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Wine Diploma > California: Napa County > Flashcards

California: Napa County Flashcards

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1
Q

What percentage of California wine production by volume is from Napa County?

What percentage of California wine production by value is from Napa County?

A

4% by volume

27% by value

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2
Q

Napa Valley AVA encompasses the whole valley, but how many smaller AVAs are included?

A

18

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3
Q

What type of wine is Napa Valley famous for?

A

Very high quality Cabernet Sauvignon

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4
Q

How many hectares under vine in Napa County?

A

18,200ha

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5
Q

Napa Valley is formed by the ____ river, the ____ mountains to the west and north and the ____ mountains to the east.

A

Napa River

Mayacamas mountains to the west and north

Vaca mountains to the east.

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6
Q

Describe the climatic influences experienced by Napa Valley AVAs on the valley floor

A
  • Vineyards sit below the fog line
  • Afternoon fog comes in from San Pablo Bay, giving cooler temperatures into the night (high diurnal range)
  • Vineyards in the south on the valley floor are more effected
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7
Q

Name 3 valley floor AVAs in Napa that are most effected by the fogs.

Why are these most effected? What effect does the fog have on temperatures here?

A

Carneros AVA
Coombesville AVA
Oak Knoll AVA

These are southerly AVAs - The valley is open to the San Pablo Bay in the south, where the fog comes in from.

The fog here does not burn off until well into the morning, limiting warmth and sunlight.

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8
Q

What is the most southerly Napa AVA?
Is on the valley floor or mountainside?
What grapes are grown here?

A

Carneros AVA
Valley floor
Known for early ripening Chardonnay and Pinot Noir

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9
Q

What are the main grapes grown in Coombesville AVA and Oak Knoll AVA?

Describe the expected style of wine from these AVAs, explaining why.

A

Cab Sauvignon, but Merlot and Chardonnay are widely planted

Due to relatively cool conditions, Cab and Merlot from these southerly AVAs tend to be lighter in body with fresher fruit and acidity than the warmer AVAs

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10
Q

From north to south, name the 9 Napa Valley AVAS that are located on the valley floor

A 
Calistoga AVA
St Helena AVA
Rutherford AVA
Oakville AVA
Stag's Leap AVA
Yountville AVA
Oak Knoll AVA
Coombesville AVA
Carneros AVA
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11
Q

Describe the climate in Rutherford AVA, Oakville AVA, Stag’s Leap AVA and Yountville AVA

A

Warm climates with some cooling influence from winds and fogs coming in from the south (the effect decreases in the more northerly AVAs)

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12
Q

Describe the style of Cabernet Sauvignon expected from Rutherford AVA, Oakville AVA, Stag’s Leap AVA and Yountville AVA

A

Concentrated ripe fruit
Blackcurrant, blackberry, plum, liquorice, clove and herbs
Medium (+) to full body
High, ripe tannin

Rounder and more fruity than wines from the mountains

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13
Q

What is the most planted white grape in Rutherford AVA, Oakville AVA, Stag’s Leap AVA and Yountville AVA?

Describe the style of wine from this grape

A

Sauvignon Blanc

Juicy ripe fruit
Peach and tropical flavours
Medium (+) acidity

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14
Q

Other than Cabernet Sauvignon, name other black grapes that are grown in Rutherford AVA, Oakville AVA, Stag’s Leap AVA and Yountville AVA.

A

Merlot and Cabernet Franc (much smaller quantities than Cab Sauv)

Some Zinfandel is found in Rutherford

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15
Q

Where is the Rutherford Bench?

A

The most famous vineyard area in Rutherford and Oakville

3 mile stretch of vineyards on a sloping alluvial fan at the bottom of the Mayacamas range

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16
Q

Name the two most northerly valley floor AVAs in Napa?

Describe the growing conditions here

A

Calistoga AVA and St Helena AVA

Warm and hot
Barely any cooling influence from San Pablo Bay
Calistoga gains some relief through the Chalk Hill Gap in the Mayacamas

17
Q

Describe the climatic influences experienced by Napa Valley AVAs on the mountainsides

A
  • Vineyards are generally above the fog layer, receiving more sunlight hours
  • Cooling influence comes from altitude
  • Less extreme temperatures and less diurnal range than valley floor sites
  • More tannin and acidity from mountainside wines
  • AVAs with a more southerly latitude gain some costal influence
18
Q

Describe how exposition of vineyards in Napa Valley AVAs on the mountainsides can effect the final wine produced

A

West facing vineyards are exposed to intense afternoon sun - warmer than east facing vineyards with riper fruit character and higher alcohol

19
Q

Name the most southerly mountainside AVA in Napa Valley

A

Mount Veeder AVA on the south west

Cab Sauvignon can struggle to ripen some years

20
Q

Which mountainside AVA is located in the south east of Napa Valley? Describe the growing conditions here

A

Atlas Peak AVA

Relatively cool but gains warmth from the afternoon sun

21
Q

Which mountainside AVA is located in the north east of Napa Valley? Describe the growing conditions here

A

Howell Mountain AVA

One of the warmest AVAs in Napa Valley, producing intensely concentrated and ripe Cabernet Sauvignon with firm tannins

22
Q

Name the two mountainside AVAs located in the north west of Napa Valley

A

Spring Mountain District AVA

Diamond Mountain District AVA

23
Q

Describe the soils found on the mountains in Napa Valley.

