California Flashcards
What % of wine produced in North America comes from California?
Over 80%
What larger AVAs divide California?
North Coast AVA Central Coast AVA South Coast AVA Sierra Foothills AVA San Francisco Bay AVA
What inland area, source of 75% of California’s wine, is not considered an AVA?
Central Valley
What rules govern the production of “Meritage” wines?
Red or White wines in which no one grape constitutes more than 90% of the blend, and is made from Bordeaux varieties.
For Reds, St. Macaire and Gros Verdot are lesser known grapes allowed
What did Carole Meredith discover?
The genetic link between Zinfandel and Crljenak Kastelanski
What other grapes is Zinfandel genetically identical to?
Tribidrag (Croatia)
Crljenak Kastelanski (Croatia)
Primitivo (Italy)
What are the AVAs of Napa Valley?
Calistoga Diamond Mountain District Chiles Valley District Spring Mountain District Howell Mountain St. Helena Rutherford Oakville Yountville Mount Veeder Stags Leap District Atlas Peak Oak Knoll District Los Carneros Coombsville Wild Horse Valley
What geographical feature funnels cool air into the Napa Valley? From what body of water?
The Petaluma Gap
The San Pablo Bay
What mountains cradle the Napa Valley to the West and the East?
West: Mayacamas Mountains
East: Vaca Mountains
What AVAs in Napa Valley are considered mountain appellations?
West:
Mt. Veeder
Spring Mountain
Diamond Mountain
East:
Atlas Peak
Howell Mountain
What makes Howell Mountain AVA unique?
It is the wettest, coolest AVA of Napa Valley
It is West facing
It is defined by altitude, beginning at 1,400ft (430m)
What are the valley floor AVAs of Napa?
Calistoga St. Helena Rutherford Oakville Stags Leap District
What special soil characterizes the Russian River Valley AVA?
Goldridge
Sandy loam
What are some prominent names of coastal Sonoma Coast producers?
Hirsch
Marcassin
Peay
What are some notable producers in Russian River Valley AVA?
Dehlinger
Joseph Swan
Williams-Seylem
What are some notable producers in the Green Valley of Russian River AVA?
Kosta Browne
Freeman
What northern AVAs in Sonoma are considered Region III climates? Which is the warmest?
Alexander Valley AVA
Dry Creek Valley AVA
Rockpile AVA
Knights Valley AVA (warmest)
Where is Peter Michael Winery located? What is his flagship red?
Knights Valley AVA
“Les Pavots,” a Bordeaux style blend
What was the first sparkling winery in Carneros?
Gloria Ferrer in 1986
It is the same family that owns Freixenet
All wines produced in Sonoma County must state what on their label? Since when?
Sonoma County
Starting in 2011
What is the smallest AVA in America?
Cole Ranch AVA
Essentially a monopole of Esterlina
What geographical feature contributes to the cool climate of the Anderson Valley AVA?
The Navarro River draws in cool ocean air and fog
What notable Champagne houses have set up operations in California? Where?
Tattingier in Carneros
Roederer in Anderson Valley
Who are some notable producers of Pinot Noir in Anderson Valley?
Goldeneye
Drew
Handley
Littorai is based in Sonoma, but makes a lot as well
What destroyed the original Bonny Doon Estate Vineyard?
Pierce’s Disease
Livermore Valley AVA is best known for what grape with cuttings from where?
Who has been a dominant producer in the AVA?
Sauvignon Blanc
Chateau d’Yquem
Wente
Who are some notable producers in Santa Cruz Mountains AVA?
Ridge
Mount Eden
Rhys (Pinot Noir specialist)
What are the major vineyard sites for Ridge?
Monte Bello (Santa Cruz Mountains) Geyserville (Alexander Valley) Lytton Springs (Dry Creek Valley) East Bench (Dry Creek Valley)
Who was the winemaker, now retired, for Ridge?
What did he do for Zinfandel?
Paul Draper
He sought out old-vine parcels, some dating back to the 1880s-1900s
What valley runs through Monterey AVA?
The Salinas Valley
It funnels in cold air from Monterey Bay
What two valleys in California have among the longest growing seasons in the world?
