Napa Valley Flashcards
*What percent of California wine is made in Napa Valley?
4% [California contributes 10% of the world’s production]
What percent of the world’s wine is made in Napa Valley?
0.4%
Compare the sizes of Napa Valley and Bordeaux.
Napa Valley is 1/8 the size, 45,000 acres.
*What are the eastern mountain ranges of Napa Valley?
Vaca Range or Vaca Mountains
*What are the western mountain ranges of Napa Valley?
Mayacamas Mountains
*Which Napa Valley AVA has the lowest rainfall?
Los Carneros
What are the principal grape varieties in Los Carneros AVA?
Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Syrah also does well [not Cabernet Sauvignon which does not ripen well]
*Which Napa Valley AVA has the lowest daytime temperatures?
Los Carneros, due cooling effect of wind and fog from the San Pablo Bay
Which Napa Valley AVA has the largest alluvial fan?
Oak Knoll District (fan formed by Dry Creek, but not to be confused with Dry Creek Valley AVA in Sonoma)
What are the principal grape varieties in Oak Knoll District AVA?
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay
What characteristic of the soil in Los Carneros restricts yields?
the hard claypan subsoil prevents deep rooting
Cabernet Sauvignon makes up what percent of the California grape harvest?
12% (the second most common varietal, slightly below Chardonnay) [vs. 40% for Napa Cabernet Sauvignon]
*Cabernet Sauvignon makes up what percent of the Napa Valley grape harvest?
40% (significantly more than Chardonnay which is 11% of the Napa harvest) [the 40% Napa Cab compares with 12% for California Cabernet Sauvignon]
Cabernet Sauvignon makes up what percent of the value of the Napa Valley grape harvest?
55%
Name the top 5 grape varieties in Napa Valley.
Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir
*In Oakville and Rutherford AVAs, describe the soil on the west.
primarily sedimentary gravelly alluvial loams [sedimentary GAL]
*In Oakville and Rutherford AVAs, describe the soil on the east.
east side has more volcanic soils, moderately deep, more fertile
*Which Napa Valley AVA has the highest day temperatures?
St. Helena AVA, less fog and wine, narrowing of the valley floor provides more heat reflection off the hillsides [not Calistoga which gets a cooling effect from Chalk HIll gap]
What is the most eastern Napa Valley AVA?
Wild Horse Valley AVA
Which Napa Valley AVA is noted for steeper, smaller hillside vineyards surrounded by tall evergreen forest?
Spring Mountain District AVA
*What is the newest Napa Valley AVA?
Coombsville, 2012
*Name the year the Judgment of Paris took place and the two winning wines.
May 1976; winners were Chateau Montelena Chardonnay 1973 (Jim Barrett and Mike Grgich) and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 1973 (Warren Winiarski)
What was the first sub-appellation wholly within Napa Valley to receive its own AVA,
Howell Mountain AVA
Name an AVA in Napa Valley associated with benchmark mountain style Cabernet Sauvignon?
Howell Mountain AVA
Name an AVA in Napa Valley associated with benchmark valley floor style Cabernet Sauvignon?
Rutherford AVA (historically, the Beaulieu and Inglenook wineries)
Name a well-known producer in the Mount Veeder AVA with an art collection on premises.
Hess Collection
*Name the 8 Napa Valley AVA’s that comprise the valley floor.
South to North: Carneros, Coombsville, Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley, Yountville, Stags Leap District, Oakville, Rutherford, St. Helena
*Name the 4 Napa Valley AVA’s that lie on the western border north of Carneros.
Mount Veeder, Spring Mountain District, Diamond Mountain, Calistoga
*Name the 4 Napa Valley AVA’s that lie on the eastern side.
Wild Horse Valley, Atlas Peak, Chiles Valley District, Howell Mountain.
*State the year the Agricultural Preserve was established and what it is.
In 1968, a commitment to agriculture as the “highest and best use” of most of the land outside of the local towns and the city of Napa. It protects agricultural use of the land, about 38,000 acres. [before Paris Tasting!]
What was the main mechanism by which the Agricultural Preserve achieved its goal?
The ordinance dictated that the only commercial activity allowed in these areas was agriculture and, furthermore, set minimum lot sizes that prevented further subdivision of parcels, limiting the potential for development. The 20-acre minimum in the Agricultural Preserve (AP) and 40-acre minimum in the Agricultural Watershed (AW) were later increased to 40 acres and 160 acres, respectively.
What percent of Napa Valley Vinters make less than 10,00 cases a year?
77%
*Name the person to plant 1st grapes in Napa and the year.
George Yount planted first vineyards in 1838-39.
*Who established the first commercial winery in Napa and the year?
Charles Krug, 1861 [not vineyard, that would be Yount]
What is the “75% rule”?
This rule dictates that wineries in Napa must use at least 75% grapes from Napa County. This was intended to curtail the mass production of non-Napa wines within the county.