California: The Central Coast

Question 1

What does Central Coast AVA cover?

Answer 1

Entirety of California’s coastline from San Francisco Bay in the north to Santa Barbara County in the south.

Question 2

What AVAs are directly east and south of San Francisco Bay (6)

Answer 2

Livermore Valley
Santa Cruz Mountains
Ben Lomond Mountain
Santa Clara Valley
San Ysidro District
San Francisco Bay AVA itself

Question 3

What are two of Santa Cruz Mountains’ most celebrated parcels?

Answer 3

Ridge’s Monte Bello vineyard and the original Bonny Doon Estate Vineyard (eventually a victim of Pierce’s Disease.)

Question 4

What grape is Livermore Valley known for? Who is the most notoable producer?

Answer 4

Sauvignon Blanc

Wente.

Question 5

What AVA is surprisingly excluded from Central Coast AVA?

Answer 5

Santa Cruz Mountains AVA

Question 6

What AVA is south of San Francisco Bay?

Answer 6

Montery AVA, including the valleys of Salinas and Carmel.

The cool coastal area offers one of California’s longest growing season, yet much is output for bulk blends from Central Valley.

Chardonnay is the dominant grape, accounting for more than 50% of plantings.

Question 7

Where is Gary’s Vineyard?

Answer 7

Santa Lucia Highlands AVA (Pinot Noir is the highlight)

Question 8

What two counties are south of Monterey?

Answer 8

San Luis Obispo and then Santa Barbara.

Question 9

Paso Robles AVA

Answer 9

• Est. 1983 in San Luis Obispo county, where the headwaters of the Salinas river congregate
• Broadly, the western reaches are characterized by cooler marine air funneled through the Templeton Gap and more prevalent limestone and calcareous soils. East of the Salinas River, the soil structure is sandier, and the climate in general is warmer and more arid.
• Grapes: Zinfandel (long history), Cabernet Sauvignon (most planted), Merlot, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay
• Rhone varieties have become popular, as the Hospices du Rhône (World’s largest Rhône celebration) is held there every year.

Biggest players: Constellation (which includes Mondavi) and Treasury (which includes Beringer) and locally based J. Lohr.

Notable producers: Justin, Wild Horse, Eberle, Adelaida, and Castoro are core producers

-the investment made by the Perrin family of Ch de Beaucastel in CDP with their American importer Robert Haas has produced excellent Rhône varietal wines at Tablas Creek in the western sector of the appellation.

Question 10

Who planted the first commercial Syrah vines in California?

Answer 10

Gary Eberle of Eberle Vineyards

He obtained bud wood from U.C. Davis obtained from Chapoutier’s plantings in Tain Hermitage. He planted 20 acres of the clone in Paso Robles in 1975 and the first vintage was 1978

Question 11

Where does the California coastline sharply bend?

Answer 11

Point Conception in Santa Barbara County, trending east-west rather than north-south.

Question 12

What mountain ranges define the east-west oriented valleys Santa Barbara?

Answer 12

San Rafael and Santa Ynez Mountains.

Question 13

Santa Barbara County AVAs? (6)

Location?

Answer 13

—Santa Maria Valley (north of Santa Ynez)
—Santa Ynez Valley (south of Santa Maria Valley)

**All below within Santa Ynez Valley (W-E)
—Sta. Rita Hills (est. 2001)
—Ballard Canyon (est. 2013)
—Los Olivos District (est. 2016)
—Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara (est. 2009)

Question 14

What county has the longest growing season in all of California?

Answer 14

Santa Barbara

-Region 1 maritime climate is lauded for cultivation of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Rhone varietals.

Question 15

Name two well known vineyards in Santa Barbara County.

Answer 15

Sanford and Benedict Vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills

Bien Nacido Vineyard in Santa Maria Valley

Question 16

Where is the Templeton Gap?

Answer 16

The gap within the western reaches of Paso Robles AVA in San Luis Abispo which allows for cool marine air to funnel through.

Question 17

Paso Robles 11 new nested AVAs in 2014?

Answer 17

Adelaide (from Guys and Dolls) and Joe Crest in Pommard drinking estrellas out of jeans while watching Willow high while Juan (in a creek) and Miguel (from a district) drink margaritas and shirley temples

11 sub-AVAs
—Adelaida District
—Creston District
—El Pomar District
—Paso Robles Estrella District
—Paso Robles Geneseo District
—Paso Robles Highlands District
—Paso Robles Willow Creek District
—San Juan Creek
—San Miguel District
—Santa Margarita Ranch
—Templeton Gap District

Question 18

Name the appellations for the following producers:

Gary’s Vineyard
Sanford and Benedict
Monte Bello
Bien Nacido

Answer 18

Gary’s Vineyard-Santa Lucia Highlands

Sanford and Benedict-Sta Rita Hills

Monte Bello-Santa Cruz Mountains

Bien Nacido-Santa Maria Valley

Question 19

Which river funs through San Luis Obispo County and Paso Robles?

Answer 19

Salinas River

Question 20

Name the AVAs of Central Valley (8)

Answer 20

Capay Valley
Clarksburg
Diablo Grande
Dunnigan Hills
Lodi
Madera
Merritt Island
River Junction

Question 21

What are the Rhone Rangers? When were they formed? What producers made up the group? (7)

Answer 21

A group of American winemakers in the 1980s who promoted the use of grape varieties from the Rhone Valley in the south of France. They are now organized into a not-for-profit organization for the promotion of wines containing at least 75% of the 22 Rhone grape varieties.

Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyard
Joseph Phelps of Joseph Phelps Winery
John MacCready of Sierra Vista Winery
Bill Crawford of Mc Dowell Valley Vineyards
Fred Cline of Cline Cellars Winery
Steve Edmunds of Edmunds ST. John
Bob Lindquist of Qupe Wine Cellars

Question 22

What is Napa Valley’s three basic bedrocks soils?

Answer 22

—Great Valley sequence
—Franciscan Assemblage (or Franciscan Complex)
—Napa Volcanics (also known as Sonoma Volcanics)