Central Coast - Santa Barbara Flashcards
AVA and Wineries
7 AVA
275+ Wineries
From the windswept Pacific coastline where ‘refrigerated sunshine’ slowly ripens Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to the rugged beauty of the rain shadow cast by the Sierra Madre Mountains over sites planted to Bordeaux and Rhone varieties, the seven American Viticultural Areas of Santa Barbara County are home to some of California’s most sought after wines. Winegrowing has always been terroir driven here due to the region’s unique geography and the dual nature of its climates. The county’s first modern vineyards have been noteworthy since their inception and today consumers ask for them by name. That tradition continues as the youngest vineyards - several of which are planted to extreme sites - are the source of many top-scoring wines and exquisite terroirs like the Goldilocks Rhone Zone emerge as newly-minted AVAs.
KEY VARIETIES
Chardonnay,
Pinot Noir,
Syrah,
Sauvignon Blanc,
Cabernet Sauvignon
CLIMATE
Cool Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csb)
KEY SOIL TYPES
Sandy loam and silt. Colluvial, cobbles, and gravelly loam. Elder series alluvium. Marine shale (Sta. Rita Hills). Diatomaceous earth (Sta. Rita Hills).
Sub AVA’s
Alisos Canyon AVA
Ballard Canyon AVA
Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara AVA
Los Olivos District AVA
Santa Maria Valley AVA
Santa Ynez Valley AVA
Sta. Rita Hills AVA
Ballard Canyon AVA
Topography/Elevation/Water Sources/Geographic Features
Average altitude is 800 feet (244 m) ranging from 560 feet (171 m) to 1,165 feet (355 m). Average temperatures during the growing season are high 50s (10°C and up) to low 60s (16°C), with lows below 50°F (less than 10°C) and highs approaching 80°F (27°C).
Geology/Soil Composition
Relatively uniform and predominantly clay limestone, clay loam and sandy soils.
Climate
Sandwiched between the Sta. Rita Hills AVA to the west and Los Olivos District AVA to the east, Ballard Canyon has a mixed climate and experiences cold nights and short periods of day-time heat. The diurnal swing approaches 40°F (4.5°C) and it is typical to have daytime highs over 90°F (32°C) and lows around 50°F (10°C) during the growing season.
Ballard Canyon’s southern vineyards receive the most time in the cool fog, which burns off earlier in the northern, higher elevations of the AVA. The highest elevations can also be the warmest, often bathing in an inversion layer above the fog-line.
Main Grape Varieties
Over half of the AVA’s planted acreage is Syrah, with an additional 30% of acres planted to other Rhone varieties, including Grenache, Viognier, and Roussanne. Total plantings: Rhone Varietals: 76%; Bordeaux: 14%; Italian: 8%; California “Heritage:” 2%
Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara AVA
Topography/Elevation/Water Sources/Geographic Features
Average elevation is 820 feet (250 m), ranging from 660 feet (201 m) to 1,013 feet (309 m) in elevation. Average temperatures during the growing season are 65°F (18°C) with lows below 50°F (10°C) and highs in the low 80s (27°C). High winds, high altitude, and diurnal shifts of up to 50°F (10°C) are moderating influences. Several creeks run through the north eastern part of the AVA.
Geology/Soil Composition
Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara is the furthest east of the growing regions and, well separated from the ocean by both distance and multiple hills. As a result, it experiences relatively little fog. Soils are a mixture of loam and clay loam with interspersed cobbles and high in mineral levels while low in nutrients.
Climate
While Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara sits as little as 12 miles (19 km) to the north of the Pacific Ocean as the crow flies, the west-to-east running mountain range protects the vineyards from direct oceanic influence and also traps the heat of the Santa Ynez Valley during the day.
Cooling breezes and a fog-rich marine layer also roll through the canyon in the late afternoon and early morning, creating a wide temperature swing between daytime highs and nighttime lows. Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara AVA has been compared to Napa Valley’s Oak Knoll AVA, albeit with an additional 700 feet (213 m) in elevation.
Main Grape Varieties
Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara’s warm microclimate is the perfect home for Syrah, along with Bordeaux varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.
