Transcript Document

Los Carneros AVA
• Climate:
Cool, with prevailing marine air from
San Pablo Bay; high temps rarely exceed
80°F (27°C); less diurnal variation
• Elevation:
Sea level to 700 ft (214 m)
• Rainfall:
Lowest in Napa Valley – 18 to 24 inches
(45.7 to 61 cm) annually
• Soils: Clay dominated, shallow, more loam
and hillside alluvials in the northern
section; yields typically restrained by the
hard claypan subsoil, which prevents deep
rooting
• Principal varieties:
Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir
Coombsville
• Climate:
Temperate climate moderated by nearproximity to the San Francisco Bay and
the influences of marine air
• Elevation:
Most vineyards are in the 100-500 foot
(30-150 m) zone, though a small portion
tops 1000 feet (300 m)
• Rainfall:
Average rainfall is 24.6 inches (62 cm) per
year over the last 100 years
• Soils:
• Primarily weathered volcanic rock and
alluvial deposits from the Vaca Range that
surrounds the region
• Principal varieties:
Dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon on the
hillsides with Merlot, Chardonnay, Syrah
and Pinot Noir in the lower, cooler sites
Oak Knoll District of
Napa Valley AVA
• Climate:
Moderate to cool with morning fall;
late afternoon breezes and slightly cooler
temperatures than upper valley;
temperatures may reach 90°F (32.2°C)
and drop to around 50°F (10°C) at night
• Elevation:
Sea level to 800 ft (244 m)
• Rainfall:
36 inches (91 cm) annually
• Soils: The valley’s largest alluvial fan
formed by Dry Creek; northwest area is
composed of volcanically derived soils,
with stony or gravelly consistency; south
and east areas transition from gravel to
silty clay loam
• Principal varieties:
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay
Yountville AVA
• Climate:
Moderate, with marine influence and
fog; cool summer mornings and breezes
keep afternoons comfortable; peak
temperatures may reach 90°F (32.2°C),
with noticeable diurnal fluctuation to the
mid-50°F range (13°C)
• Elevation:
Sea level to 1100 ft (335 m)
• Rainfall:
32 inches (81 cm) annually
• Soils: Principally gravelly silt loams,
sedimentary in origin, and gravelly alluvial
soils with rock, moderately fertile
• Principal varieties:
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
Stags Leap District AVA
• Climate:
Moderately warm, afternoon marine winds
which cool the warmer air radiating off the
bare rocks of the surrounding hillsides;
often warmer than neighboring Yountville
AVA, reaching the mid-90°F range
(35°C)
• Elevation:
66 to 400 ft (20 to 122 m)
• Rainfall:
30 inches (76 cm) annually
• Soils: Volcanic gravel-loams on the floor,
with rocky hillsides, and low-to moderate
fertility due to hard clay bedrock sub-soils
• Principal varieties:
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese,
Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc
Oakville AVA
• Climate:
Moderately warm, temperatures can reach
the mid-90°F (35°C), but also strongly
affected by fog, which helps keep acidity
levels good; east side of the AVA receives
more of the warmer afternoon sun
• Elevation:
75 to 500 ft (23 to 152 m)
• Rainfall:
35 inches (89 cm) annually
• Soils: Primarily sedimentary gravelly
alluvial loams on the west, with more
volcanic but heavier soils on the east;
kow-to-moderate fertility and fairly deep
• Principal varieties:
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot,
Sauvignon Blanc
Rutherford AVA
• Climate:
Moderately warm, somewhat influenced
by fog; western bench cooler, with less
late afternoon sun; summer peak
temperatures are mid-90°F (35°C) with
good diurnal range
• Elevation:
100 to 500 ft (30 to 152 m)
• Rainfall:
38 inches (97 cm) annually
• Soils: West side is sedimentary, gravellysandy and alluvial, with good water
retention and moderate fertility; east side
has more volcanic soils, moderately deep,
more fertile
• Principal varieties:
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot,
Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel
St. Helena AVA
• Climate:
Warm, due to protection from hills; less
fog and wind; narrowing of the valley floor
provides more heat reflection off the
hillsides; temperatures can peak in the
mid-to-high 90°F range (35° to 37°C)
• Elevation:
150 to 600 ft (46 to 183 m)
• Rainfall:
38 to 40 inches (97 to 102 cm) annually
• Soils: South and west borders are more
sedimentary, gravel-clay soils, with lower
fertility and moderate water retention; to
the north and east, soils are prevalently
