North Coast CA Flashcards
Name the AVAs of Mendocino County. Which is the newest?
- Mendocino
- Mendocino Ridge
- Anderson Valley
- Potter Valley
- Redwood Valley
- McDowell Valley
- Yorkville Highlands
- Dos Rios
- Cole Ranch
- Covelo
- Pine Mountain-Cloverdale Peak (2011)
What are the AVAs of Sonoma? Which three are the newest?
• Los Carneros (Carneros) -shared
• Sonoma Valley
-Bennett Valley
• Sonoma Mountain
• Moon Mountain District Sonoma Cty(2013)
• Sonoma Coast
• Northern Sonoma
• Russian River Valley
• - Green Valley of Russian River Valley
• - Chalk Hill
• Dry Creek Valley
• Rockpile
• Alexander Valley
• Knights Valley
• Pine Mountain-Cloverdale Peak (2011)
• Fort Ross-Seaview (est. 2011)Anderson Valley’s sparkling house?
Louis Roederer
What is unique about Mendocino ridge AVA?
Mendocino Ridge AVA stretches southward from the Navarro River along the coast, but the appellation is restricted to vineyards that are at least 1,200 feet above sea level.
What is the smallest county to produce wine in the North Coast?
Lake County
Lake County AVAs
Clear Lake - Red Hills Benmore High valley Guenoc
What is Goldridge?
Fertile alluvial soils, such as “Goldridge” sandy loam, characterize the Russian River Valley.
From 2011 forward, all wines produced in the county are required to state “_____” on the label, regardless of whether or not the label also indicates an AVA.
Sonoma County
In Sonoma, the windy, foggy ____AVA is a cool Region I area, whereas the warm northern AVAs of ___ & ___ are considered Region III.
Carneros or the Majority of Sonoma Coast AVA (inland reaches region II)
Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Rockpile or Knights Valley
Where is Peter Michael’s “Les Pavots” produced and what grapes?
Knights valley: typically two thirds Cabernet Sauvignon with roughly equal parts of Cabernet Franc and Merlot and Petit Verdot
Two AVAs in Sonoma known for Zinfandel with American/French oak?
Dry Creek Valley and the small Rockpile AVA are known for ripe, powerful styles of Zinfandel, aged in either American or French oak
What champagne house and cava house set up sparkling houses in Carneros?
The Champagne house of Taittinger and the Cava producer Codorníu both set up American sparkling wine estates in Carneros in the 1980s, following the pioneering example of Gloria Ferrer.
Like Napa, Sonoma Valley’s temperature gets progressively warmer as one travels north, although ____, a sub-AVA in the northwestern sector of the valley, favors Merlot, as it is too cool to routinely ripen Cabernet Sauvignon.
Bennet Valley
Russian River Valley is Region ___
II
Approx how many acres are in the Sonoma Coast AVA?
500,000
RRV Sub AVAs
Chalk Hill and Green Valley are essentially sub-AVAs of RRV
Name some Coastal and RRV producers
Coastal producers of note include Hirsch, Marcassin, and Peay, whereas Dehlinger, Joseph Swan, Rochioli, and Williams-Selyem are prominent names in Russian River Valley.
Explain the temperature change from Carneros to Calistoga?
Cool ocean air funnels through the Petaluma Gap into the San Pablo Bay and upward through the valley—Carneros, the southernmost AVA within Napa, is suitable for the production of sparkling wines, whereas Calistoga, the northernmost AVA, routinely sees daytime summer temperatures above 90° F, and producers focus on sturdier grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel.
The sub-AVAs of Napa Valley? newest?
Coombsville (est. 2011) Calistoga Diamond Mountain District Spring Mountain District St. Helena Rutherford Oakville Stags Leap District Mount Veeder Yountville Los Carneros (Carneros) Wild Horse Valley Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley Atlas Peak Chiles Valley Howell Mountain
North Coast AVA Counties
The North Coast AVA includes the counties of Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake, Solano and Marin.
Describe the major soils of Napa
The valley has a remarkable diversity of volcanic, alluvial and maritime soil types, ranging from well-drained gravel loam to dense clays to the thin, rocky soils of the hillside vineyards.
What is a major threat for Napa Valleys Hillside vineyards?
Erosion and heavy winter rains that can wash away topsoil
What was Napa’s first sub-ava
Howell Mtn AVA
Describe Napa Mountain Cabernet Sauvignons verse valley floor
Cabernet Sauvignon “mountain fruit” from Napa’s sun-drenched hillside vineyards and mountainside AVAs is prized for its density, dark fruit and concentration, and its ability to retain a good acid structure through intense ripeness. The floor produces more elegant wines with less intensity of color due to deeper topsoil.
How many Sub AVAs are in Napa?
16
How Big is Napa Valley? Altitude ranges?
33 by 5 miles (1-5miles width)
0ft-2000 ft
California produces approximately__% of all American wine, followed by New York, Washington, and Oregon.
90
Name 5 native Vitis species to North America
Vitis labrusca , Vitis rotundifolia , and Vitis aestivalis
Name The species for each:
- Concord
- Scuppernong
- Aestivalis
- Catawba
- Norton
Vitis labrusca (the Concord and Catawba grapes), Vitis rotundifolia (the Scuppernong grape), and Vitis aestivalis (the Norton grape). Vitis aestivalis grapes include Norton
Why was cider, beer and whiskey the alcoholic beverages of choice in the 18th century?
Vinifera grapes succumbed to native American pests and phylloxera, and Native American vines gave an unpleasant odor, much unlike vinifera they were used to
Percentage of Grapes Required for Labeling by Appellation
• If labeled by country, state, or county: ___%
• If labeled by AVA: ___%
• If labeled with a single vineyard: ___%
• If labeled by vintage?
