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Mendocino

On August 17, 2008, in Mendocino, wine geeks, by ngorevic

Mendocino lies just to the North of Napa and Sonoma. It's wine history dates back to the 1860's, when immigrants to the area planted the first vines. Most of the wine produced in Mendocino was consumed only by the locals, and the isolated nature of the area due to mountains prevented a great deal of export. Even to this day, the area is somewhat unknown and isolated as far as wine production is concerned. Mendocino is very large and has two different major climactic regions, that are on either side of the coastal mountain range. Except for the cooler Anderon Valley, the wine producing areas are too far ashore to benefit from any cooling influences of the pacific, so most of Mendocino is in a continental climate zone. Mendocino contains 8 AVA's, which I will now list in detail.

Anderson Valley

Anderson Valley is formed by the Navarro river, that empties into the pacific to the North. Because of the river's northerly path, Anderson Valley is cooler towards the north. Lots of sparkling wines made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are produced from the cooler northerly section of the valley. In the south, where it is a little warmer, Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot are more common.

Mendocino Ridge

Mendocino ridge is actually an area within Anderson Valley, and it is the only AVA in the United States that does not cover one contiguous area. This is because it applies only to the elevations that are above the fog line (1200 feet) on the easter slopes of the Anderson Valley. The most common grapes grown here are Syrah, Zinfandel, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Cole Ranch

Cole Ranch is the smallest AVA in the United States, covering only 61 acres. It is home to only one grower that goes by the same name, and is located at 1,400 to 1,600 feet. The main grape grown on the ranch is Cabernet Sauvignon, but they also grow a small amount of Chardonnay and Riesling.

Potter Valley

Potter Valley is most famous for its dessert wines, made from grapes affected by botrytis. As in most areas that produced botrytized wines, the moisture in this area can cause a great deal of problems for the grape growers, including the likelihood of frost. The most grapes grown here are Riesling and Semillon, and some small amounts of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Sangiovese.

Redwood Valley

Redwood Valley receives a small amount of cooler air from the russian river, helping preserve the acidity in the most common varietal grown here, Syrah. There are also small amounts of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petite Syrah.

McDowell Valley

McDowell Valley is just south Of Ukiah, the main city in Mendocino. It features volcanic soil and most of the vineyards are planted between 850-1,000 feet. Rhone varietals like Syrah, Mouvedre, and Grenache are the most common grapes planted here.

Yorkville Highlands

Yorville is a relatively new wine area, and to date only has a few wineries. It is most well known for growing Sauvignon Blanc and other Bourdeaux style grapes.

Sonoma AVA’s

On August 12, 2008, in Sonoma Valley, wine geeks, by ngorevic

Sonoma Valley AVA

Sonoma valley is a thin 25 mile long stretch that runs acorss the middle of the southern half of Sonoma county. It's bordered on the east by the Mayacamas mountain range, which separates it from Napa. This part of Sonoma benefits from the cooling influences of the San Pablo Bay, much like Napa. The hottest parts of this AVA are near Kenwood amd Glen Ellen, and the coolest parts are towards the north, closer to Santa Rosa, where the Pacific ocean moderates the climate. The soil type are quite varied, including sand, gravel, shale, and oceanic sediment. The area has about 30 wineries and growers that produce a vast array of wines.

Sonoma Mountain AVA

Sonoma Mountain AVA is sub-region of Sonoma Valley. It is in the mountain area on the western side of Sonoma valley, and has vineyards planted in a range of 1,200-1,600 feet. The most commonly grown grapes here include Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, and Chardonnay. The volcanic and gravel soil, similar to the Napa mountain areas, helps produce age-worth and expensive wines.

Sonoma Coast AVA

The Sonoma Coast AVA is a massive area, containing about 480,000 acres. It includes vineyards in the coastal area from the border with Marin County to the south and Mendocino to the north. It includes the AVA's of Chalk Hill, Green VAlley, Carneros, Sonoma Valley, and Russian River Valley. Most of the area is quite cool, and its best wines include Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Northern Sonoma AVA

This AVA covers many areas throughout Sonoma county, and was created solely because of the efforts of Gallo of Sonoma, which produces bulk wines from these areas.

Russian River Valley

The Russian River valley is a very cool area that produces mostly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The area was a large wine producing area in the latter half of the 1800's, but phylloxera and prohibition almost totally wiped everything out. This AVA also include the Chalk Hill, Green Valley, and Sonoma County AVA's.

