Champagne & Wine
Posts 1-1 of 1
-
Elizabeth Riadi Group moderatorThe company name is only visible to registered members.California Gains Three New Appellations in Two Weeks
California Gains Three New Appellations in Two Weeks
Posted: Monday, September 20, 2004
By Lynn Alley
The federal government has approved three new American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) for California, making them official in late August and early September. The new wine appellations are Red Hills Lake County; San Bernabe, in southern Monterey County; and Salado Creek, in western Stanislaus County.
The Red Hills Lake County AVA -- so named to distinguish it from the proposed Red Hill AVA in Oregon and the existing Red Mountain AVA in Washington -- is an up-and-coming growing region north of Napa Valley. The 31,250 acres of gently rolling terrain are bordered on the north by Clear Lake and the extinct Mt. Konocti volcano and on the south by the Coast Range mountains.
The appellation's reddish volcanic soils seem to be well-suited to producing red grape varieties. Currently 2,500 acres are planted, mostly to Cabernet Sauvignon. There are no wineries in Red Hills Lake County, but the area’s grapes are used by wineries and brands such as Cakebread, Carmenet, Dynamite, Hawk's Crest and Rosenblum.
The new San Bernabe AVA, just south of King City, encompasses what has been called the "world's largest contiguous vineyard" -- the 20-square-mile San Bernabe vineyard, which is owned by Delicato Family Vineyards. To avoid breaking up the San Bernabe vineyard, the nearby existing San Lucas AVA was realigned, with 1,281 acres removed from it and added to the new San Bernabe AVA.
The terrain consists of rolling foothills and plains lying between the Salinas River and the Santa Lucia mountain range. The vineyard blocks lie between 300 feet and 600 feet in elevation and include a variety of soil types. The vineyard is planted to 22 different grape varieties, including Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah. Delicato uses less than 10 percent of the fruit for its brands; the remainder is sold to other wineries, such as Bonny Doon and Wild Horse.
The Salado Creek AVA, located in the northern San Joaquin Valley, near the town of Patterson, covers 2,940 acres, 44 of which are planted to grapes. Fred and Hunter Vogel are the primary grapegrowers in the area. They produce Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and Viognier under the KitFox Vineyards label at a custom-crush facility in Lodi.
- 21 Sep 2004, 1:45 pm
