Critic picks

Wine Advocate's top-rated wineries in Monterey County

Wine Advocate scores on the 100-point scale. Its 15 ranked Monterey County producers run from 88 to 94 points, each with at least two rated wines.

Ranked by Wine Advocate's mean score across every wine of theirs Wine Advocate has rated. Highest average first; ties go to the producer with more wines rated.

15
Producers Wine Advocate rates
94
Top score
467
Wines scored, top 25

The list

  1. 194ClariceSanta Lucia Highlands, United States6 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  2. 293LuciaSanta Lucia Highlands, United States50 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  3. 393RoarSanta Lucia Highlands, United States145 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  4. 491Seabold Cellars - Bold Wine CoMonterey, United States13 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  5. 591Carmel RoadMonterey County, United States15 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  6. 690LucySanta Lucia Highlands, United States3 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  7. 790McIntyreMonterey County, United States15 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  8. 890WrathMonterey, United States58 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  9. 989Mansfield - DunneSanta Lucia Highlands, United States7 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  10. 1089Durney Vineyard - Massa EstateCarmel Valley, United States3 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  11. 1189TravisMonterey, United States10 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  12. 1288EstanciaMonterey, United States55 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  13. 1388Absolution CellarsSan Antonio Valley, United States3 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  14. 1488Chalone VineyardChalone, United States80 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  15. 1588Mer SoleilSanta Lucia Highlands, United States4 wines ratedDISTINCTION→

How we choose

Wine Advocate rates individual wines, not estates. Each producer's place here is its average Wine Advocate score across every wine of theirs the critic has scored. A producer needs at least two such wines to appear: the guard stops a single lucky score on one bottle from outranking an estate with dozens of rated wines. More on how the list works

Frequently asked

How many Monterey County wineries has Wine Advocate rated?
15 wineries in Monterey County, United States have at least two wines scored by Wine Advocate. Only those appear here.
Which Monterey County winery does Wine Advocate rate highest?
Clarice, at a 94-point average from Wine Advocate, followed by Lucia and Roar.
How is this list ranked?
By Wine Advocate's average score across each winery's wines. A winery needs at least two Wine Advocate-rated wines to be listed, so a single high score cannot top the ranking.
Does this use user reviews?
No. Only Wine Advocate's professional ratings. There are no crowd star averages in it.

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