23. California - Central Coast, Central Valley, Sierra Foothills & South Coast Flashcards
What are the two northern Central Coast AVAs?
1) Livermore Valley AVA
2) Santa Cruz Mountains AVA
Why is Livermore Valley AVA subjected to afternoon winds?
Hot air rises from the inland Central Valley to the east, which sucks in cool air from the San Fran Bay
What are the soils of Livermore Valley AVA?
Stony, free-draining
Where are the vineyards of Santa Cruz Mountains AVA generally planted?
Along an 800masl ridgeline providing moderating influence on day-night temperatures
How do the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA vineyards generally avoid frost?
Cool night air descends and forces warm air upwards maintaining relatively warm night temperatures
Name five AVAs within Monterey County
1) Monterey County AVA
2) Santa Lucia Highlands AVA
3) Arroyo Seco AVA
4) Chalone AVA
5) Carmel Valley AVA
What is the main geological feature of Monterey County?
The Salinas River Valley
What effect does the The Salinas River Valley have on Monterey?
It opens onto Monterey Bay in the north, which has a particularly deep canyon resulting in cold waters that lower temperatures of the air and wind funneled through the valley.
What are the vineyard plantings in the north of Monterey AVA compared with the south?
North - Pinot Noir and Riesling
South - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Zinfandel
Chardonnay grown throughout
What are the soils of Monterey AVA?
Free-draining sandy loam and gravel meaning irrigation is essential due to low growing season rainfall
Describe the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA
30km strip of south-east facing alluvial terraces overlooking the Salinas Valley located near Monterey Bay
What is a weather hazard in Santa Lucia Highlands AVA?
It can sometimes be so windy the vine’s stomata close, slowing ripening
What are the three key varieties of Santa Lucia Highlands AVA?
1) Chardonnay
2) Pinot Noir
3) Syrah
Why are the Arroyo Seco AVA vineyards within the canyon more suited to Cabernet, Syrah and Zinfandel?
It is more sheltered from coastal influence
Why are the Arroyo Seco AVA vineyards on the plain more suited to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir?
They’re exposed to afternoon breezes
Explain the growing conditions of Chalone AVA
1) Within the Gabilan Mountain Range at 550m
2) Above the fog line with warm, sunny days and cooler nights
3) Granite and limestone soils
What varieties is Chalone AVA best known for?
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
Also Chenin, Pinot Blanc and Syrah
Why are Carmel Valley AVA vineyards amongst the warmest in Monterey?
Depending on aspect, they can be sheltered from coastal influence and are above the fog line.
Name three AVAs of San Luis Obispo County
1) Paso Robles AVA
2) Edna Valley AVA
3) Arroyo Grande Valley AVA
What style of wine do vineyards in the east of Paso Robles AVA produce and why?
Full-bodied wines with concentrated, ripe fruit flavours due to its warmer climate
What is the Templeton Gap and what effect does it have on Paso Robles AVA’s westerly vineyards?
It is low point in the Coastal Range that allows the Pacific Ocean’s air to reach further inland,
providing a moderating influence on temperatures of the westerly sub-AVAs.
What is unusual about Paso Robles’ soils compared with most of California?
Calcareous soil
What soil component in parts of Paso Robles AVA permits dry grown vineyards?
Clay
What are four common black grape varieties of Paso Robles AVA?
Cabernet
Syrah
Merlot
Zinfandel
Name a significant producer of Paso Robles AVA
Tablas Creek
Why is the Edna Valley AVA considered one of the coolest in California?
It’s about eight kilometres from the Pacific Ocean and receives cool fog and wind from Morro Bay
Describe the Aroya Grande Valley AVA
Warm and sunny days but the valley lies northeast-southwest,
which funnels in cool Pacific fog and wind up into the valley from the southwest, and cools temperatures at night, resulting in ripe grapes with high acidity
What are the two main varieties of Edna Valley AVA and Arroyo Grande Valley AVA?
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
What are the two key AVAs of Santa Barbara County?
1) Santa Maria Valley
2) Santa Ynez Valley
What are the four sub-AVAs of Santa Ynez Valley AVA?
1) Rita Hills
2) Ballard Canyon
3) Los Olivos District
4) Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara
What are the Transverse Ranges and where are they?
