"It’s like Napa 30 years ago," says Jon Brosseau, a Lockheed engineer who with his wife, Jan, runs the Inn at the Pinnacles, a gracious bed-and-breakfast on a knoll above the valley. Low-key, in other words. Unspoiled. On a relaxed afternoon—amid vineyards and croplands of startling
beauty—you can sample a dozen varieties of wine at half a dozen wineries.

"We’re stuck on the rhônes—they’re so food friendly," says Joel Burnstein, a former stock trader who teamed up with his sweetheart a few years ago to found Marilyn Remark Wines. In their barnlike barrel room they guide you through roussanne, marsanne, rosé, grenache, petite sirah, and syrah. Farther along the road, Steve Pessagno pours his namesake chardonnay, pinot noir, syrah, zinfandel, and port in a homey space hardly bigger than a boudoir. Not far away is the spanking-new winery and tasting room at San Saba Vineyards. There, winemakers Jeff Ritchey and Sabrine Rodems have revamped 70 acres of decades-old vines, spurning cabernet in favor of chardonnay and merlot, a grape that’s endured some jabs. "Merlot a beginner’s wine?" Rodems says. "No way. You just need to know how to make it exciting." Nearby are Hahn Estates, Paraiso Vineyards, and Chalone Vineyard, all Monterey County stalwarts offering delectable wines and fabulous views to visitors who venture off the valley floor.