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Napa Valley Flashcards

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1
Q

What two vineyards date back to the creation of the Rutherford AVA?

A

Flora Spring in the North

Beaulieu Vineyard’s BV Ranch #2

Grandfathered in to avoid breaking up the estates land holdings

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2
Q

What yearw as the Napa AVA established?

A

1981

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3
Q

Where is the fog line in Napa?

A

Approx. 1,400 feet

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4
Q

Notable vineyards of Oak Knoll

A

Aldo’s

Blackbird

Hendry Ranch

Trefethen

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5
Q

What is the name of the school on Howell Mountain?

A

Pacific Union College

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6
Q

Notable vineyards of Spring Mountain District

A

1993

Barnett
Behrens
Cain
Marston
Newton
Pride
Ritchie Creek
School House
Smith-Madrone
Spring Mountain
Stony Hill
Togni

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7
Q

What type of climate is Napa classified as?

A

Mediterranean - long, dry, hot summers and cooler, wet winters

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8
Q

What are Napa’s three basic bedrocks?

A

Great Valley sequence

Franciscan Assemblage (or Franciscan complex)

Napa Volcanics (also known as Sonoma Volcanics)

Great Valley and Franciscan are the oldest

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9
Q

What was allowed during Prohibition?

A

Sacramental and Medicinal wine

200 gallons of fruit juice each year

Home wine making became such a commonplace during the Prohibition that vine acreage actually increased during the 1920s

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10
Q

Napa Valley AVAs and years established

A

Napa Valley (1981)

Los Carneros (1983)

Howell Mountain (1983)

Wild Horse Valley (1988)

Stags Leap District (1989)

Mount Veeder (1990)

Atlas Peak (1992)

Rutherford (1993)

Oakville (1993)

Spring Mountain District (1993)

St. Helena (1995)

Yountville (1999)

Chiles Valley (1999)

Diamond Mountain District (2001)

Oak Knoll (2004)

Calistoga (2010)

Coombsville (2011)

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11
Q

What is precipitation like in Napa? What are the wettest/driest months?

A

Summer is driest

Most rainfall occuring between October and April

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12
Q

What estate revitalized Calistoga in the 1990s?

A

Larkmead

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13
Q

Who is Rutherford named after?

A

Thomas Rutherford who married George Yount’s granddaughter in 1864 and was given over 1,000 acres as part of her dowry.

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14
Q

Who is Yountville named after?

A

George C. Yount - planted Napa’s first vinifera vines inside the appellation in 1838 and 1839

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15
Q

Notable vineyards on Howell Mountain

A

Bancroft Ranch

Beatty Ranch

Black Sears

Cade

Dragon

Dunn

Hershey

Ink Grade

La JOta

Los Posadas

Rattlesnake Ridge

Stenhauer Ranch

True

W.S. Keyes

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16
Q

When was the Judgement of Paris? What were the wines?

A

1976

1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay

1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon

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17
Q

When was Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars established and by who?

A

1973

Warren Winiarski

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18
Q

What is considered to be the first Napa cult winery? Where is it located? Who established it and when?

A

Diamond Creek

Diamond Mountain District

Al Brounstein - 1968

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19
Q

What body of water mitigates the climate in Napa?

A

San Pablo Bay

It is responsible for the reverse temperature gradient - the hottest areas are in the north toward Calistoga, the coolest areas are in the south

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20
Q

What appellations get fog cover?

A

In the south - Oak Knoll and Yountville get the most. Considerably thinner by the time it reaches Oakville, wispy at best by the time it reaches St. Helena

In the north - a smaller amount of fog makes its way into Calistoga via the Chalk Hill Gap near Diamond Mountain, but it burns off quickly and only has a modest effect on daytime temperatures

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21
Q

Which mountain is closest to the bay? What does this do?

A

Mount Veeder - it is the coolest mountain in the valley

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22
Q

What are the top two varietals on Howell Mountain?

A

Cabernet Sauvignon

Zinfandel

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23
Q

Who created the Winkler Index?

A

UC Davis

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24
Q

What percentage of wine does Napa make for the world? For California? Revenue for California wine?

