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Master Sommelier Theory > California / Other USA > Flashcards

California / Other USA Flashcards

1
Q

What is California’s newest AVA?

A

2020 - Alisos Canyon (Santa Barbara - Los Alamos - Au Bon Climat)

2020 - Tehachapi Mountains - between Bakersfield and LA - north of Antelope Valley AVA

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2
Q

California Plate techtonics & geology

A

Franciscan formation : Farallon plate ‘subduction’ going under the North American Plate,

compression of Pacific and North American plates @ San Andreas Fault - Napa & Sonoma Volcanics!

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3
Q

What are California’s 5 overarching regional AVAs?

A 
North Coast
Sierra Foothills
San Francisco Bay
Central Coast
South Coast
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4
Q

South Coast AVA

A

5 counties

Riverside
San Diego
San Bernardino
Orange
Los Angeles
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5
Q 
Lytton Springs; 
Kronos; 
Bloom’s Field; 
Volcanic Hill; 
Los Alamos; 
Jensen, 
Marjory’s Vineyard, 
Raschen Ridge
A 
Ridge, Zinfandel, Dry Creek; 
Corison, CS, St. Helena; 
Dom de la Cote, PN, Sta. Rita Hills; 
Diamond Creek, CS, Diamond Mountain; 
Au Bon Climat; 
Calera; 
Cristom; 
Hirsch
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6
Q

Mendocino Ridge AVA

A

only non-contiguous AVA, 1200 ft. elevation requirement

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7
Q

State minimum % - California

A

100%

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8
Q

Lake County subs (6)

A 
Benmore Valley, 
High Valley, 
Kelsey Bench, 
Clear Lake, 
Guenoc, 
Red Hills
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9
Q

Lodi AVAs (7)

A 
Clements Hills, 
Borden Range, 
Sloughouse, 
Jahant, 
Mokulumne River, 
Clarksburg, 
Alta Mesa
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10
Q

Mendocino sub AVA monopoles

A

McDowell - McDowell Valley winery;

Cole Ranch - Esterlina

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11
Q

Which 2 rivers conjoin in Mendocino

A

Navarro and Russian

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12
Q

What 7 AVAs are nested entirely within Mendocino AVA

A 
McDowell Valley, 
Yorkville Highlands, 
Anderson Valley, 
Cole Ranch, 
Potter Valley, 
Redwood Valley,
Eagle Peak

Not nested-
Mendo Ridge
Dos Rios
Covelo

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13
Q

What were the most predominant grapes in Napa Valley pre-prohibition?

A

“Mixed Blacks” -

Alicante Bouschet
Petite Sirah
Zinfandel
Carignan

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14
Q

How big is Napa Valley compared to Bordeaux?

A

1/8th the size (45,000 acres vs. 290,000)

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15
Q

What is the current average price per ton of grapes in Napa?

A

$7,000/ton for Cabernet, about half as much for other grapes

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16
Q

Examples of wineries still practicing“old school” Napa winemaking

A 
Corison
Phillip Togni
Cain
Spring Mountain Vineyard
Dunn
Stony Hill
Heitz
Mayacamas
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17
Q

Pioneering producers of Carneros?

A

Saintsbury,
Etude
Carneros Creek
Bouchaine

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18
Q

Where does the elevation cut-off start for Howell Mountain AVA? Why?

A

1400 ft- above fog line

most between 1400 and 2200

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19
Q

100% merlot, 100% cabernet franc in Napa?

A 
Keenan merlot and cab franc, 
Duckhorn 3 Palms, 
Switchback Ridge, 
Arietta, 
La Jota CF, 
Gallica CF, 
Larkin, 
Palazzo, 
Ovid Hexameter (CF dominant)
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20
Q

Stags Leap Wine Cellars Estate vineyard Cabernet Bottlings

A

Fay, SLV, Cask 23

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21
Q

Top 3 reds in the Judgement of Paris

A

SLV 1973;
Chateau Mouton,
Chateau Montrose;

4th - Haut Brion

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22
Q

What rootstock proved faulty in the 1980s

A

AxR 1

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23
Q

California’s 1st commercial syrah vines?

A

Gary Eberle, Paso Robles

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24
Q

Paso Robles Producers

A 
Saxum, 
Tablas, 
Daou, 
Linne Calodo, 
Austin, 
Justin, 
Eberle
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25
Q

Which California sub-AVAs are located in Amador County?

A

California Shenandoah Valley

Fiddletown

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26
Q

Which California sub-AVAs are in El Dorado County?

A

El Dorado

Fairplay

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27
Q

Where is Marcassin vineyard located?

A

Fort-Ross Seaview

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28
Q

What are the sub-AVAs of RRV?