The Salinas Valley
Santa Maria Valley
What notable Pinot Noirs does Belle Glos produce?
Dairyman (Russian River Valley)
Clark & Telephone (Santa Maria Valley)
Las Alturas (Santa Lucia Highlands)
What are some notable wines produced by Paul Lato?
Syrah - “Il Padrino,” Bien Nacido Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley
Pinot Noir - “Suerte,” Soloman Hills Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley
Pinot Noir - “Lancelot,” Psioni Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands
Pinot Noir - “Seabiscuit,” Zotovich Vineyard, Sta Rita Hills
Where is Gary’s Vineyard Located?
Where is Calera Vineyards Located?
What grape are they notable for?
Santa Lucia Highlands AVA
Mount Harlan AVA
Pinot Noir
Who planted the first commercial Syrah in California? Where?
Gary Eberle
Paso Robles, which he helped co-found
When was Turley founded? By who?
What are some of their notable single-vineyard Zinfandels?
Larry and Helen Turley in 1993
Larry Turley was formerly of Frog’s Leap
Hayne Vineyard (Napa Valley) (Also Petite Sirah) Uberroth Vineyard (Paso Robles)
These vineyards feature vines over 100 years old
Where is the Bien Nacido Vineyard located?
Santa Maria Valley AVA
What County has the longest growing season in California?
Santa Barbara County
Where is the Sanford & Benedict Vineyard located?
Sta. Rita Hills AVA
Where is Shake Ridge Ranch Vineyard located?
Sierra Foothills AVA
Who established Inglenook Winery? Where and When?
Gustave Niebaum
1879
Rutherford, Napa Valley
What was the first vinifera grape planted in California? What are some of it’s synonyms?
Mission
Listan Prieto
Criolla Chica
Pais
Palomino Negro
Who planted Napa Valley’s first vineyard? Where and When?
George Calvert Yount
Rancho Caymus in 1838 or 1839
Who started Napa’s first commercial winery?
George Krug in 1861
What role did Agoston Haraszthy most notably play in the development of California wine?
He traveled Europe in 1861, collecting 100,000 cuttings of more than 350 vines.
Zinfandel was supposedly among them.
What role did Joseph W. Osborne play in the development of California wine?
He founded Oak Knoll with cuttings from Europe in 1852
What role did George Belden Crane play in the development of California wine?
He planted the Beckstoffer vineyard
When did Phylloxera arrive in Napa Valley?
1880s and 1890s
What allowances allowed some wineries to survive prohibition?
The production of sacramental wine and medicinal alcohol, and the allowance for fruit juice production
What grapes dominated Napa Vineyards in 1926? What were they used for?
Alicante Bouschet
Petite Sirah
Zinfandel
Carignan
They were considered “shipper varieties,” and were sold for the purposes of home wine production.
When was Beaulieu Vineyards founded? By who?
1900
Georges de Latour
Who was the first notable winemaker at Beaulieu? What other notable winemakers learned their craft there?
Andre Tchelistcheff
Robert Mondavi
Mike Grgich
Joe Heitz
When did the Robert Mondavi winery open?
1966
On what plot was Chappellet founded?
Pritchard Hill
When was the Judgement of Paris? Who won for White? For Red?
1976
White: Chateau Montelena 1973
Red: Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars S.L.V. 1973
What major wine publications were launched in 1978 and 1979?
The Wine Advocate
Wine Spectator
Both employed 100 point ratings systems
When was Napa Valley AVA delineated?
1981
What is the top of the line sparkling wine from Domaine Chandon?
Where is the winery located? Who is the parent company?
Etoile Tete de Cuve
min. 9 years on lees
60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir
Yountville AVA, Moet-Hennessy
Opus One is a partnership between what wineries? Where is it? What was the first vintage? What is their second wine?
Chateau Mouton Rothschild
Robert Mondavi
Oakville, 1979
Overture, 1993
What encouraged the consumption of Red Wine in the United States?
1991 “60 Minutes” special on the French paradox, encouraging red wine consumption as part of a healthy diet
What vintage in the 90s would push Napa towards a focus on long hang times? What happened?
