5 West Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley

298-8201

www.bernardus.com/winery

This vote doubles as a win for Monterey County, as its discerning palates have wisely discovered there are whites beyond the more seductive and oftentimes overcelebrated Chardonnays, and damn good ones at that. Winemaker Dean DeKorth credits superior fruit almost exclusively plucked from the Griva Vineyard, and a method in which they pick at up to seven different times to deliver a broad blend that enjoys both acid and brightness (from less ripe grapes) and fullness and alcohol (from riper fruit), all without pushing past 14 percent ABV. “It gives you a little bit of the raciness of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc,” DeKorth says, “but also a richer, more complex style than most.”