Arroyo Seco
Sub-AVA · Monterey County · District 7
27 CFR 9.59 · established 1983-04-15 · last amended 2021-09-23
Heat class II · 1991-2020 normals
Climate normals in three numbers
, Apr 1 – Oct 31
18 GridMET cells cover this region
raw 4 km GridMET would say III
season rain, Apr 1 – Oct 31
16 mm of it in the , Sep 1 – Oct 31
Warm and cool vintages since 1980
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Rain across the season, and at harvest
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The boundary
Hovering a shaded region names it; a click opens its page.
Measured vineyard area
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Drought categories, year by year
Monterey County — not Arroyo Seco
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What's in the ground
7.0
pH, 1:1 water
18.1cm
, whole profile
187cm
to
Well drained
, dominant condition
Distribution across 70 · mean ◆, median │, p10–p90 bar
Dominant
- 19.9%
- 15.0%
- 10.2%
- 7.8%
- 6.3%
70 map units · soil described over 99.2% of the region’s area · 1.2% is water, rock outcrop or other non-soil · 9% of the described area has a restrictive layer within the profile.
Sand, silt and clay, against every other appellation
Sandy loam
52% sand · 30% silt · 18% clay
Sandier than 77% of California appellations and clayier than 20%. Each grey point is one appellation’s topsoil; appellations nest, so this is a distribution of places rather than of land.
Plus 13% rock fragments by volume, which the triangle does not describe — the three fractions are of the fine-earth material only.
Elevation, slope and aspect
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Bearing acreage by variety
Monterey County · District 7
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Price per ton
Monterey County · District 7
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The appellation in federal law
The boundary, in the government’s own words (644 words)
(c) Boundaries. The Arroyo Seco viticultural area is located in Monterey County, California. The beginning point is found on the “Sycamore Flat” U.S.G.S. map at the intersection of Jamesburg Road (known locally as Carmel Valley Road) and Arroyo Seco Road, near the intersection of sections 21, 22, 28, and 27, T.19 S., R. 5 E. From the beginning point, proceed southwesterly along Arroyo Seco Road to its intersection with Piney Creek. (1) Then southeasterly along Piney Creek to its confluence with the Arroyo Seco in section 27, T. 19 S., R. 5 E. (2) Then northerly along the Arroyo Seco to its intersection with the southern boundary of section 22, T. 19 S., R 5 E. (3) Then east following the southern boundaries of Sections 22, 23, 24, 19, and 20 to the southeastern corner of Section 20, T. 19 S., R. 6 E. (4) Then northeast in a straight line for approximately 1.3 miles to the summit of Pettits Peak. (5) Then northeast in a straight line for approximately 1.8 miles to the point where the 400′ contour line intersects the northern boundary of Section 14, T. 19 S., R. 6 E. (6) Then east following the 400′ contour line to a point immediately west of the Reservoir within the Posa de los Ositos Land Grant. (7) Then following the ridge line in a northeasterly direction for approximately 7.5 miles to U.S. Highway 101 at the intersection of Underwood Road. (8) Then east following Underwood Road to its intersection with the Posa de los Ositos Land Grant. (9) Then north following the boundary of the Posa de los Ositos Land Grant to the west bank of the Salinas River. (10) Then northwest following the west bank of the Salinas River to the southern boundary of Section 17, T. 18 S., R. 7 E. (11) Then due west for approximately 2.0 miles following the southern boundary of Section 17, and continuing to U.S. Highway 101. (12) Then south following Paraiso Road to its intersection with an unnamed, light-duty road north of Clark Road in Section 20, T18S/R6E. (13) Then east-southeast along the unnamed road for 0.3 mile to its intersection with an intermittent stream. (14) Then southwesterly along the intermittent stream for 0.2 mile to its intersection with the western boundary of Section 21, T18S/R6E. (15) Then south-southwest in a straight line for approximately 0.3 mile to the intersection of Clark Road and the southern boundary of Section 21, T18S/R6E. (16) Then west-southwest along Clark Road for 0.2 mile to its intersection with an unnamed, light-duty road. (17) Then east-northeasterly along Clark Road for approximately 1,000 feet to its intersection with an unnamed light-duty road to the south. (18) Then in a straight south-southeasterly line for approximately 1.9 miles to the line's intersection with the southeast corner of section 33, T18S, R6E (this line coincides with the unnamed light duty road for approximately 0.4 miles and then with the eastern boundaries of sections 29, 32 and 33, T18S, R6E, which mark this portion of the western boundary of the historical Arroyo Seco Land Grant). (19) Then straight west along the southern boundary of section 33, T18S, R6E, to its southwest corner. (20) Then due south following the eastern boundaries of Sections 5, 8, and 17, to Arroyo Seco Road. (21) Then southwest in a straight line for approximately 1.0 mile to Bench Mark 673. (22) Then west in a straight line for approximately 1.8 miles to Bench Mark 649. (23) Then northwest in a straight line for approximately 0.2 mile to the northeast corner of Section 23, T. 19 S., R. 5 E. (24) Then west following the northern boundaries of Section 23 and 22 to the northwest corner of Section 22, T. 19 S., R. 5 E. (25) Then south in a straight line for approximately 1.0 mile to the point of beginning.