California Flashcards
What are California’s major & minor red grapes?
Major: Cab, Merlot, Zin, Pinot, Cab Franc, Syrah
Minor: Barbera, Petit Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Tempranillo
What are California’s major & minor white grapes?
Major: Chardonnay & Sauv Blanc
Minor: Viognier, Gewurz, Riesling, Pinot Grigio, Chenin Blanc
Where is California located?
The West Coast of America
840 miles from Oregon to Mexico
What are California’s major mountain ranges & where are they located?
North & South Coastal Ranges on coast
Sierra Nevadas are eastern central across from great valley
Klamath mountains are north of north coastal, west of cascades
What are California’s major rivers & bays?
Sacramento River
Salinas River
Russian River
San Joaquin River
Monteray Bay
San Francisco Bay
What are the climates of California’s wine growing regions?
Maritime on the coasts (Sonoma, Santa Barbera)
Mediterranean inland (Napa, Paso Robles)
Continental further inland (Sierra Foothills, Central Valley)
What red winemaking trends unite California?
Use of modern tech
Clean, high alcohol,
Extended hanging and/or masceration
partial to full new french oak
Even producers seeking to make european style wines tend to generate examples that are clean & fruit-driven
What white winemaking trends unite California?
Whites like Chardonnay & Sauv Blanc tend to be more extracted than in other markets.
Oak aging and some lees contact is common.
What are the major grapes of the Mendocino AVA?
Chardonnay & Pinot Noir
What are the major AVAs in Mendocino county?
Mendocino AVA
Anderson Valley AVA
Mendocino Ridge AVA
Yorkville Highlands
What are Lake County’s major grapes?
Cab, Petit Syrah, Tempranillo, Sauvignon Blanc
What are the major AVAs of Lake County?
Clear Lake & High Valley
What is the major grape of the Sierra Foothills?
Zin
What are the major AVAs of the Sierra Foothills?
Fairplay & Shenendoah Valley
What are the major varieties of Napa Valley?
Red: Cab, Merlot, Syrah, Pinot, Cab Franc
White: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc
How do temperatures differ in Napa valley from the valley floor appellations to the mountain appellations?
In the morning the valley floor is cooler due to fog, but during the day, the mountains are cooler due to higher elevation. Mountains have larger diurnal shifts overall due to elevation
How do the Western & Eastern mountain appellations of Napa differ from each other?
In mesoclimate: the Western mountains are cooler and wetter due to increased oceanic influence
In aspect: Eastern slopes have western exposures, so they get intense afternoon sun & heat, while Western slopes enjoy the gentler morning sun of an eastern aspect.
How does mesoclimate differ in Napa Valley as you move North from San Pablo Bay?
The region gets progressively warmer as you drive North, away from the cooling influence of the Bay.
How many appellations are in Napa County?
17 AVAs
Name the Napa Valley Floor AVAs from N to S (7)
Calistoga
St. Helena
Rutherford
Oakville
Yountville
Stags Leap District
+ Chiles Valley to the East
Name the Southern Napa Valley AVAs from N to S? (4)
Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley
Coombsville & Wild Horse Valley
Los Carneros
What 2 Napa AVAs overlap other counties?
Los Carneros is shared with Sonoma to the west
Wild Horse Valley is shared with Solano to the east
What are the Mayacamas Mountain AVAs from N to S?
What about the Vacas AVAs from N to S? (5 total)
Diamond Mountain District
Spring Mountain District
Mount Veeder
Howel Mountain
Atlas Peak
What is the major AVA of the Central Valley?
Lodi
What are the major grapes of the Central Valley?
Zin & Cab
What are the major grapes of San Francisco Bay?
Cab & Pinot
What are the major AVAs of San Francisco Bay? (3)
Livermore Valley
Santa Clara Valley
Santa Cruz Mountains
What are the major grapes of Monteray (3)
Pinot, Cab, Merlot
What are the major AVAs of Monteray? (4)
Monteray
Carmel
Arroyo Seco
Santa Lucia Highlands
What are the major grapes of San Luis Obispo? (5)
Syrah, Grenache, Pinot, Chard, Viognier
What are the major AVAs of San Luis Obispo?
Paso Robles
York Mountain
Arroyo Grande Valley
Edna Valley
What are the major grapes of Santa Barbara? (3)
Pinot, Chard, Syrah
What are the major AVAs of Santa Barbara? (3)
Santa Rita Hills
Santa Maria Valley
Santa Ynez Valley
What is the major grape & AVA of South Coast CA?
Syrah, Temecula
How many AVAs in Sonoma? Can you name them all?
19!
Sonoma Coast
West Sonoma Coast
Fort Ross Seaview
Petaluma Gap
Sonoma Valley
Sonoma Mountain
Moon Mountain District
Bennett Valley
Los Carneros
Fountaingrove District
North Sonoma
Russian river valley
Green valley of Russian River
Chalk Hill
Dry Creek
Rockpile
Alexander Valley
Knights Valley
Pine Mountain Cloverdale Peak
What are California’s large overarching AVAs?
North Coast
Central Coast
South Coast
San Francisco Bay
Sierra Foothills
What 6 Counties does North Coast include?
Mendocino, Lake
Sonoma, Napa
Marin, Solano
