Santa Lucia Highlands is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in central Monterey County, California and lies within the boundaries of the larger, elongated Monterey viticultural area. It was recognized by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms {ATF}, Treasury on June 15, 1992 after reviewing the petition from Mr. Barry Jackson of the Harmony Wine Company proposing a viticultural area to be known as "Santa Lucia Highlands."
The area consists of the eastern flank of the Santa Lucia Mountain Range and is located completely within the boundaries of the established Monterey viticultural area. The general boundaries are: Limekiln Creek to the north; the Salinas River and its associated terraces to the east; the western border of the Arroyo Seco viticultural area in the southeast; and the western border of the Monterey viticultural area to the west. Inititially, the total area of the appellation was approximately 22,000 acres (34 sq mi) with 1,850 acres (749 ha) committed to active viticulture, with plans to cultivate an additional 400 acres (162 ha). Winegrowing in the region dates back to the late 18th Century, when Spanish missionaries planted the first vines. The modern wine industry sprang up in the 1970s. Some of the vineyards lie as high as 1,200 feet (366 m) above sea level, with about half of them planted to the Pinot noir grape. The region enjoys cool morning fog and breezes from Monterey Bay followed by warm afternoons thanks to direct southern exposures to the sun.
In 2021, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), Treasury ruled on a modification of the shared Santa Lucia Highlands-Arroyo Seco AVA boundary. The modification removed 376 acres (1 sq mi) from the Santa Lucia Highlands viticultural area, and moved 148 acres (0 sq mi) from the Arroyo Seco viticultural area placing it entirely within the Santa Lucia Highlands. The modification reduced the size of the AVA by less than 1 percent and did not have any impact on the boundaries of the Monterey AVA or the Central Coast.