A

0.5% of the world

4% California output, 25% of the revenue for the state $$$$$

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25
Who coined the term "Rutherford Dust?" What winery were they working for?
Andre Tchelistcheff Beaulieu Vineyard
26
Who established the Oak Knoll Ranch and when?
John Osbourne, 1850s He was one of the first in Napa to import an extensive collection of varieties and he personally sourced the material for many of the area's pioneering vintners.
27
What is the geographical criteria for Howell Mountain?
A vineyard must be located at or above 1,400 feet above sea level to claim Howell Mountain AVA. This is where the fog line is.
28
What is the name of the town on Howell Mountain?
Angwin
29
Notable vineyards of Stags Leap District
Fay Futo 5500 Hartwell Pine Ridge Poetry Regusci S.L.V. Shafer Silverado Sinskey Steltzner Wappo Hill
30
What is Sauvignon Blanc's clone that is found in Napa Valley and occasionally blended with the grape?
Sauvignon Musque
31
What were the first non-native vines to arrive in the New World and where from?
Listan Prieto (Palomino Negro) via the Canary Islands
32
Notable vineyards of St. Helena
Aida Beckstoffer Bourn Beckstoffer Las Piedras Beringer Capella **Charles Krug Corison** Crocker Edge Hill Forman Grace Hayne **Heitz** Hourglass Kayli Morgan Kronos Lewelling Library Mandrone **Phelps** Quella **Spotswoode** Turley Tychson Hill Vineyard 29
33
Who was Goerges de Latour?
A Frenchman who worked for Beaulieu Vineyard during the period of poor quality wine post-prohibition. He brought Andre Tchelistcheff back from France
34
What wines finished 2nd overall in the Judgement of Paris?
1973 Domaine Roulot Meursault-Charmes 1970 Chateau Mouton Rothschild
35
Notable vineyards of Diamond Mountain District
Constant Dyer Gravelly Meadow Jasud Lake Red Rock Terrace Schramsberg Volcanic Hill
36
Notable vineyards in Los Carneros
Hudson Hyde Poseidon Sangiacoma (Sonoma) Stanly Ranch Truchard
37
Notable vineyards of Oakville
Backus **Beckstoffer To-Kalon** Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper **Dalla Valle** Detert **Far Niente** Gamble Ranch Groth **Harlan** MacDonald **Martha's Vineyard** Martin Stelling Oakville Ranch **Opus One Rudd** **Silver Oak** St. Eden Tench To-Kalon Vine Hill Ranch Weitz
38
What is legally unique about Pritchard Hill?
The Chapellet family took over Pritchard Hill in 1967, they have trademarked the name They are the only ones that are allowed to put Pritchard Hill on the label of their wines, even if other estates founded on the hill use fruit from the hill.
39
What is Oak Knoll best known for?
Merlot - fruitful and supple. Then, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay
40
Where is the biggest diurnal shift in Napa?
North around Calistoga - up to 40 degrees Fahrenheit South - typically 20
41
When did dry wine take over sweet?
1967
42
What are the two main roads of Napa Valley?
Highway 29 and the Silverado Trail
43
Soils of Yountville
More gravel, clay and alluvial deposits in the west Volcanic and sediment in the east Rich deep loam and clay in the center
44
What is the smallest Napa AVA?
Diamond Mountain District
45
What are some estates on Pritchard Hill?
Chapellet Colgin David Arthut Ovid Continuum Bryant
46
Soils of Stags Leap District
1989 Soils are complex - combination of sandstone and shale, with volcanic material concentrated along the eastern edge of the appellation. More clay and loam to the west. Toward the south, one of the Vaca's biggest alluvial fans, which is currently split between Stags Leap Wine Cellars vineyards, Fay and S.L.V.
47
What was the most influential vintage in the 90s?
1997 Warm year, overly abundant Too much fruit to process - one batch was processed at "normal ripeness" and the rest left out to be processed after, not expecting it to make good wine. Resulting wines were concentrated with lower acid and smoother tannins. This led to extended hangtime being common in Napa.
48
