CA - North Coast Flashcards
What counties are included in the North Coast AVA
- Napa
- Sonoma
- Mendocino
- Lake
- Solano
- Marin
What percentage of vineyard acreage is in Napa County? What percentage of value of CA wine does it account for?
- 4% acreage
- 20% value
How many sub AVAs of Napa County? Name them
16
- Napa Valley
- Calistoga
- Howell Mountain
- Chiles Valley
- Diamond Mountain District
- Spring Mountain District
- St. Helena
- Rutherford
- Oakville
- Yountville
- Stags Leap District
- Oak Knoll
- Mount Veeder
- Coombsville
- Wild Horse Valley
- Los Carneros
(N to S ish)
Main towns of Napa County
- Starts at San Pablo Bay in South
- Napa
- St. Helena
- Calistoga in the north
(5 miles wide at Napa to 1 mile wide at Calistoga)
Does it get warmer or cooler as you travel North in Napa County? Why?
Warmer!
Cool ocean air funnels through Petaluma Gap in San Pablo Bay and upward through valley
What AVA in Napa is the coolest and suitable for sparkling wine production?
Los Carneros AVA
-affected by wind from San Pablo Bay through Petaluma Gap
What is the temperature like in Calistoga AVA?
- Routinely over 90 degrees
- suitable for Cab Sauv and Zin
What two mountain ranges line Napa on west and east?
- Mayacamas on the West
- Vaca Mountains on the East
What is range of altitude in Napa?
0 to over 2000 ft above sea level
What mountain range forms the border of Napa and Sonoma County?
Mayacamas Mountains
Soils of Napa
Range of volcanic, alluvial and maritime soil types
-gravel loam, dense clay, thin rocky soils
What is “mountain fruit”
- Refers to (usually) Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa’s sun-drenched hillside vineyards and mountainside AVAs
- prized for density, dark fruit, concentration and ability to retain good acid structure through ripeness
What AVA producers benchmark “mountain wines”
Howell Mountain
1st AVA wholly within Napa to receive its own AVA
What is a concern for hillside growers in Napa?
- erosion
- heavy winter rains can wash away vineyards entire topsoil
Three “mountain” or hillside AVAs in Napa
- Howell Mountain AVA
- Diamond Mountain District AVA
- Stags Leap District AVA
Describe “valley fruit”
- more elegant supple style of Cabernet
- less intensity of color
-valley floor has deeper topsoil
What AVA exemplifies valley floor style?
Rutherford AVA
3 “valley” AVAs for Cabernet in Napa
- Rutherford AVA
- Oakville AVA
- Coombsville AVA
Where is Pinot Noir generally found in Napa?
Los Carneros
-for sparking and still wine production
Location and bordering counties of Sonoma
- Between Napa County and Pacific Coast
- Mendocino and Lake to the North
- Marin, Solano and Contra Costa to the South
AVAs of Sonoma:
North East
- Alexander Valley
- Pine Mountain Cloverdale Peak
- Knights valley
- Chalk Hill
North Central
- Rockpile
- Dry Creek valley
North West»South West
- Sonoma Coast
- Fort Ross Seaview
- Petaluma Gap
Central
- Russian River Valley
- Green Valley of RRV
South East
- Sonoma Valley
- Bennet Valley
- Sonoma Mountain
- Moon Mountain
- Carneros
What is the climate like in Carneros AVA in Sonoma?
- windy, foggy, cool
- Region 1
- mostly pinot noir and chard for sparkling wine
What soils characterize the RRV?
Fertile alluvial soils
-“Goldridge” sandy loam
“Sub AVAs” of RRV?
Chalk Hill
Green Valley
Notable COASTAL producers in Sonoma
Hirsch
Marcassin
Peay
Notable RRV producers in Sonoma
Dehlinger
Joseph Swan
Rochioli
Williams Selyem
What AVAs in Sonoma Country north and east of Healdsburg experience warmer region III climates
Alexander Valley
Dry Creek Valley
Rockpile
Knights Valley
What is the warmest AVA in Sonoma County?
Knights Valley
What are the soils of Alexander Valley and Knights Valley? What characters do the Cab Sauvs from each display?
-gravelly soils
-Alexander Valley - more herbaceous than Napa
-Knights Valley - can be similar to Napa
Peter Michael “Les Pavots”
Where is Peter Michael based? Name some cuvees?
Knights Valley - Sonoma County
Cab Sauv - Les Pavots
Chard - Belle Côte
Pinot Noir - Clos du Ciel (fruit from Fort Ross Seaview)
What are Dry Creek Valley and Rockpile AVA known for?
- Ripe, powerful styles of Zinfandel
- aged in American or French oak
What is the most established sub region of Sonoma County? What grapes are successful there?
Sonoma Valley AVA
Zin, PN, Chard, Cab Sauv - successful
What mountains straddle Sonoma Valley
Mayacamas and Sonoma Mountains
-runs nearly parallel to Napa Valley
What grape is favored in Bennett Valley AVA in Sonoma?
Merlot
too cold to ripen Cab
What Champagne house and Cava producer set up their American sparkling wine estates in Carneros in the 80s?
- Taittiner
- Codorníu
What is significant about Gloria Ferrer?
- first sparkling wine house in Sonoma Carneros
- first to plant Champagne clones and the first to plant in Carneros
What is required of all wines produced in Sonoma County as of 2011?
Must state Sonoma County on the label
Where is Mendocino in relation to Sonoma?
North
What two rivers are Mendocino’s best winegrowing regions centered at the confluence of?
Russian and Navarro Rivers
What AVAs are nestled within Mendocino AVA?
Anderson Valley Potter Valley Redwood Valley McDowell Valley Yorkville Highlands Cole Ranch Mendocino Ridge (Portion)
4 AVAs not included within Mendocino AVA but still in Mendocino County
Pine MOuntain-Cloverdale Peak
Dos Rios
Covelo
Eagle Peak Mendocino County (2014)
What is the smallest AVA in America? Who owns all of the vineyard acreage?
-Cole Ranch AVA
(60 acres - Less than 1/4 sq mile)
-within Mendocino AVA in Mendocino County
-Esterlina Winery owns all vineyard acreage
Where is McDowell Valley and who owns most of vineyard area?
In Mendocino County
-essentially monopole of McDowell Valley wineries
What is the climate of Anderson valley?
Cool
-one of coolest in CA
What champagne house is based in the Anderson Valley?
Louis Roederer
-produces elegant sparkling compared to competitors in Carneros
What is unique about the requirements for Mendocino Ridge AVA?
Restricted to vineyards that are at least 1,200 feet above sea level
What grape thrives in the sun above the fog line in Mendocino Ridge?
Zinfandel
What is the smallest wine-producing county in the North Coast?
Lake County
What is the most prominent AVA in Lake County?
Clear Lake AVA
- cool climate bc of moderating Lake
- Sauvignon Blanc
What is the only non-contiguous AVA in US?
Mendocino Ridge AVA
Where is Teldeschi Vineyard?
Dry Creek AVA
Where is Monte Rosso Vineyard?
Sonoma Valley AVA - Moon Mountain AVA
Louis Martini
Where is Eisele vineyard
Calistoga AVA
Araujo
Where is Sanford & Benedict vineyard?
Sta Rita Hills AVA
Sandhi
