2019 Elementus Arroyo Seco, California 'Y Factor' Pinot Noir

Actually, there are several such places. But one that exists somewhat under the radar is Arroyo Seco, a small American Viticultural Area that lies on the western edge of Monterey County’s Salinas Valley, nestled between the flatlands and the higher reaches of the Santa Lucia Mountains.

There, rolling vineyards — planted mainly to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay — stretch across the benchlands, and persistent ocean winds are funneled in from the mouth of the Monterey Bay. Those breezes push in a chilly blanket of fog that enables the grapes to recover each night following a day in the nourishing sunshine.

Elementus sources grapes from the Arroyo Seco area for its “Y Factor” Pinot Noir, and the 2019 vintage is a complex, fruitful and spice-tinged wine demonstrating that not all outstanding Pinot Noir wines hail from regions that are on the tip of your tongue.