Oakville AVA

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Oakville AVA
To-Kalon Vineyard, Robert Mondavi Winery.
To-Kalon Vineyard, Robert Mondavi Winery .
Appellation type: American Viticultural Area
Year of establishment: 1993
Country: United States
Part of the wine-growing region: Napa Valley AVA
Recognized cultivation area: 2,300 hectares (5700 acres )
Planted acreage: 2,000 hectares (5,000 acres)
Grape varieties: Barbera , Cabernet Franc , Cabernet Sauvignon , Chardonnay , Malbec , Merlot , Muscat Canelli , Petit Verdot , Petite Sirah , Sangiovese , Sauvignon Blanc , Sémillon , Syrah , Viognier , Zinfandel

The Oakville AVA (recognized since 1993) is a wine-growing region in the US state of California and is part of the national Napa Valley AVA . The wine-growing region extends on the plain between the two mountain ranges of the Vaca Mountains and the Mayacamas Mountains near the city of Oakville . The area is known for wines in the style of a Bordeaux . The wines are characterized by ripe tannins , a rich structure and a spicy taste.

Geography and climate

The floor of the Oakville AVA results from layers of sediment that was washed into the plain by erosion of the surrounding hills. The soil is sandy and interspersed with a high proportion of gravel. It therefore has good drainage properties. The areas between State Route 29 and the Silverado Trail are heavier due to a higher proportion of ferrous clay minerals and sandy loam .

The warm climate of Oakville AVA is ideally suited for the production of quality wines of the classic Bordeaux grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon. Mornings and evenings, sea breezes and fog from San Pablo Bay cool the area. However, this effect is mitigated by the Yountville Mounts and is therefore not as pronounced as, for example, in the Los Carneros AVA.

history

HW Crabb started a small vineyard near the Napa River in 1868 . He named it To Kalon, which means the most beautiful in Greek . In 1877 he produced nearly 190,000 liters of wine; an amount that he was able to quadruple just four years later.

The historic winery is now majority owned by the Robert Mondavi Winery .

In 1903 the United States Department of Agriculture had a test vineyard laid out in Oakville. The vines known as "Oakville Station" were later taken over by the University of California, Davis .

Since 1993, Oakville is officially a sub-region of the Napa Valley with the status of an American Viticultural Area .

Wineries

There are currently around 30 wineries in the Oakville wine region. Most of them are extremely small, but have an excellent reputation, some of which is even international.

The most famous wineries of the Oakville AVA at the moment are:

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Appellation America (2007). "Oakville (AVA): Appellation Description" ( Memento of the original from January 1, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Last view of this page on December 17, 2007. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / wine.appellationamerica.com
  2. ↑ Calwineries (2007). "The World Famous Oakville AVA Bench" . Oakville Terrain . Last view of this page on December 17, 2007.
  3. ↑ Calwineries (2007). "The Effect of Climate on Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon Production" . Oakville Climate . Last view of this page on December 17, 2007.
  4. ↑ Calwineries (2007). "Oakville Wineries" . Last view of this page on December 17, 2007.

literature