Appellations: One Great
Way to Tell a Wine’s Pedigree
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Sonoma County's "Pinot Trail"
At its simplest, a wine appellation
tells you the place where the grapes in a bottle
of wine were grown. The larger the appellation,
the less specific information you have about
grape origins. For example, reading “Napa” or
“Sonoma” on a bottle will only tell you that
a wine’s grapes came from any one of tens of
thousands of acres of vines in those two large
wine-growing areas.
Fortunately,
appellations can cover much smaller, more distinctive
vinicultural areas that are easily distinguished
from others by such factors as microclimates,
soils, history and dominant varietals.
In 1979,
the U.S. Treasury Department began establishing
American Vinicultural Areas (AVAs), the U.S.
equivalent to France’s appellation d’origine
contrôlée. In the years since, California
has accumulated 83 AVAs, including ones that
cover very small, discrete areas, such as Lake
County’s Benmore Valley and San Luis Obispo
County’s York Mountain.
Here’s a
look at some notable appellations in six of
California’s top wine-producing counties. We’ll
add descriptions each week until we’ve covered
all of the six counties’ AVAs:
Some Appellation Rules
of Thumb:
Wines from “big appellations”
like Napa and Sonoma must have at least
75% of their grapes come from that area.
Wines from “sub-appellations,”
such as Dry Creek in Sonoma County, must
have at least 85% of their grapes come from
that specific, clearly delimited area.
The ultimate guarantor of
origin is a “vineyard-designated wine,”
which the rules say must have at least 95%
of its grapes come from the specific
vineyard named on the bottle.
In any case, if a wine’s
label says it is “estate bottled,” that
means 100% of the wine’s grapes came from
the stated appellation.
Atlas
Peak AVA, Napa County
The drive
up to this fog-free growing area northeast of
Napa City is one of the loveliest in Napa County,
taking you up to almost 2,000 feet. At that
altitude, west-facing slopes of volcanic soil
bathe in the sunlight of long afternoons, but
can quickly lose their heat after dusk – a temperature
drop that does much to keep grapes’ acidity
under control. Among the five wineries within
this AVA, reds do well here, with zinfandel
seeming to thrive best. (Cabernet franc, cabernet
sauvignon, merlot, sangiovese and syrah are
the other reds; chardonnay is the only white-wine
varietal). Diminutive Atlas Peak AVA covers
17 square miles (11,000 acres), with around
1,500 acres planted in vines.
Alexander Valley
AVA, Sonoma County
This varied,
almost 120-square-mile AVA (76,000 acres) extends
from Healdsburg in the south along Highway 101
to Sonoma’s northern border with Mendocino County.
The terrain here runs from rich Russian River
bottomlands to the high slopes flanking the
valley’s eastside. Although it’s located well
inland, in summer cool Pacific air and even
fog often pushes up the Russian to create cool
conditions from dusk to dawn – a key factor
in controlling grape acidity. By day, though,
the heat is on. Still, this AVA’s geographical
variety means that whites and reds both do well
here – even such mild-mannered varietals as
riesling and gewürztraminer.
Santa Maria
Valley AVA, Santa Barbara County
Ironically,
this AVA in sun-kissed Southern California is
a refuge for such heat-shy varietals as pinto
noir and chardonnay. The secret is that this
small east-west valley lies directly in the
path of cool air tumbling inland from almost
chilly Pacific waters nearby. Not only do these
varietals do well here, they do superlatively
well: the valley’s grapes command some of the
highest prices of any U.S. vineyards. While
15 wineries are located within this AVA’s boundaries,
it’s a tribute to the valley’s star power that
another 24 area wineries proudly use Santa Maria
Valley grapes – thus, the appellation – to get
in one a good thing.
Arroyo Grande
Valley AVA, San Luis Obispo County
One of California’s
glories is the vast array microclimates its
complex geography and proximity to cold ocean
currents produce. This valley is a testament
to that: At its westernmost end, where fog often
reaches, pinot noir, pinot blanc and chardonnay
thrive, producing some of the state’s most interesting
sparkling wines. Further inland, as the land
rises and the fog can’t reach, zinfandel and
other red varietals do sensationally well.
Clear Lake
AVA, Lake County
Sixty-eight-square-mile
Clear Lake is not only the largest body of fresh
water totally within California’s borders (the
state shares Lake Tahoe with Nevada), it also
glistens beneath the cleanest air in the state.
Not even the northern coastal counties or the
highlands of the Sierra can offer such pure
atmosphere. Even though the landlocked county
is miles from the ocean, its namesake lake cools
the climate considerably, making for a viticultural
area quite receptive to white varietals, particularly
sauvignon blanc. Even so, the five wineries
within the appellation focus primarily on such
red varietals as zinfandel, syrah, cabernet
sauvignon and sangiovese.
Anderson Valley
AVA, Mendocino County
The drive
through Anderson Valley is one of the most beautiful
in California, taking you from sunny oak-studded
hills inland to fog-shrouded redwood groves
at the mouth of the Navarro River as it spills
into the Pacific. The valley’s cool northwestern
stretch produces some of California’s best pinot
noirs, chardonnays and gewürztraminers. As you
head southeast toward Sonoma’s Alexander Valley,
the warmer microclimate creates inviting conditions
for cabernet sauvignons and even the occasional
zinfandel.
Napa Winery List
Sonoma Winery
List
Explore West
Sonoma County's "Pinot Trail"
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