Sonoma County AVA

This AVA is the coolest part of the Russian River Valley, due to the influence of the Pacific. The primary grapes include Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, which are often used to make sparkling wines in this area.

Chalk Hill AVA

Chalk Hill got its name from a vineyard that goes by the same name, and because of its white soil. This soil, however, is not chalk, but is actually white volcanic ash. Many of the vineyards here are located higher on the hills, above the fog line, where the temperatures are slightly warmer than the rest of the Russian River Valley. Chardonnay is the most common grape here, as well as Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Green Valley AVA

Green Valley is in the south west corner of the Russian River Valley. It produces Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that is known for it's high acidity. Many sparkling wine producers have been attracted to this and have moved to this area.

Dry Creek Valley AVA

The Dry Creek Valley is just north and west of the Russian River Valley. This area is a thin valley isolated from fog by the coastal mountains that surround it. It is a warmer area than the russian river valley, and received just enough rainfall to make growing without irrigation possible. As a result of this climate, a lot of Italian immigrants came to the area at the end of the 19th century to grow wine. They planted Zinfandel, Carignan, and Petite Syrah, many of which are still being produced there today. The soil in this area is called Dry Creek Conglomerate, which is a red rocky soil with excellent drainage.

Alexander Valley

The Alexander Valley is named for Captain Cyrus Alexander, who was one of the original people to receive land from General Vallejo after Mexico got its independence from Spain. It was established as an AVA in 1988. This is a fairly warm area, and the soils are very fertile and rich, which means winemakers must take steps to reduce yields. Most of the wine produced here is red, including Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Some white wine is also produced, including Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

Knight's Valley

This AVA connects Sonoma to Napa in the North. It is a slim valley that has very hot daytime temperatures on the valley floor. At night the Russian River Valley does offer a cooling influence. Hearty red varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon are the most common grapes, but there is also some Chardonnay, Sghtghtly Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Noir grown in some of the cooler, slightly elevated areas of the valley at 1,100 to 1,800 feet.

Rock Pile

Rock Pile is in the Northwest corner of Sonoma county. It's a 15,400 acre area, with lots of rocky terrain, with elevations around 800 feet above sea level. It overlaps with the northwest corner of Dry Creek. There are no wineries in Rock Pile, but there are vineyards that grow mainly Zinfandel, as well as small amounts of Petite Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Carneros

Carneros actually covers areas in Napa Valley, Sonoma Valley, and the Sonoma Coast AVA's. The San Pablo bay cools this area down, and its moisture also fends off frost in the spring. The soil in Carneros is mostly clay, which helps keep yields low, and the low amount of rainfall means irrigation is a necessity.The area is known for its Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, but also produces some Merlot.

Sonoma

On August 7, 2008, in Sonoma Valley, wine geeks, by ngorevic

Sonoma differs from Napa in the diversity of plantings and growers. While Napa is made up of mostly large estates, Sonoma consists of many small growers, of whom many were descended from European immigrants that started growing grapes there a long time ago. Italian familes like Sebastiani brought old-vine grapes like Zinfandel, Carignan, and Petite Syrah to Sonoma a long time ago. Russian immigrants also named the russian river valley. In the past a lot of those growers sold their grapes to winemakers in the Central Valley or to the Italian Swiss colony at Asti. More recently, large scale estates that bottle their own wine have become more common.

Napa Valley Mountain Appellations

On August 4, 2008, in Napa valley, wine geeks, by ngorevic

The mountain ranges on either side of Napa Valley are somewhat different from the valley floor. The growing season is longer, with cooler days and warmer nights. There is often quite a bit of volcanic soil, which makes growing and irrigation harder, reducing yields and producing smaller berries. Due to these factors, the mountain wines tend to be more tannic and more intensely flavored. The western border of Napa is the Mayacamas mountain range, which comprises Diamond Mountain, Spring Mountain, and Mount Veeder. On the eastern side of the valley lies Howell Mountain and Atlas Peak. The eastern mountains tend to be more wooded and get a lot more rain than the dry western sides, which tend to produce softer and lighter wines. All of them are usually age-worthy though.

Diamond Mountain

Diamond mountain is the most Northerly AVA in the Mayacamas. It was established in 2001, comprises 5,000 acres, of which only 500 acres are under vine. The most common grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Zinfandel.

Spring Mountain

Spring Mountain was established as an AVA in 1993. It has many different microclimates, and covers 8,600 acres. The best grapes here are Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Syrah, Pinot Noir, and Zinfandel.