Santa Maria Valley AVA
Topography/Elevation/Water Sources/Geographic Features
The Santa Maria Valley boasts a rare “transverse” geography, an east-west orientation that channels cool ocean air directly into the valley. The result is a Mediterranean climate that produces one of California’s longest growing seasons. Grapes in the region are either grown on the Santa Maria Bench or off the Bench, each resulting in grapes with completely different and unique flavor profiles. In 2011, the AVA was expanded by 18,790 acres (7,604 ha) and the addition of nine vineyards. A small section of the appellation lies north of the Santa Maria River in San Luis Obispo County. Elevations range from 200 to 3,200 feet (61 to 975 m), with vineyards planted between 200 and 1,600 feet (61-488 m).
Geology/Soil Composition
With its geological oddity and natural funnel-shape, the Santa Maria Valley AVA is bounded by the San Rafael Mountains and Los Padres National Forest to the east and by the Solomon Hills and the city of Santa Maria to the West. Soils vary by elevation, with sandy loams and silt in the western half of the AVA. Well-draining, gravelly loam and cobbles are found closer to the rivers, along with alluvial and colluvial soils in the Solomon Hills to the south. East of the rivers and moving to higher elevations in the San Rafael Range there are hillside plantings in Chamise clay loam and Chamise shale loam at lower elevations.
Climate
Classified as Winkler I and II, average lows during the growing season range from the low 50’s to the high 40’s (10°-4°C)and average highs rarely exceed 75°F (23°C). Cooling winds start very early in the day.
Main Grape Varieties
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah
Santa Ynez Valley AVA
Topography/Elevation/Water Sources/Geographic Features
The AVA has an average elevation of 600 feet (183 m) ranging from 220 feet (67 m) to 1,430 feet (436 m). The Santa Ynez River is one of the largest rivers on the Central Coast of California. It is 92 miles (148 km) long, flowing from east to west through the Santa Ynez Valley. Lake Cachuma, the largest reservoir on the river, is in the eastern end of the valley and approximately five miles in length. Several tributaries join the Santa Ynez River in Lake Cachuma, including Santa Cruz Creek and Cachuma Creek from the north and a number of smaller streams from the south.
Geology/Soil Composition
The Santa Ynez Valley AVA (1983) contains four sub-AVAs: Sta. Rita Hills, Ballard Canyon, Los Olivos District and Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara. It boasts an impressive collection of climates and soils, and among the most diverse collection of winegrape plantings in the world in the 30 miles (48 km) from Lake Cachuma to Lompoc. There are 14 principal soil associations found in northern Santa Barbara County, and about half of them are in the Santa Ynez Valley AVA. They include limestone, fine, sandy loam, and a complex mixture of loam and clay loam with red and yellow chert and serpentine cobbles.
Climate
Because the AVA has a large east-west span with a series of north-south hills in between, it experiences a great deal of climatic variation. The Santa Ynez Valley is Region I close to the coast, and Region III in the east. In general, it’s a bit warmer than the Santa Maria AVA at similar distances from the ocean. Average annual rainfall ranges from 10 to 17 inches (25-43 cm).
Main Grape Varieties
Several varieties do well, from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the west to Cabernet, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc in the east. Rhone varieties such as Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Roussanne, and Viognier also thrive in the Ballard Canyon sub-AVA.
Sta. Rita Hills AVA
Topography/Elevation/Water Sources/Geographic Features
The miracle of the region’s microclimate began about 20 million years ago during the Miocene Epoch, as marine sediment was deposited deep under the Pacific Ocean. Due to tectonic plate movements, mountains rose out of the ocean in a north-south orientation. Over the span of 12 million years, the mountains broke from the plate and rotated clockwise, creating the most clearly delineated transverse range, from Alaska to Chile, on the Pacific Coast.
Topographically, the AVA features three transverse sets of hills. There are vineyards in both valleys formed by the hills, situated on flats and slopes alike, from 200 feet (61 m) in elevation all the way to 1,700 (518 m).
Geology/Soil Composition
Sedimentary, marine-based soils with elevated calcium including limestone, rare diatomaceous earth, chalk, chert and sandy loam.
Climate
Classified as warm-summer Mediterranean. For every mile (1.6 km) moving east away from the ocean, the temperature rises about one degree Fahrenheit (-17°C). But even at the eastern edge, Sta. Rita Hills AVA is still Winkler Region I.
Main Grape Varieties
Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah and cool climate winegrape varieties.