1997
The vintage was so bountiful, that growers had to late harvest fruit while the first round of picking was still fermenting.
What areas in Napa Valley see the highest diurnal temperature fluctuations? Which areas see lower ones?
More Northerly, lower lying regions (Calistoga) see the highest diurnal fluctuations (up to 40F)
Southerly regions, and higher altitude regions see more stable day/night fluctuations.
Where is The Judge vineyard located? Who owns it?
Coombsville AVA
Kongsgaard
Planted to Chardonnay
Where is Stony Hill located? What makes their wines unique?
Spring Mountain District AVA
Their Chardonnays are made without malolactic fermentation or new oak.
They are very long lived.
What synonym for Sauvignon Blanc exists in Napa Valley? Who coined it?
Fume Blanc
Robert Mondavi
What defines vineyard plantings in Howell Mountain AVA?
Altitude
They must be planted at or above 1,400ft, basically above the fog line
What are some notable producers in Howell Mountain AVA?
Dunn Vineyards O'Shaughnessy Estate Winnery La Jota Vineyards CADE Ladera Robert Foley Vineyards
What are the three Stags Leap?
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars (SLV Vineyard, Fay Vineyard, Judgement of Paris)
Stags’ Leap Winery
Stags Leap District AVA
What wine was released as a collaboration between Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and Stags’ Leap Winery? When?
Accord
1985
What are some notable producers in Stags Leap District AVA?
Shafer Vineyards, “Hillside Select,” “Relentless”
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, “Cask 23,” “Fay,” SLV”
Stags’ Leap Winery, “Audentia,” “Ne Cede Malis”
Clos du Val
Robert Sinskey Vineyards
What is “Ne Cede Malis?”
It is a field-blend vineyard dating back to the 1930s owned by Stags’ Leap Winery. It is mainly composed of Petite Sirah and Rhone varietals.
It is replanted with vines of the same genetic material as needed to maintain the field-blend.
What Napa County rule prevents further planting of much of Mount Veeder AVA?
What also makes the AVA special among mountain vineyards in Napa?
Planting on any slopes greater than 30 degrees is forbidden.
It is also closest to the bay, and hence the coolest of the mountain sites.
What was the first Napa Valley wine to contain all 5 Bordeaux varietals?
1977 Mount Veeder Winery Cabernet Sauvignon
They were the first to plant Petit Verdot in Napa Valley in 1973
What is the smallest AVA in Napa Valley? What is the largest?
Stags Leap District AVA
Mount Veeder AVA
What are some notable producers in Mount Veeder AVA?
Lagier Meredith (Syrah specialists, don’t make Cabernet)
Mayacamas Vineyards
Mount Veeder Vineyards
Lokoya
Hess Collection
What are some notable producers located in Pritchard Hill?
Bryant Family Vineyard
Colgin Cellars
Chappellet
Ovid
Continuum (Mondavi Family)
Who took over California wine evaluation from Robert Parker in 2011 for The WIne Advocate?
Antonio Galloni
Who is the most notable wine producer in Wild Horse Valley AVA?
Kenzo Estate
Where is Stagecoach Vineyard located? Who owns it? What notable producers make wine from the fruit?
Atlas Peak
Gallo
Alpha Omega
Who owns the Antica property in California? Where is it located?
Antinori
Atlas Peak AVA
Who acquired the original Inglenook property? When? Who originally established it?
Francis Ford Coppola
1975, the name was finally purchased in 2011
Gustave Niebaum
Where is Star Vineyard located? What grape receives acclaim here?
Rutherford AVA
Chardonnay
What rootstock used for the planting of vineyards in the 1980s proved to be a poor investment? Why?
AXR1
It was insufficiently resistant to Phylloxera
Who was the original winemaker for Caymus? What was the first year of the Special Selection? Where is the winery located?
Randy Dunn
1975
Rutherford
What are some notable producers in Rutherford AVA?
Caymus Vineyards
Grgich Hills Estate
Staglin Family Vineyards
Beaulieu Vineyard
Frog’s Leap Winery
Who established the original To-Kalon vineyard? When?
Where is it located?