Mount Veeder

Mount Veeder became an AVA in 1990. All the vineyards are planted at elevations between 600-2,700 feet, and it falls in the Regions 1 and 2 classification in the heat summation index. The most common grapes here are Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, with smaller pockets of Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Syrah, and Viognier.

Howell Mountain

Howell Mountain is Napa's oldest AVA, established in 1984. Due to less rain, cooler temperatures, and volcanic and rocky soil, the area has lower yielding crops. The vineyards are all at altidudes ranging from 1,600-2,000 feet. Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and some Merlot are the most common grapes here, small amounts of Chardonnay as well.

Atlas Peak

Atlas peak is just south of Howell Mountain on the east side of Napa Valley. It covers about 11,000 acres, but has only a few wineries. The main winery, which is called Atlas peak, has committed to growing Sangiovese.

Napa Valley Floor Appellations

On August 1, 2008, in Napa valley, wine geeks, by ngorevic

In the 1990's, some growers began to support the idea of dividing the valley floor of Napa up into several sub-AVA's, which would be named after the towns of the area, much like Bourdeaux's appellations. The effort to create these AVA's was never fully completed because the phylloxera outbreak became too demading on wine makers, but some of them were created, and are valuable to understand. Here they are:

Calistoga

While Calistoga is not an official AVA, it does produce a certain style of wines. The area is 10-20 degrees warmer than the town of Napa during the day, but at night the Russian River helps balance the acidity by cooling it off at night, extending the growing season. The soil here is mostly gravel, which provides excellent drainage, stressing the vines enough to reduce yields and produce powerful and concentrated wines. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most common varietal in Calistoga.

St. Helena

St. Helena is an official AVA, and was designated one in 1995. It is very close to Calistoga, but is just a little bit cooler. This is very much a red grape area, with Zinfandel and Petite Syrah doing very well. The classic description for these wines is "elegant."

Rutherford

Rutheford became an AVA in 1993, and was originally going to be divided further with part designated as the Rutherford Bench. The bench is an alluvial fan that runs along the side of the valley and is responsible for some of the most sought-after wines of Napa Valley. The bench actually extends far beyond Rutherford into Oakville and Yountville. The total area of Rutheford is about 6,700 acres, of which only about 2,800 is in the bench.

Oakville

The Oakville AVA is a littel south from Rutherford, and does include sections of the rutherford bench mentioned above. Some wine makers have expressed a desire to rename this portion the Oakville Bench, but have so far been unsuccessful. Like the other areas to the North, Oakville is primarily Cabernet Sauvigon territory, but thanks to morning fog and the cooling influence of the San Pablo Bay, Oaville also produces Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and a little Sangiovese.

Yountville

Yountville became an AVA in 1999. It's composed of about 8,200 acres of land, but less than half of it is dedicated to vines. The cooling influence of the San Pablo Bay is quite strong in Yountville, which makes it only marginally successful at producing Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay is considered to be much more successful in this area.

Stag's Leap

Stag's Leap became an AVA in 1989, and got its name because of a basalt outcropping of the Atlas Mountains that hangs out over the vineyards, resembling a Stag. The basalt moderates the night time cooling effect often seen in the southern area of Napa by reflecting heat back down onto the valley floor. This makes it the perfect place to grow Cabernet Sauvignon.

Oak Knoll District

Oak Knoll was designated as an AVA in 2002, and is one of the most southern and therefore coolest AVA's in Napa. The most promising grape here is Merlot, which has been gaining a reputation, but it also produces Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay.

Wild Horse Valley

Wild Horse Valley became an AVA in 1988. It does not have any wineries, but many wine makers use the grapes grown here to make wine. It's located about 1,000 feet above sea level, a little bit east of Carneros. It is very cool and breezy here. The primary grapes planted include Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, and Viognier.

Napa Valley

On August 1, 2008, in Napa valley, wine geeks, by ngorevic

The Napa Valley is the name of a county, but it is also a general AVA that contains many smaller AVA's within itself. The area is only 30 square miles, and it has about 250 wineries. The Napa Valley soil consists of a complex range of different sedimentary soils, caused by repeated flooding of an uplifted seabead over thousands of years. As a result the area has about 150 different soil types! Generally temperatures in Napa increase as one travels north, but higher elevations in towns like Calistoga and the cooling effect of the Russian River can lessen the heat. Napa has 40,000 acres under vine, and produces about 5% of California's total wine production.