A

Green Valley & Chalk Hill (PN, CH, Zin - above fog line)

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29
Q

Green Valley AVA is distinguished by…

A

uniform Goldridge sandy loam, much foggier and cooler

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30
Q

Northern Sonoma AVA (blending AVA for estate bottlings) does not contain…

A

Carneros

Sonoma Valley

31
Q

Green Valley producers

A

Freeman,
Kosta Browne,
Iron horse,
Small Vines

32
Q

Country, State, County minimum %

33
Q

AVA minimum %

34
Q

Vintage date minimum % from an AVA

35
Q

Vintage date minimum % from a State or County

36
Q

Variety minimum %

37
Q

Vitis Labrusca Variety minimum % (Concord, Catawba)

38
Q

“Estate bottled”

A

100% vineyard land owned or controlled by winery and all in the same AVA

39
Q

Which organization regulates Wine Law in the USA?

A

TTB - tax and trade bureau

40
Q

A wine may be labelled ‘Table Wine’ or ‘Light Wine’ if it is

A

7-14% alcohol

41
Q

When did Prohibition occur in the USA?

A

From 1920-1933

42
Q

Largest contiguous vineyard in the USA?

A

San Bernabe vineyard 5,000 acres - Central Valley, Mckinley Springs in HHH, Columbia Valley - 2800acres (1130ha)

Largest vineyard in Europe is in Romania on Transylvanian Plateau

43
Q

Who was the first producer in the USA to label a varietal chardonnay?

A

Martin Ray & Frank Schoonmaker, the Wentes (NYC distributor promoting varietal labelling),

Mt. Eden (then Paul Masson) - cuttings from Louis Latour;

Wente selection came from a Montpellier clone and from a Meursault clone brought over by Charles Wetmore to Livermore in 1882;

Stony Hill - no batonnage, no malo, (McCreas) in 1946 took cuttings of Wente selection, Louis Martini took those, they were heat treated at UC Davis became known as clone 4 & 5 (high yields, high natural acidity), eventually made its way to Willamette known as clone 108

Hanzell - barrels from France -
James Zellerbach 1953

44
Q

Largest demarcated wine region in the world?

A

Upper Mississippi River Valley

45
Q

Prohibition amendments

A

18th amendment prohibition, 21st amendment to end it

46
Q

Arizona AVA?

A

Willcox
Sonoita
Verde Valley

47
Q

Most important Colorado AVA?

A

Grand Valley (also West Elks, )

48
Q

What is the oldest winery of the Americas?

A

Casa Madero - est. 1597 (Jesuit Mission in Coahuila)

or the Urdinola Winery in 1593

49
Q

Juan Ugarte

A

first to plant vines in Baja in 1701

50
Q

Main wine city in Baja

51
Q

Production areas in Baja

A 
Valle de Guadalupe, 
Ojos Negros, 
Santo Tomas, 
San Vicente, 
Valle de la Grulla, 
Tecate
52
Q

Coahuila

A

Parras de la Fuente, Casa Madero

53
Q

Mexico’s largest winery

54
Q

Michigan AVAs

A 
Fenville, 
Lake Michigan Shore, 
Old Mission Peninsula, 
Leelenau Peninsula, 
Tip of the Mitt
55
Q

What grape is the pride of Missouri?

A

Norton, aestivalis, riedel makes a glass for it

56
Q

What American is credited for understanding American rootstock?

A

Charles Valentine Riley - Berlandieri rootstocks adapted to limestone soils

57
Q

1st AVA

A

Augusta, MO

58
Q

What are the AVA’s of New Mexico

A

Mesilla,
Middle Rio Grande Valley,
Mimbres Valley

59
Q

Pennsylvania AVA

A

Lake Erie - Concord Grape belt

60
Q

Where is the Sanford and Benedict vineyard located?

A

Sta. Rita Hills

61
Q

Point Conception, Santa Barbara

A

Coastline bends and trends E-W

62
Q

What is the most important AVA for grape growing in Texas?

A

High Plains - 75% percent of production is shipped to wineries in the Hill Country (subs - Bell Mountain; Fredericksburg) west of Austin - wide, flat, windy, calcareous soil

63
Q

TX & NM shared AVA

A

Messiyah Valley

64
Q

What is ‘Octagon?’

A

Octagon - Bordeaux Blend made by Barboursville Vineyards in Shenandoah Foothills, merlot dominant

65
Q

White Rhone grape growing in popularity in Virginia?

A

Viognier, resistant to heat and humidity (loose bunches, thick skins)

66
Q

Virginia & West Virginia shared AVA

A

Shenandoah Valley

67
Q

What is the minimum elevation of Fort Ross Seaview?

68
Q

Vintage and Single Vineyard % for ALL states ?

69
Q

What are the AVAs of Monterey County?

A 
Monterey
Carmel Valley
Santa Lucia Highlands
Chalone
Arroyo Seco
Santa Cruz Mountains
70
Q

What are the AVAs of San Benito County?

A

Chalone
Mt. Harlan
Lime Kiln Valley

71
Q

What are the AVAs of San Luis Obispo County?

A

Paso Robles
Edna Valley
Arroya Grande
York Mountain

72
Q

What are the E-W mountain ranges that frame Santa Barbara AVA?

A

San Rafael Mountains

Santa Ynez Mountains

73
Q

Which Central Coast AVA contains “Greenfield Potatoes” (palm sized stones)

A

Arroyo Seco in Monterey County

Master Sommelier Theory (68 decks)

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