An east-west orientation of the Southern Coast Ranges formed by plate tectonic shifts.
Santa Barbara County
Describe the effect of the Transverse Ranges
The western side of the valleys face the Pacific Ocean and funnel in the cooling breezes and fog eastward into the vineyards, lowering
temperatures significantly.
What are the two most common grape varieties in Santa Barbara County?
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
Name a key producer of Santa Barbara County?
Mail Road Wines
What legislation is there in Santa Barbara County?
Legislation prevents wineries from setting up cellar doors on the site of their winery. Any cellar door or tasting room must be in a town or city.
Describe the Santa Maria Valley AVA (3)
1) In the north of the Santa Barbara County
2) The valley runs west to east, funnelling cool Pacific Ocean air into the vineyards
3) Vineyards are planted between around 100–250 m on hillside slopes
What are two distinguishing features of Sta. Rita Hills AVA
1) Its east-west orientation is framed by hills in the north and south
2) Calcium-rich soils.
Why are Grenache and Syrah more commonly planted in Ballard Canyon AVA?
It’s further inland and the canyon runs north to south, sheltering the vineyards from much of the cool breezes from the west.
A mix of Bordeaux,
Rhône and Italian varieties are grown in Los Olivos AVA. Why?
It has warm, sunny days, but without altitude or much fog influence has a relatively low diurnal range
Describe Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara AVA (3)
1) Furthest from the Pacific Ocean.
2) The valley shifts orientation to north-south, and blocks the Pacific breezes.
3) Cooling influences come from high altitude sites
and exposure to afternoon winds
What are five common grape varieties planted in the Central Valley?
1) French Colombard
2) Chardonnay
3) Muscat
4) Zinfandel
5) Merlot
What is the Central Valley most known for and why?
Large-scale production due to its flat, fertile plains and high daytime temperatures
Describe the climate of Lodi AVA
Hot Mediterranean moderated by
cooling afternoon winds from the San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
How is it possible for coastal influence to travel so far inland to Lodi AVA?
Flat land in the area with breaks between the North and South Coast Ranges means that breezes off the San Fran Bay
Describe the viticultural set-up for Lodi AVA
Vineyards are on flatlands of free-draining sandy and clay loam soils
How are vines typically trained in Lodi AVA and why?
Cordon-trained and VSP trellised as replacement cane systems would require more labour
What premium variety is Lodi AVA most known for?
Zinfandel with some vines over 100 years old (sandy soils mean that phylloxera has not been a problem in some areas of the AVA, particularly Mokelumne River AVA).
In 2006 Lodi AVA was subdivided into seven sub-AVAs. What is the largest?
Mokelumne River AVA
Besides Lodi AVA, what is the other Central Valley AVA?
Clarksburg AVA
Why does Clarksburg AVA share a similar climate to Lodi AVA?
Due to its proximity to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta - with hot days moderated by
afternoon breezes
What two varieties is Clarksburg AVA known for?
Chenin Blanc and Petite Sirah
What provides the high diurnal range to Sierra Foothills AVa?
Hot daytime temperatures up to 35–40°C with cool air from the mountains at night
What is the predominant soil type in Sierra Foothills AVA?
Sandy clay loam from decomposed granite that retains sufficient
water to allow for dry farming.
What variety is Sierra Foothills AVA
Old vine Zinfandel, with some vines considerably over 100 years old
Where are the vineyards of South Coast AVA typically planted and why?
In areas exposed to
breezes from the Pacific, though some rely on altitude for temperature relief, as the low latitude means cooling influence is necessary
Where is the South Coast AVA?
Extends from the south of Los Angeles to the border with Mexico
What are the two main influences on climate in California?
1) The cold Pacific Ocean
2) The ranges of mountains the length of the state
What winemaking practice is common in Napa (and California generally) and why?
1) Multi-AVA blending
2) Balance, cost, complexity etc
What are the three main counties within the Central Coast?
1) Monterey
2) San Luis Obisbo
3) Santa Barbara
Describe the growing environment of Sierra Foothills
1) Hot days
2) Cool mountain air at night due to altitude (up to 1,000m plantings)
