Father Pedro Font, a member of the California expedition of Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza, documented the initial reference to San Bernabe on March 8, 1776.

The road at first runs through a spur of mountains, until it descends to a wide valley called the Cañada de San Bernabé.

[2] The San Bernabe viticultural area is located immediately south of King City in the long Salinas Valley.

The approximately 9 by 7 miles (14 by 11 km) viticultural area occupies the valley floor and rolling foothills, extending west from the Salinas River to the Santa Lucia Mountains.

[2] The Salinas Valley forms a broad funnel for the strong, cool, afternoon marine winds coming off Monterey Bay during the warm months.

The winds dissipate gradually as they travel inland from Monterey Bay and create a series of temperature-unique, grape-growing areas within the long Salinas Valley.

The cool night air helps retain the grapes’ acid and color, while the daily heat encourages ripeness and flavor.

[2] In the San Bernabe viticultural area, grapes are grown below the 700 feet (213 m) elevation level on rolling hills in wind-produced eolian soils.

The Oceano, Garey, and Garey-Oceano complex eolian soil types, which are well to excessively well-drained, dominate the San Bernabe viticultural area.

Small niches of alluvial soils, derived from the shale-based Santa Lucia Mountains, lie within the area and immediately to the north and south of the San Bernabe boundary lines.

East of the San Bernabe viticultural area boundary line, the Gabilan Mountain Range includes calcareous sandstone, shale and siltstone, which come from a different source material, according to the petition.