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CA - North Coast Flashcards

(54 cards)

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1
Q

What counties are included in the North Coast AVA

A
  • Napa
  • Sonoma
  • Mendocino
  • Lake
  • Solano
  • Marin
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2
Q

What percentage of vineyard acreage is in Napa County? What percentage of value of CA wine does it account for?

A
  • 4% acreage

- 20% value

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3
Q

How many sub AVAs of Napa County? Name them

A

16

  • Napa Valley
  • Calistoga
  • Howell Mountain
  • Chiles Valley
  • Diamond Mountain District
  • Spring Mountain District
  • St. Helena
  • Rutherford
  • Oakville
  • Yountville
  • Stags Leap District
  • Oak Knoll
  • Mount Veeder
  • Coombsville
  • Wild Horse Valley
  • Los Carneros

(N to S ish)

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4
Q

Main towns of Napa County

A
  • Starts at San Pablo Bay in South
  • Napa
  • St. Helena
  • Calistoga in the north

(5 miles wide at Napa to 1 mile wide at Calistoga)

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5
Q

Does it get warmer or cooler as you travel North in Napa County? Why?

A

Warmer!

Cool ocean air funnels through Petaluma Gap in San Pablo Bay and upward through valley

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6
Q

What AVA in Napa is the coolest and suitable for sparkling wine production?

A

Los Carneros AVA

-affected by wind from San Pablo Bay through Petaluma Gap

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7
Q

What is the temperature like in Calistoga AVA?

A
  • Routinely over 90 degrees

- suitable for Cab Sauv and Zin

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8
Q

What two mountain ranges line Napa on west and east?

A
  • Mayacamas on the West

- Vaca Mountains on the East

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9
Q

What is range of altitude in Napa?

A

0 to over 2000 ft above sea level

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10
Q

What mountain range forms the border of Napa and Sonoma County?

A

Mayacamas Mountains

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11
Q

Soils of Napa

A

Range of volcanic, alluvial and maritime soil types

-gravel loam, dense clay, thin rocky soils

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12
Q

What is “mountain fruit”

A
  • Refers to (usually) Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa’s sun-drenched hillside vineyards and mountainside AVAs
  • prized for density, dark fruit, concentration and ability to retain good acid structure through ripeness
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13
Q

What AVA producers benchmark “mountain wines”

A

Howell Mountain

1st AVA wholly within Napa to receive its own AVA

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14
Q

What is a concern for hillside growers in Napa?

A
  • erosion

- heavy winter rains can wash away vineyards entire topsoil

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15
Q

Three “mountain” or hillside AVAs in Napa

A
  • Howell Mountain AVA
  • Diamond Mountain District AVA
  • Stags Leap District AVA
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16
Q

Describe “valley fruit”

A
  • more elegant supple style of Cabernet
  • less intensity of color

-valley floor has deeper topsoil

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17
Q

What AVA exemplifies valley floor style?

A

Rutherford AVA

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18
Q

3 “valley” AVAs for Cabernet in Napa

A
  • Rutherford AVA
  • Oakville AVA
  • Coombsville AVA
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19
Q

Where is Pinot Noir generally found in Napa?

A

Los Carneros

-for sparking and still wine production

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20
Q

Location and bordering counties of Sonoma

A
  • Between Napa County and Pacific Coast
  • Mendocino and Lake to the North
  • Marin, Solano and Contra Costa to the South
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21
Q

AVAs of Sonoma:

A

North East

  • Alexander Valley
  • Pine Mountain Cloverdale Peak
  • Knights valley
  • Chalk Hill

North Central

  • Rockpile
  • Dry Creek valley

North West»South West

  • Sonoma Coast
  • Fort Ross Seaview
  • Petaluma Gap

Central

  • Russian River Valley
  • Green Valley of RRV

South East

  • Sonoma Valley
  • Bennet Valley
  • Sonoma Mountain
  • Moon Mountain
  • Carneros
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22
Q

What is the climate like in Carneros AVA in Sonoma?

Study These Flashcards
A
  • windy, foggy, cool
  • Region 1
  • mostly pinot noir and chard for sparkling wine
23
Q

What soils characterize the RRV?