• If labeled by varietal?
75% 85% 95% 95% 75% (except labrusca which is only 51%)
What is a “Meritage” wine?
“Meritage”, a term trademarked by the Meritage Alliance, is used by producers to indicate a premium blend in which no grape accounts for more than 90% of the wine. Meritage wines may be red or white, but must be produced from Bordeaux varietals.
Who discovered Zinfandel’s origin?
Carole Meredith L
What is Zinfandels Origin?
Crljenak Kastelanski - Croatia
1st vinifera grape with success in the US?
Mission Grape-Criolla - from Mexico to Rio grande -1500s
1st to plant a vineyard in Napa Valley?
By 1839, George Yount had arived in Napa as the first American settler to set foot in the valley, and had planted its first vineyard.
What brought a lot of settlers to CA in the mid 1800s?
Annexation from Mexico and Sutter’s Mill (Gold Rush)
Who is the “father of California wine”?
Agoston Harazthy
Who founded Buena Vista Winery?
Agoston Haraszthy arrived in Sonoma in 1849, where he founded Buena Vista, one of California’s oldest commercial wineries. Dubbed the “father of California wine”, the colorful Haraszthy introduced more than 300 varietals to the state, collected as vine cuttings during his European travels.
Who is one of Harazthy’s most important students?
Charles Krug
What is the oldest winery in Napa Valley
Charles Krug
What is Napa Oldest continually operating winery?
Beringer, Napa’s oldest continuously operating winery, was established in 1876
What is Napa’s oldest sparkling house, and one of the oldest wineries in general?
Jacob Schram built Schramsberg in 1862. ,
Who build Inglenook in 1879?
Gustav Niebaum
When did Phylloxera hit CA?
Sonoma - 1873 and again in 1980s
Who is famous for producing wines from native grapes in Long Island in 1840?
Robert Prince
What was the nations first bonded winery, and where was it? (1860s)
The nation’s first bonded winery, Pleasant Valley Wine Company, was established in 1860 and is still operating today, near Hammond sport in Finger Lakes.
Who is known for being an icon in wine making in Ohio?
Viticulture also thrived in Ohio: at the height of his winemaking career in the mid-19th century, Nicholas Longworth annually produced 150,000 bottles of traditional method, hand-riddled sparkling Catawba
In Missouri, German immigrants were by 1856 producing 100,000 gallons annually, and ______Winery in Hermann became the third largest winery in the world by the turn of the century
Stone Hill
Whats is historically and still the modern day grape of Missouri?
The Norton Grape (it even has its own Riedel glass)
Who has a statue in Montpellier, MI for saving the Norton grape by discovering its resistance to Phylloxera?
Charles Valentine Riley
When was prohibition in the USA?When was it ratified?
1920-1933
The Gallo Brother churned out two wines from the Central Valley after the end of Prohibition in bulk … what were they called?
Cheap “Thunderbird” and “Night Train Express”
What was the “house of Altar wine” in Prohibition?
The Frenchman Georges de Latour’s Beaulieu Vineyards actually thrived during the dry times, declaring itself the “House of Altar Wine”.
Who did George de Latour hire in 1938 to oversee production of BV?
In 1938, Georges de Latour hired André Tchelistcheff, a Russian winemaker trained in France, to oversee the production at Beaulieu.
What wine did Andre Tchelistcheff introduce from BV? Why was that wine different?
He introduced the Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, a new benchmark in quality for American wine, and brought new standards of hygiene and techniques to California, including temperature-controlled fermentations and controlled malolactic fermentation.
Robert Mondavi, Louis Martini, Joe Heitz, and Mike Grgich all studies under whom?
Andre Tchelistcheff
In 1968, Mondavi singlehandedly made Sauvignon Blanc saleable by renaming it “____ ____” and aging it in oak.
Fumé Blanc
Who took over production of “Monte Bello” at Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Paul Draper
Who established Mount Eden Vineyards?
Who first planted Pinot Noir in the Sanford and Benedict Vineyard?
Paul Masson
Richard Sanford
WHo create Eyrie Vineyards in Oregon?
David Lett
Who organized the Judgement of Paris? What are two major CA houses that prevailed?
Steven Spurrier - Chateau Montelena Chardonnay & Stag’s Leap Cellars CS
What was the first wine to reach over $100 in Napa Valley?
Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon in 1978
What legal system controls America’s AvA system? Who did it previously?
Today, the Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), a new federal bureau created by the Homeland Security Act of 2002, oversees the AVA system. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), created in the late 1970s.
Discuss the controversy in 2007-2009 involving the Calistoga AVA
In 2007, the TTB suspended the entire process of new AVA approval in the midst of a controversial new proposal to create a Calistoga AVA within Napa Valley. The proposed AVA exposed a contentious disconnect between the rights of a brand and truth in appellation labeling, as two wineries—Calistoga Cellars and Calistoga Estates—did not use enough Calistoga fruit in their wines, and stood to lose their names if the TTB approved the AVA application. In late 2009, the TTB approved the AVA without grandfathering either winery, setting an example for future label integrity.
Alcohol content must be stated on the label, within a margin of +/- ___%. As an alternative, wines in the 7-14% abv range may simply be labeled as “table wine” or “____”. Law requires a government health warning, and the phrase “Contains Sulfites”, provided they are present in a concentration of ___ parts per million or more.
1.5%
light wine
10 parts per million or more
A wine must be labelled with the producer and the producers address, but estate bottles must be what?
100% estate bottled and winery and vineyards must be in the same AVA
What are the four major CA AVAs?
North Coast, Central Coast, South Coast, and the Sierra Foothills