California’s Heat Summation Classification

On August 1, 2008, in California, wine geeks, by ngorevic

As I discussed briefly before, one of UC Davis's earliest contributions to California wine was the heat summation map. The system is based on the number of "degree-days" in a given area. Degree-days are determined by mutiplying a month's average temperature above 50 by the number of days in the month, times 7 (April through October, the months involved in the growing season). California is divided into 5 different heat summation regions:

Region 1- less than 2,500 degree-days

Region 2- 2,500-3000

Region 3- 3,000-3,500

Region 4- 3,500-4,000

Region 5- above 4,000

Regions 1 and 2 are to be used for dry wines with light to medium body and good balance. Region 3 is best with full-bodied dry wines and sweet wines. Region 4 is best for Fortified wines, and Region 5 is suitable only for raisin growing.

California Geography and Climate

On August 1, 2008, in California, wine geeks, by ngorevic

California is considered to have a mostly mediterranean climate, with only two seasons. The wine regions of California, however, are a bit different from the rest of the state, due to the many microclimates created by the series of mountain ranges running up and down the coast. These mountains interact with cool breezes and fogs that come off the ocean, and protect vineyards from too much rain. It's basically the ideal environment to grow anything, and it's just a question of finding the exact right microclimate for whatever crop you want. For wine, the cool valley areas work well to preserve acidity and aromatics, and the mountain sides work well for grapes that need more sunlight, but benefit from cooler temperatures at night.

United States Wine Laws

On August 1, 2008, in California, United States, wine geeks, by ngorevic

The American Viticultural Area (AVA) system was introduced in the United States in 1978. Unlike the French AOC system, which is designed to indicate quality, the AVA's only purpose, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firemars (BATF) was to establish, "a delimited grape growing region distinguished by geographic features, the boundaries of which have been recognized and defined." The laws do not discuss yields, alcohol levels or permitted grape varietals at all. In 2002, under the Homeland Security Act, the overseeing of these laws was transferred to the Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). To etablish or change an AVA, anyone can petition the TTB and must demonstrate that the name is locally or nationally known and that there are geographical features that make the area demonstrably separated from other areas.

The AVA laws do govern what is allowed to appear on the label. If a bottle is labeled to be of a certain varietal, the wine must be made of at least 75% of that grape. If the wine also indicates a specific AVA, it must contain 85% of the stated grape varietal. In addition, 85% of the grapes used to make the wine must come from the stated AVA. If a wine is labeled as a certain vintage, 95% of the wine must come from that years grapes. Finally, if a specific vineyard is listed, 95% of the grapes used must come from that vineyard.

One other category governed under the AVA laws is Meritage. Lots of people love to pronounce this wine with a fancy french accent (Mar-EE-tahj), but in fact it's not fancy or French at all. It's just plain and simple, MEHR-ih-tihj. Basically a meritage wine is one made in a Bourdeaux style, so it must be a blend of at least 2 Bourdeaux varietals. For reds, this includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot, and for whites it includes Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, and Muscadelle. The wine can not be made of more than 90% of any one grape varietal, it must be the wineries best wine of that type, its production is limited to 25,000 cases per year, and it must be produced and bottled by a US winery from a United States AVA.

The history of UC Davis in California

On August 1, 2008, in California, wine geeks, by ngorevic

Today, the University of California at Davis is one of the most influential institutions studying wine making. People from all over the world now come there to study, and California owes a lot of its success to the program. The history of UC Davis dates back to the 1930's, when Maynard Amerine and Albert Winkler began studying wine making in their lab. In 1938, they created what was called a heat summation map. This map divided the California into 5 regions, based on the temperatures in those regions. It was used by wine makers to decide what grapes to plant in what regions. UC Davis also helped wine makers make decisions about pruning and vinification. Most of the UC Davis advice was designed to maximize production and add an element of control to the process that produced wines that were of solid, but not exceptional quality.

On mistake UC Davis made was its advocation of the AXR-1 rootstock. While it did allow for increased production compared to the St George rootstock used before Prohibition, it eventually turned out not to be truly Phylloxera resistant. By the 1980's, vineyards began to notice a gradual decline in production, and after a period of denial, began to realize that Phylloxera had returned again. With great expense, most vineyards had to replant everything. Yet again, the smaller vineyards who could not afford the expense suffered and went out of business. And also again, there was a benefit, because the replantings took advantage of increased knowledge about microclimates to plant the right grapes in the right spots. Before that point, plantings were often determined by the fad of the marketplace at that time, which obviously did not always result in the best quality wine.