Study These Flashcards
A

Fertile alluvial soils

-“Goldridge” sandy loam

24
Q

“Sub AVAs” of RRV?

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A

Chalk Hill

Green Valley

25
Notable COASTAL producers in Sonoma
Hirsch Marcassin Peay
26
Notable RRV producers in Sonoma
Dehlinger Joseph Swan Rochioli Williams Selyem
27
What AVAs in Sonoma Country north and east of Healdsburg experience warmer region III climates
Alexander Valley Dry Creek Valley Rockpile Knights Valley
28
What is the warmest AVA in Sonoma County?
Knights Valley
29
What are the soils of Alexander Valley and Knights Valley? What characters do the Cab Sauvs from each display?
-gravelly soils | -Alexander Valley - more herbaceous than Napa -Knights Valley - can be similar to Napa Peter Michael "Les Pavots"
30
Where is Peter Michael based? Name some cuvees?
Knights Valley - Sonoma County Cab Sauv - Les Pavots Chard - Belle Côte Pinot Noir - Clos du Ciel (fruit from Fort Ross Seaview)
31
What are Dry Creek Valley and Rockpile AVA known for?
- Ripe, powerful styles of Zinfandel | - aged in American or French oak
32
What is the most established sub region of Sonoma County? What grapes are successful there?
Sonoma Valley AVA Zin, PN, Chard, Cab Sauv - successful
33
What mountains straddle Sonoma Valley
Mayacamas and Sonoma Mountains -runs nearly parallel to Napa Valley
34
What grape is favored in Bennett Valley AVA in Sonoma?
Merlot too cold to ripen Cab
35
What Champagne house and Cava producer set up their American sparkling wine estates in Carneros in the 80s?
- Taittiner | - Codorníu
36
What is significant about Gloria Ferrer?
- first sparkling wine house in Sonoma Carneros | - first to plant Champagne clones and the first to plant in Carneros
37
What is required of all wines produced in Sonoma County as of 2011?
Must state Sonoma County on the label
38
Where is Mendocino in relation to Sonoma?
North
39
What two rivers are Mendocino's best winegrowing regions centered at the confluence of?
Russian and Navarro Rivers
40
What AVAs are nestled within Mendocino AVA?
``` Anderson Valley Potter Valley Redwood Valley McDowell Valley Yorkville Highlands Cole Ranch Mendocino Ridge (Portion) ```
41
4 AVAs not included within Mendocino AVA but still in Mendocino County
Pine MOuntain-Cloverdale Peak Dos Rios Covelo Eagle Peak Mendocino County (2014)
42
What is the smallest AVA in America? Who owns all of the vineyard acreage?
-Cole Ranch AVA (60 acres - Less than 1/4 sq mile) -within Mendocino AVA in Mendocino County -Esterlina Winery owns all vineyard acreage
43
Where is McDowell Valley and who owns most of vineyard area?
In Mendocino County -essentially monopole of McDowell Valley wineries
44
What is the climate of Anderson valley?
Cool | -one of coolest in CA
45
What champagne house is based in the Anderson Valley?
Louis Roederer | -produces elegant sparkling compared to competitors in Carneros
46
What is unique about the requirements for Mendocino Ridge AVA?
Restricted to vineyards that are at least 1,200 feet above sea level
47
What grape thrives in the sun above the fog line in Mendocino Ridge?
Zinfandel
48
What is the smallest wine-producing county in the North Coast?
Lake County
49
What is the most prominent AVA in Lake County?
Clear Lake AVA - cool climate bc of moderating Lake - Sauvignon Blanc
50
What is the only non-contiguous AVA in US?
Mendocino Ridge AVA
51
Where is Teldeschi Vineyard?
Dry Creek AVA
52
Where is Monte Rosso Vineyard?
Sonoma Valley AVA - Moon Mountain AVA Louis Martini
53
Where is Eisele vineyard
Calistoga AVA Araujo
54
Where is Sanford & Benedict vineyard?
Sta Rita Hills AVA Sandhi
California - SD
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