H. W. Crabb
1868
Oakville AVA
What makes To-Kalon special?
It is an alluvial fan of deep, gravel rich, gently sloping earth
Who are the two most notable owners of To-Kalon Vineyard? Where is it located?
Andy Beckstoffer (Beckstoffer To-Kalon)
Robert Mondavi (To-Kalon)
Oakville AVA
What are the rules governing the use of Beckstoffer To-Kalon fruit?
All producers (except Harlan?) must produce a vineyard designate wine, and are forbidden from putting Oakville AVA on their labels.
How large are the parcels of To-Kalon?
Beckstoffer 89 acres (36ha)
Mondavi 250 acres (101ha)
What are some notable wineries in Oakville AVA?
Dalla Valle Vineyards
Harlan Estate/BOND
Opus One
Far Niente
Screaming Eagle
PlumpJack
Rudd
What offshoot of Far Niente was developed in the 1990s for the production of single site wines?
Nickel & Nickel
What was the first vintage for Harlan? What is their second wine?
What was the first vintage for Screaming Eagle? What is their second wine?
1990 The Maiden (1995)
1992 Second Flight (2006)
Where is Martha’s Vineyard located? Who produces a notable wine from the site?
Oakville AVA
Heitz
What winery famously straddles the Napa/Sonoma divide? Where is it located?
Pride Mountain Vineyards
Spring Mountain District AVA
The dividing line actually runs through the winery, and it cannot use the term “Estate,” but rather uses “Vintner Select.”
Who was the first producer to sell an unfiltered Chardonnay within the United States? When and where?
What is their “cru” Cabernet Sauvignon bottling?
Newton Vineyards
1990
Spring Mountain District AVA
“The Puzzle”
What grape was widely planted in Spring Mountain District AVA before being supplanted by Cabernet Sauvignon and other grapes?
Who still produces an example?
Riesling
Smith-Madrone still produces one
What German immigrants started wineries near St. Helena in the mid to late 1800s?
Jacob Schram (Schramsberg)
Charles Krug
Beringer brothers
Who owned the Charles Krug winery until his death in 2016?
Peter Mondavi
It is located in the St. Helena AVA
What is California’s longest continuously operating winery? When was it founded?
Beringer
1876 was the first harvest
It is located in the St. Helena AVA
Where is the Kronos Vineyard located?
Who produces wine from it?
St. Helena AVA
Corison Winery
What was the first new winery built in Napa Valley after prohibition?
Stony Hill Winery in 1952
Robert Mondavi is often credited with his winery in 1966
What producers in St. Helena AVA have strong connections to producing Merlot?
Louis M. Martini (first bottled in 1968)
Duckhorn (first bottled in 1978)
What are some notable producers from St. Helena AVA?
Heitz Wine Cellars
Corison Winery
Joseph Phelps Vineyards
Spottswoode Estate
Freemark Abbey
Who produces Dominus? Where is it located? What other wines are produced?
Christian Moueix
Napanook Vineyard in Yountville AVA
Othello is entry-level
Napanook is mid-level
What is the only AVA in Napa that lies outside of Napa Valley proper?
Chiles Valley AVA
It lies perpendicular to Napa Valley, east of Howell Mountain and Pritchard Hill
Who planted Napa Valley’s first hillside vineyard? When? Where?
Jacob Schram (Schramsberg)
1860s
Diamond Mountain District AVA
What was the first winery to produce exclusive Cabernet Sauvignon wines? When was it founded and by who?
Diamond Creek Vineyards
1968 by Al and Boots Brounstein
Diamond Mountain District AVA
It was arguably the first cult Napa Cabernet
What wines are landmark wines are produced by Diamond Creek Vineyards? Which is the least likely to be produced in any given year?
Red Rock Terrace
Gravelly Meadow
Volcanic Hill (largest)
Lake Vineyard (smallest, coolest) is the least likely to be produced
Who was the first producer to sell a bottle of wine from California for over $100?
Diamond Creek Vineyards
Who was the first to produce a commercial Gruner Veltliner in California? When?
Rudy von Strasser
2005
Diamond Mountain District AVA
Why do alluvial fans matter? What are some notable vineyards on alluvial fans in Napa Valley?