What is Pritchard Hill's body of water that helps mitigate the climate?
Lake Hennessey
49
When did Vertical Shoot Positioning come into play in Napa?
1980s and 1990s
50
Notable vineyards of Calistoga
Chateau Montelena Eisele Frediani Jericho Canyon Lamb Larkmead Luvisi Three Palms Tofanelli
51
Who did Winiarski get into a legal battle with?
Carl Doumani
52
What is the steepest a vineyard can be in Napa Valley? Which AVA does this affect the most?
30 degrees or less Mount Veeder - steep slopes, underdeveloped AVA
53
When was the Wine Advocate launched? Wine Spectator?
Wine Advocate - 1978 Wine Spectator - 1979
54
Depending on where the grapes come from, what can Los Carneros wines be labeled as?
Carneros Napa Valley Sonoma Valley Sonoma Coast
55
When was the introduction of drip irrigation?
The 1970s
56
Which Champagne houses saw Carneros fit for sparkling wine production?
Taittinger - Domaine Carneros Moet & Chandon - Domaine Chandon
57
What did Diamond Creek do before anyone else?
Focus solely on Cabernet Sauvignon First to give primacy to terroir. subdividing its limited production according to soil type
58
Where is To-Kalon? Who established it? Who acquired it after?
Oakville H.W. Crabb Martin Stelling
59
Notable vineyards of Chiles Valley
Brown Green & Red Nichelini Volker Eisele
60
Soil on Atlas Peak
Shallow, rocky, and low in fertility - lots of iron-stained volcanic material throughout
61
When was the initial decline in Napa; why did it happen?
Phylloxera hit in the late 1880s through the 1890s, dropping the planted area down to 3,000 acres. A recession crippled the economy. World War I broke out Temperance movement gained significant velocity Prohibition was ratified in 1919
62
What is different about Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon?
This region was designated a Region I on the Winkler Index Tom Farella and John Caldwell made the case for Cabernet Sauvignon. Here, the grape shows more restraint than typical Napa
63
When did drip irrigation come into play?
late 1970s
64
When was Prohibition ratified? Repealed?
1919 Repealed in 1933
65
What was the first major winery in Coombsville?
Cedar Knoll (now Palmaz) established by Henry Hagen in the 1870s
66
Where is the largest diurnal swing in Napa?
Calistoga, the furthest north AVA Quite warm - makes deeply colored, ultra-rich wines
67
When were the following estates founded? Clos Du Val, Domaine Chandon, Opus One, Domaine Carneros?
Clos du Val - 1972 Domaine Chandon - 1973 Opus One - 1979 Domaine Carneros - 1987
68
Notable vineyards of Mount Veeder
Abel 1833 Hess Lagier Meredith Mayacamas Progeny Skaggs Sky
69
What varietal dominates Mount Veeder? What other varietals thrive?
Cabernet Sauvignon Then: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, Syrah
70
What did Fisher & Sons winery become? Where is it located?
Mayacamas Mount Veeder
71
When was Napa deemed an AVA?
1981
72
Notable vineyards of Coombsville
Arcadia Caldwell Dead Fred Haynes Judge Meteor Moore Palmaz
73
When was the great flood in Napa? What did it do? What did this lead to?
1986 It spread phylloxera across the valley Majority of the valley had to be replanted and Cabernet Sauvignon surpassed Chardonnay in 1992
74
What is the soil like on Howell Mountain? Climate?
Mostly volcanic - poor, thin and rocky Northwest - rich in iron and clay Southeast - grey and white volcanic ash (tuff) Temperature sare cooler than on the valley floor, but the diurnal swing is smaller. Growing conditions make for thick-skinned, small-berried fruit that tends to be quite tannic
75
What is most of the acreage devoted to in Los Carneros? Why? What other variety does well?
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay - proximity to San Pablo Bay and regular fog, cooler temperatures Merlot is on the rise, thrives in the clay soil of Los Carneros
76
Who developed Antica? When? Who owns it now?
William Hill 1981 Antinori
77
Wild Horse Valley
