Pinot Noir
Sunny days and consistently cool temperatures are what nudge this delicate, thin-skinned grape to its optimum sugar content and fruitiness. Santa Lucia Highlands, a region which devotes almost 3,000 acres to this native of the Burgundy region of France, is blessed with the climate, soil and know-how to make that happen. The Pinot grape has a notoriously narrow margin of error, but when all goes well it becomes a super-satisfying, medium-bodied red with notes of cherry or strawberry, and the favorite of Monterey County wine drinkers.