volcanic in origin and are deeper and
more fertile
• Principal varieties:
Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon,
Merlot, Syrah, Viognier, Zinfandel
Spring Mountain
District AVA
• Climate:
Noted for steeper, smaller hillside
vineyards surrounded by tall evergreen
forest; cooler daytime temperatures than
valley floor, generally not exceeding 85°F
(29.4°C)
• Elevation:
400 to 2200 ft (122 to 671 m)
• Rainfall:
50 inches (127 cm) annually
• Soils: Primarily sedimentary: weathered
sandstone/shale, loamy and friable in
texture; drainage is high, fertility low
• Principal varieties:
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel,
Chardonnay, Viognier
Diamond Mountain
District AVA
• Climate:
Moderately warm temperatures with
lower maximums and higher minimums
temperatures than the north
• Elevation:
400 to 1800 ft (122 to 549 m)
• Rainfall:
50 to 55 inches (127 to 140 cm) annually
• Soils: Residual uplifted soils of volcanic
origin, often reddish and very fine
grained, even gritty in texture, composed
of both weathered sedimentary and
volcanic origin
• Principal varieties:
Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc
Howell Mountain
District AVA
• Climate:
Generally above marine layer; slightly
warmer and drier than across the valley,
with strong afternoon sun; summer
temperatures range from 55°F to the
high 90°F (13° to 37°C); cool nights
help maintain good acidity
• Elevation:
600 to 2200 ft (183 to 671 m)
• Rainfall:
42 inches (107 cm) annually
• Soils: Predominantly volcanic, shallow and
infertile; drainage is high, fertility low
• Principal varieties:
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot,
Zinfandel, Viognier
Mount Veeder AVA
• Climate:
Cool to moderate, with most vineyards
above the fog line; warmer nights and
cooler days than valley floor; typical
mid-summer high temperatures top out
at about 85°F (30°C)
• Elevation:
500 to 2600 ft (153 to 793 m)
• Rainfall:
45 inches (114.3 cm) annually
• Soils: Sedimentary based, shallow and
generally well-drained, as well as more
acidic, with low fertility; most have a
sandy-loam texture
• Principal varieties:
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel,
Chardonnay
Atlas Peak AVA
• Climate:
Cool, mountain-influenced, with
temperatures about 10° to 15°F cooler
than valley floor in summer; above the
fog line; low diurnal change, with summer
temperatures rarely above 90°F
(32.2°C)
• Elevation:
400 to 2600 ft (122 to 793 m)
• Rainfall:
34 inches (86 cm) annually
• Soils: Volcanic in origin, with basaltic red
color, shallow with limited water retention;
irrigation is often essential
• Principal varieties:
Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay
Chiles Valley District AVA
• Climate:
Warmer summer days, mid-80s°F plus
(29.4°C), but due to higher elevation and
fog that forms after sunset, falls to 50°F
(10°C) or lower at night; colder winters
and spring, with strong winds; harvest
comes later
• Elevation:
600 to 1200 ft (183 to 370 m)
• Rainfall:
35 inches (88 cm) annually
• Soils: Floor is primarily alluvial soils with
silty-clay composition of marine origin,
with good fertility; hillsides show more
clay-loam and stony-clay composition,
mostly marine in origin, with some
volcanic outcropping, and less fertility
• Principal varieties:
Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc,
Merlot
Calistoga AVA
• Climate:
Warm to hot, depending upon time of
year; lower humidity; summer
temperatures peak to 90°F (32.2°C)
and fall to low 50s°F (11°C), the result
of marine air from the northwest;
cool afternoon and evening breezes
• Elevation:
300 to 1200 ft (92 to 370 m)
• Rainfall:
38 to 60 inches (96.5 to 150 cm) annually
• Soils: Almost completely of volcanic
origin, soils range from rocky, stony loam
on the hillsides, to gravelly or cobbly
loams on the alluvial fans, to heavier
clay-slit soils in the valley center areas
• Principal varieties:
Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Syrah,
Petite Sirah
Wild Horse Valley AVA
• Climate:
A warmer area well to the east, but still
moderated by both altitude and prevailing
winds coming off Suisun Bay to the
southeast.
• Elevation:
600 to 1900 ft (186 to 589 m)
• Rainfall:
31 inches (79 cm) annually
Soils:
The parent material consists primarily of
sedimentary and igneous sources. Most of
the soils are shallow with limited water
retention, so irrigation is often essential
• Principal varieties:
Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir
and Chardonnay