How does this affect the grapes that are grown here?

A

Tend to be thin and poor in nutrients

Vigour is restricted
Yields are smaller
Grapes are more concentrated

24
Q

Describe the soils found in the middle and the east of the valley floor in Napa Valley.

How does this affect the grapes that are grown here?

A

Typically clay and silt formed by the Napa Valley flooding and shrinking over time.
Soils are fertile with good water retention.

Wines are less structured than those from mountains or fans

25
Q

Describe the formation and type of soils found in the alluvial fans in Napa Valley.

How does this affect the grapes that are grown here?

A

Generally on the west side of the valley
Caused by deposition of sediments by mountain streams as they reach flat valley floors.

Soils are deep, rocky and moderately fertile.

Wine style treads the middle ground between valley floor (fruity, round) and mountain (tannin, structured) wines

26
Q

What is the name of the association, founded in 1968, that awarded tax benefits for people who kept vineyard land in Napa rather than building on it?

What percentage of the land is under protection today?

A

Napa Valley Agricultural Preserve

90%, meaning it is not threatened by construction. Almost all viable and permitted vineyard land has therefore been planterd

27
Q

Why is land with a slope of more than 30% not converted into vineyard land in Napa?

A

It is prohibited - instead these areas are forested to help prevent erosion

28
Q

Name three reasons why grape and land prices are so high in Napa Valley

A

Popularity
Prestige
Inability to expand the vineyard area

29
Q

Describe how vines might be trained in Napa Valley.

Is mechanisation common?

A

Typically trained and pruned to cordon or replacement spur with VSP trellising

Mechanisation is possible on the valley floor, but mountainside vineyards often require tending by hand

30
Q

What weather hazards might be expected in Napa Valley (why and where) and what can be done to mitigate the effects of these?

A

DROUGHT

  • Very dry growing season
  • Throughout Napa
  • Drip irrigation is widely installed

FROST

  • Cool night time temperatures
  • Mostly problematic in valley floor AVAs
  • Planting in mountainside AVAs can reduce risk, where nights are warmer
  • Use of sprinklers or wind machines
31
Q

What percentage of total production by volume in Napa County is made up by Cabernet Sauvignon?

A

40%

32
Q

What are the three most planted white grapes in Napa Valley?

A

Chardonnay
Sauvignon Blanc
Pinot Gris

33
Q

Explain how the style of Napa Cab Sauvignon has changed from 1990s to the modern day

A

1990s:
Full bodied, ripe, intense, high alcohol. Harvest was later, lots of overt new oak was used

Modern day:
Pick fruit earlier (less jammy flavours). High use of new oak is still common but maturation is generally shorter. Even if labelled as a single varietal wine, it is common for Napa Cab to have a small proportion of other varieties in the blend

34
Q

Name three significant Cabernet Sauvignon producers from Napa Valley.

A 
Screaming Eagle (Oakville AVA)
Stag's Leap (Stag's Leap District AVA)
Harlan Estate (Oakville AVA)
35
Q

What style of winemaking might you expect for Chardonnay from Napa Valley?

Sauvignon Blanc?

A

Chardonnay is often fermented and aged in oak, although less overt new oak is used now than in the past.

Sauvignon Blanc is usually made in an unoaked style

36
Q

Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc from ____, southerly valley floor AVAs in Napa valley tend to have ____ acidity than those from the ____ valley floor AVAs in the north, which give ripe fruit flavours. Fruit grown in mountainside AVAs is ____ pronounced.

A

Cooler southerly valley floor AVAs

Tend to have higher acidity than those from the warmer valley floor AVAs in the north,

Fruit grown in mountainside AVAs is less pronounced.

37
Q

Name two well known vineyards in Napa Valley

A 
To Kalon (Rutherford Bench)
Martha's Vineyard (Oakville)
38
Q

How do the Mayacamas Mountains to the west of Napa effect the climate?

How do the Vaca Mountains to the east effect the climate?

A

Mayacamas Mountains protect the region from cool ocean breezes

Vaca Mountains protect from warming influences from inland

39
Q

The Napa Valley is open to the ____ ____ ____ and its cooling influence in the south

A

San Pablo Bay

Wine Diploma (62 decks)

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