1988 Not very significant viticulturally Rocky and red-tinged soils with iron-rich volcanic material Mostly Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay Spans two counties - Solano/Napa Notable vineyard - Heron Lake
78
What is Fume Blanc?
Sauvignon Blanc with oak aging, term created by Robert Mondavi in the 60s.
79
Notable vineyards of Atlas Peak
Antica Au Sommet (Heidi Barrett) Kongsgaard Stage Coach Water Ranch
80
What is Schramsberg famous for?
Cultivating Napa's first hillside vineyard
81
Where is Stagecoach vineyard located? Who purchased it? When?
Atlas Peak Gallo 2017
82
Soil type on Mount Veeder
Craggy - soil is rocky and shallow Very little volcanic material; shale, sandstone, clay and sandy loam
83
What were the first three vineyard deisgnated wines in Napa?
Martha's Vineyard (1971) Monte Bello (1971) Eisele Vineyard (?)
84
Notable vinyeards of Rutherford
Beckstoffer Georges III Beckstoffer Melrose Booth Bella Oaks Bosche BV Ranch #1 BV Ranch #2 Cakebread J.J. Cohn **Inglenook** Frog's Leap Long Meadow Ranch **Quintessa** Raymond **Round Pond St. Supery** Stagelin Star Sycamore Trailside
85
What hindered production in the 2000s?
Market crash in 2008
86
How were the Vaca Mountains were formed? Mayacamas?
Vaca - crust cracked and stacked on top of itself Mayacamas - formed from a crustal wrinkle
87
In the south of the AVA, what three mountains surround Calistoga?
Howell Mountain to the east Diamond Mountain District to the west St. Helena to the north
88
Who are considered the architects of Howell Mountain?
Randy Dunn Bill Smith Bob Lamborn Bob Brakesman Mike Beatty
89
Who spearheaded the early development of Napa? What were some of their names? What did they do?
Europeans and people of European descent. Agoston Haraszthy Joseph W. Osbourne George Belden Crane H.W. Crabb Gustave Niebaum Thomas Rutherford They imported dozens of European varieties
90
How much wine does Harlan and Screaming Eagle produce?
2,000 and 1,000 cases respectively. Compared to Latour and Margaux who make 18,000 and 11,000 cases of their grand vins
91
Where does the fog enter Napa Valley? What do the Mayacamas Mountains do in regards to fog?
San Pablo Bay to the South Chalk Hill Gap to the North The mountains block the fog, only allowing it to enter from the two locations.
92
St. Helena climate, soil, style
Hot - Morning fogs are rare, as are ocean breezes. Soil to the south is gravelly loam Soil to the north is more volcanic Wines are powerful, even gentler producers such as Corison and Spottswoode produce wines of significant intensity
93
What famous producer built their estate on To-Kalon?
Robert Mondavi
94
When were stainless steel vats introduced to Napa Valley? What was the choice elevage vessel prior to this?
1966. Giant redwood vats
95
Who was the major contributor to the Wine Advocate? Who was for the Wine Spectator?
Robert Parker - Wine Advocate James Laube - Wine Spectator
96
Notable vineyards of Yountville
Gemstone Ghost Block Grgich Kapcsandy Napanook Paradise Hills Sleeping Lady
97
Who are considered the top two producers on Atlas Peak?
John Kongsgaard Heidi Barrett
98
During the replanting of the 90s, what farming practices did American's adopt from the French in Napa Valley?
High density planting Vertical shoot positioning Low-fruiting zones to maximize the fleeting warmth and sunlight of a marginal climate
99
Who was Charles Krug? When did he create the winery?
A German native who would go on to start Napa's first commercial winery. 1861
100
What wines is Yountville known for?
Merlot due to the clay and cooler temperatures Cabernet Sauvignon Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon for whites
101
102
Soils in Calistoga
Varied, but a lot of volcanic soil due to the surrounding mountains. Good amount of loam and gravel Home to one of Napa's rare eastern alluvail fans upon which the famous **Eisele Vineyard** was established
103
Who is Pritchard Hill named after?
Charles Pritchard - the first man to establish a vineyard on the land mass in the 1880s

Advanced Sommelier (14 decks)

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