and Pisoni, the two Garys, have made wine together for decades, and their Garys’ vineyard pinot noir is always in high demand. Says Franscioni about his ROAR label: “Our logo features two lions high-fiving in celebration.”
Poppy Hills
Celebration is always the aim of golf. At the end of a round at Poppy Hills, Porter’s Grill and Pub is the place to raise a glass of wine or more with tasty grub. The wine list includes imports from France, but closer by the Arroyo Seco appellation-produced Carmel Road Pinot Noir, which is grown in Greenfield, and Dawn’s Dream rose’, which come from Arroyo Seco vineyards.
Light appetizers and hearty dishes are featured on the breakfast and lunch menus, and Sunday brunch has salmon specials of New York steak and eggs and salmon eggs benedict.
Bayonet/Black Horse
With residential neighborhoods under construction and sales booming, Bayonet/Black Horse’s Bayview Grille has promoted evening dinners, including wine pairings, and champagne toasts to kick off Friday evening golf events in the summer.
Golf director Scott Adams has seen positive reaction to the completion of the links-style renovation of Black Horse, reducing irrigation by turning turfed areas into sand dunes.
Bayonet/Black Horse has also stepped up to create A Taste of Monterey Bay and annual fundraiser for Peace of Mind Animal Rescue.
With wine like pinot noir at Monterey County’s golf courses, how can a golfer whine while drinking juice of the “heart break” grape.