SF Bay, the Delta & Santa Cruz Mountains Flashcards
Who bred Petite Sirah?
Dr. Francois Durif from the University of Montpeillier in Southern France in 1880.
What were the parent grapes of Petite Sirah and where did they originate?
father is Syrah (originally from Nothern Rhone) and mother is Peloursin (originally from Isere region on the east side of Rhone River)
When was Petite Sirah introduced to California?
1884, Charles McIver imported Petite Sirah at the Mission San Jose in Alameda County
What is the website that promotes Petite Sirah?
psiloveyou.org
*Name the 10 counties in the Central Coast AVA.
San Franciso, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Benito, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara [San Francisco always cost more cuz coffee beans make Luis bad.]
*Name sub-AVA where San Francisco Bay AVA was drafted.
Livermore Valley AVA (submitted by Carolyn Wente)
*Name AVA within San Francisco Bay that is warm, windy and fog free.
Livermore Valley AVA
*Name the AVA that overlaps Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties.
Santa Clara Valley AVA
*Name the AVA that overlaps Santa Clara and San Benito counties.
Pacheco Pass AVA
*Name the 1st AVA defined by a mountain range.
Santa Cruz Mountains AVA
*Name the dominant grape of eastern Santa Cruz Mountains.
Cabernet Sauvignon
*Name the dominant grape of western Santa Cruz Mountains.
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
*Name the winery and vineyard that won the 2006 Paris Rematch.
Ridge Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon 1971 (was #5 in original tasting)
*Name the sub-AVAs of Lodi.
7; Sloughhouse, Alta Mesa, Borden Ranch, Cosumnes River, Jahant, Clement Hills, Mokelumne River
*State the county and valley Lodi is within.
San Joaquin County and Sacramento County; Northern Central Valley
*Name the cooling influence on Lodi.
the Sacramento-San Joaquin River delta
*Name the most widely planted grape of Lodi.
Zinfandel
*Name the AVA that overlaps Yolo, Sacramento and Solano counties.
Clarksburg AVA [Yolo County is on the eastern border of Napa County, north of Solano County]
*Name the largest AVA in California.
Central Coast AVA
What is the oldest family owned continuously operated winery in the United States?
Wente winery in Livermore
Name 2 wineries in Livermore that continued legal operations during Prohibition?
Wente and Concannon
What are the primary grapes of Livermore AVA?
Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Petite Sirah
What are the primary grapes of San Francisco AVA?
Chardonnay (27%), Cabernet Sauvignon (20%), Merlot (15%)
What is the rationale for the San Francisco Bay AVA?
provides a recognizable region name for international distribution
What important AVA falls within the geographic boundries of the Central Coast AVA, but is not part of it?
Santa Cruz Mountains AVA
What county is Livermore Valley AVA within?
Alameda county.
What counties are included in San Francisco AVA?
San Franciso, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara [1-6 from Central Coast AVA]
Livermore AVA is rated as which Winkler region?
Winkler Region III
Where did the Wente clone of Chardonnay originate?
Most likely, the Wente clone is a combination of three sources. One source was the University of Montpelier in southern France, imported by a Wente family member in 1912. A second source was from Meursalt, imported by Wetmore in 1882 and used in Livermore Valley. A third source involved Paul Masson who imported Burgundian clones in 1896 for his La Cresta Vineyard in Santa Cruz. [FPS Grape Program Newletter, 2007]
Name 4 wineries established in 1883 in Livermore Valley.
Wente, Concannon, Cresta Blanca, Ruby Hill [note that Cresta Blanca is distinct from La Cresta vineyard established by Paul Masson in 1900.]
Who founded Cresta Blanca winery?
Charles Wetmore in 1883 [not to be confused with Paul Masson’s La Cresta]; it is now owned by the Wente family since 1981 and known as “Sparkling Cellars.”
What is the second oldest AVA in California?
Suisun AVA (Solano County)
Name four AVA’s in Solano County
Suisun AVA, Green Valley AVA, Clarksburg AVA (overlaps Sacramento and Yolo Counties), Wild Horse AVA (overlaps Napa County) [not to be confused with Green River Valley of Russian River]
Describe the derivation of the words Suisun and Solano.
Suisun Valley is named after the local indigenous people, a distinct tribe known as the Suisun Indians, who spoke a dialect of the Patwin Indian language. Francisco Solano, a Suisun chief, from the early 1800’s, was a protegé of Mexican General Mariano Vallejo,
Who is Martin Ray?
Martin Ray was a winemaker that worked for Paul Masson. He later had his own winery in the Santa Cruz mountains. He advocated a simple life close to nature.
What is the link between Martin Ray and the Schramsberg winery?
Jack and Jamie Davies were investors in Martin Ray’s wine ventures before he urged them to buy a winery. They later bought the Jacob Schram estate in Calistoga.
Martin Ray had links to 3 wines in the 1976 Paris tasting, what were they?
Warren Winiarski (Stag’s Leap WC) worked for a week with Martin Ray, but failed to secure a job with him, He later moved to California with his family to work at Souverain Cellars with Lee Stewart. David Bruce and Paul Draper (Ridge) worked for and later lived near Martin Ray.
What is the range of altitude for the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA?
400 to 3,200 feet (1st AVA to be defined by altitude/mountain range)
What is the link between Paul Masson and Martin Ray?
Martin Ray grew up near Masson’s property and after prohibition bought it.
What is the link between The Paul Masson Champagne Company and Mount Eden Vineyards?
Martin Ray bought property just north of Paul Masson’s La Cresta vineyard and built the Mount Eden Vineyards in 1943.
Who is the subject of the book “Vineyards in the Sky, The Life of Legendary Vintner …”
Martin Ray, written by his widow.
What is the link from Almaden Vineyards and Mountain Winery?
Almaden Vineyards was established by Éthienne Thée in 1852. His son-in-law, Charles Le Franc, planted the first choice European grape varieties at the foot of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Le Franc’s son-in-law, Paul Masson, was from a wine making family in Burgundy. In 1900 Masson established La Cresta vineyard. This vineyard was subsequently sold to Seagram’s in the 40’s. This winery is now under new ownership and is known as Mountain Winery. The Almaden trademark is now owned by a box wine label.
In what area were the first varietally labeled Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc (1936) and Petite Sirah (1961) bottled?
Livermore Valley wineries
Where is Eden Valley?
Eden Valley is a wine region within the Barossa zone of South Australia. [Not Mount Eden, think Martin Ray.]
What were the original grapes in Cresta Blanca Winery?
white Bordeaux cuttings brought to Livermore by Wetmore
What was a major factor in the conservation of very old vine Zinfandel vineyards over the past 50 years?
Popularity of white Zinfandel wine.
Describe the climate of Livermore Valley AVA?
Warm, windy and minimal fog