Tend to be rich in gravel at higher points, and sand/silt/clay at lower levels.
By necessity, they have a steep slope.
Eisele Vineyard
Three Palms Vineyard
Both located in Calistoga AVA, and both notably are on the east side of the valley.
What region in Napa Valley has the highest diurnal temperature fluctuations?
Calistoga AVA
What were the first three vineyard-designated wines in California?
Heitz Martha’s Vineyard
Ridge Monte Bello
Ridge Eisele Vineyard (only produced once in 1971)
Who assumed ownership of Chateau Montelena in 1972? What were the circumstances that catapulted them to fame?
Jim Barrett
The 1973 Chardonnay was deemed best in show at the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Who were the owners of Araujo Estate? What was the final vintage they labeled? What is it called now?
Founded in 1990 by Bart and Daphne Araujo
2012 was the final vintage they labeled
It’s now Eisele Vineyards owned by the Artemis Group
The Araujo’s new project is Accendo
Who was the winemaker for Chateau Montelena’s award winning 1973 Chardonnay?
Miljenko “Mike” Grgich
Per labeling laws for California, what percentage of grapes must come from:
State County AVA Vineyard Variety Vintage
State: 100% County: 75% AVA: 85% Vineyard: 95% Variety: 75% Vintage: 85% (95% for AVA wines)
What rules govern the use of the term “estate bottled?”
- Wine is labeled with an AVA
- Winery is located in that same AVA
- WInery owns or “controls” the vineyard
- Crush, ferment, finish, bottled on the same property
Control can be established by a leasing agreement for at least 3 years
What feature divides the North Coast from the Central Coast?
The San Francisco Bay
What winery released the first varietally labeled Petite Sirah? When?
Concannon
1964
What grape was once commonly known as Napa Gamay?
Name a producer
Valdiguie
Cruse Wine Co.
Broc Cellars
J. Lohr
Where is Gary’s Vineyard located?
Who owns it?
Santa Lucia Highlands AVA
Gary Franscioni (ROAR)
Gary Pisoni (Pisoni)
Where is Double L Vineyard located?
Who owns it?
Santa Lucia Highlands AVA
Dan and Donna Lee (Morgan Winery)
Who owns Mer Soleil? Where is it located? What do they produce?
The Wagner family of Caymus
Santa Lucia Highlands AVA
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
What is regarded as the largest contiguous vineyard on Earth? Who owns it? Where is it?
San Bernabe Vineyard (20 square miles)
San Bernabe AVA in Monterey County
Delicato Family Vineyards
Where is Calera located?
Who founded it?
What makes it special?
Mount Harlan AVA
Josh Jensen. He worked at DRC and Dujac.
He spent 2 years looking for limestone soils on hillside slopes in California, and found them on Mount Harlan.
Where is the Vista Verde Vineyard? Who owns it?
Paicines AVA in San Benito County
550 acres owned by John Dyson of Williams Selyem
What series of narrow river gaps allow Paso Robles to “breathe” cool coastal air?
The Templeton Gap
They bisect the Santa Lucia Range
Ridge Vineyards produces what mannered, elegant Zinfandel from Paso Robles?
Benito Dusi Ranch
Both a single vineyard and a Paso Robles wine are made from this fruit
Who founded Tablas Creek Vineyard?
The Perrin Family of Chateau de Beaucastel
Robert Haas, their importer
Who are some notable producers from Paso Robles AVA and what are their top cuvees?
Saxum, “James Berry Vineyard,” Rhone Blend
$172
L’Aventure, “Estate Cuvee,” Syrah/Cabernet/Petit Verdot
$116
Daou Vineyards, “Patrimony,” Cabernet
$300
Who produces the “Reva Estate” wine? What is it? From where?
Alban Vineyards
Syrah
Edna Valley
$125
What are some producers strongly associated with Bien Nacido Vineyard?
Jim Clendenen, Au Bon Climt
Bob Lindquist, Qupe
Adam Tolmach, Ojai Vineyard
Where is the Soloman Hills Vineyard?
Santa Maria Valley AVA
