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San Benito County is a relatively unknown and a true hidden gemstone in the world of wine, producing
unique and award winning wines of exquisite quality.
For a low-profile winegrowing area, San Benito has a lot going on. Directly east of better-known Monterey County, on the other side of the Gavilan Mountains,
San Benito County boasts four recognized AVAs (CIENEGA VALLEY, PAICINES, LIME KILN VALLEY and MT. HARLAN), plus portions of two others
(Chalone, mostly in Monterey, and Pacheco Pass, whose wineries are mostly in Santa Clara). For years, anything involving grape growing and
winemaking within San Benito County could be traced directly to Almadén Vineyards.
The winery owned most of the acreage, and during peak production periods its acreage exceeded 4,500.
As Almadén´s sales slipped in the 80s, San Benito County's producing acreage diminished.
After dropping by half in the 1980s, planted acreage is back up to 3,000 and growing. New wineries are opening their doors. Bit by bit, local growers
and wineries are working toward putting together a county winegrowers association making San Benito synonymous
with top quality wine.
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