4.2 Napa Valley Flashcards
Familiarity with Napa history, climate, geography, grape varieties and AVA's (67 cards)
Where is Napa located in relation to San Francisco?
North
How big is Napa County?
48 miles long and 24 miles wide
What is Napa County’s primary river and which direction does it flow?
The Napa River
It flows south into San Pablo Bay
It is about a mile wide in the north and 5 miles wide in the south
What mountain range borders Napa to the west and what is its elevation?
The Mayacamas Mountains
2,500ft
What mountain range borders Napa to the east and what is its elevation?
The Vaca Mountains
2,500
What do the Mayacamas Mountains protect napa from?
Cool, maritime influence like air and fog
Some influence does make it over at night and dissapates by morning
What do the Vaca Mountains protect Napa from?
Hot air from the Central Valley
What is the climate of Napa Valley and what is it characterized by?
Classic Mediterranean
Sunny, rainless summers and cool, rainy winters
Low humidity and large diurnal shifts
Napa is described as a “box canyon”, surrounded by mountains on 3 sides
True or false:
The Mexican government granted George Calvert Yount 11,000 acres (called Rancho Caymus) in Napa Valley in 1838 where he planted the first vines, making him Napa’s first permanent resident
True
The area was renamed Yountville in 1869 after his death 2 years prior
Between what years did Jacob Beringer, Jacob Schram and Charles Krug arrive in Napa?
1830-1860
When did John Patchett establish Napa’s first commercial winery?
1858
When did John Patchett’s winemaker, Charles Krug, break away to begin his own winery?
1861
When was Beringer Vineyards founded and what is its significance?
1876
It is Napa’s oldest continuously operating winery
They remained open during Prohibition by producing sacramental wine
Who established Inglenook winery in 1879 and what was its significance?
Finnish fur trader and captain, Gustave Niebaum
It was the first chateau style winery in the U.S.
Niebaum was also the first to begin selling wine in bottles
True or false:
Phylloxera cause tremendous damage to Napa vineyards throughout the 1880’s and 1890’s, decreasing their plantings from 15,800 acres to 2,000 acres in just two years
True
When did Napa Valley surpass LA County as the state’s leading producer of dry table wine?
1884
When did Napa establish its 175th winery?
1886
This was considered an industry boom
At the 1889 Paris World Fair, how many, of the 34 medals awarded to California, did Napa win?
20
What became Napa Valley’s primary crops during Prohibition?
Plums and walnuts
Who established Napa’s first post-Prohibition winery in 1933?
Louis Martini
Who bought the (at the time) unused Charles Krug winery in 1943?
The Mondavi family
When did Robert Mondavi break away from his family and begin his own winery?
1966
This was the first major winery established in Napa since Prohibition
What effects did the 1976 Judgement of paris have on Napa wines?
An increase in quality, price and stature
What score did Robert Parker rate Napa Valley’s Groth Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve in the 1980’s?
100 points
