| Wine region | |
 | |
| Type | American Viticultural Area |
|---|---|
| Year established | 1981[1] |
| Years of wine industry | 187[2] |
| Country | United States |
| Part of | California,North Coast AVA,Napa County |
| Other regions inCalifornia,North Coast AVA,Napa County | Sonoma Valley AVA |
| Sub-regions | Los Carneros AVA,Howell Mountain AVA,Wild Horse Valley AVA,Stags Leap District AVA,Mt. Veeder AVA,Atlas Peak AVA,Spring Mountain District AVA,Oakville AVA,Rutherford AVA,St. Helena AVA,Chiles Valley AVA,Yountville AVA,Diamond Mountain District AVA,Coombsville AVA,Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley AVA,Calistoga AVA,Crystal Springs of Napa Valley AVA[3][4] |
| Climate region | Region III |
| Total area | 122,735 acres (49,669 ha) |
| Size of planted vineyards | 43,000 acres (17,401 ha)[5] |
| No. of vineyards | 400+ |
| Varietals produced | Cabernet Sauvignon,Merlot,Cabernet Franc,Pinot noir,Zinfandel,Chardonnay,Sauvignon blanc, and more |
| No. of wineries | 612[5] |
| Comments | 38°23′12″N122°21′00″W / 38.3867°N 122.3500°W /38.3867; -122.3500 |
Napa Valley is anAmerican Viticultural Area (AVA) inNapa County, California. The area was established by theBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) on February 27, 1981, after a 1978 petition submitted by the Napa Valley Vintners and the Napa Valley Grape Growers Association.[2][6] Napa Valley is considered one of the premier wine regions in the world.[7]
Historical records of viticulture in the region date back to the nineteenth century,[8] but the modern premium wine production grew in the 1960s.[7]The combination ofMediterranean climate,geography and geology of the region are conducive to growing quality wine grapes.George C. Yount was the first vineyardist on record in Napa Valley planting his vines in 1838.John Patchett established the Napa Valley's first commercial vineyard in 1858.[9] In 1861Charles Krug established another of Napa Valley's first commercial wineries inSt. Helena.[9] By 1880, its first great period of prominence, the Napa Valley had 443 vineyards with a thousand or more vines each. Of these major holdings, 72 were in the Calistoga district, 126 were in Napa City and 245 in theSt. Helena area. Viticulture in Napa suffered several setbacks in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including an outbreak of the vine diseasephylloxera, national enactment ofProhibition, and theGreat Depression. The modern wine industry in Napa Valley gradually recovered, gaining recognition at theParis Wine Tasting of 1976 where Napa Valley vintages scored top honors against premier French wines. Napa Valley is now a major internationalenotourism destination.[2]
Early settler and pioneervineyardistGeorge C. Yount is generally credited as the first to plant grapevines in Napa Valley in 1838.[2][9] In 1864, on the marriage of one of his granddaughters to Thomas Rutherford, Yount gave the couple around 1,000 acres (2 sq mi) of land, which Rutherford dedicated to viticulture.[10]Other pioneers followed in the 1840s and 1850s, by which time vineyards were established in and aroundNapa City and up the length of the valley toCalistoga. Commercial production began in 1858, withJohn Patchett selling wine for $2 per gallon.[9] His wine cellar, built in 1859, narrowly predates that established in 1861 inSt. Helena byCharles Krug, although this is commonly cited as the Napa Valley's first winery.[11]
Captain Gustave Niebaum establishedInglenook Winery in 1879 near the village of Rutherford.[12] This was the firstBordeaux style winery in the US. Inglenook wines won gold medals at the1889 World's Fair in Paris.
In 1868H. W. Crabb bought land near Oakville close to theNapa River. Crabb established a vineyard and winery named To Kalon, and by 1877 had planted 130 acres (0.5 km2) and was producing 50,000 US gallons of wine per year. Crabb experimented with over 400 grape varieties to find the types best suited for the area.
By 1880, its first great period of prominence, the Napa Valley had 443 vineyards with a thousand or more vines each. Of these major holdings, 72 were in the Calistoga district, 126 were in Napa City and 245 in theSt. Helena area. At the end of the nineteenth century, there were more than one hundred and fortywineries in the area. Of those original wineries, several still exist in the valley today includingBeaulieu,Beringer,Charles Krug,Chateau Montelena,Far Niente,Mayacamas,Markham Vineyards, andSchramsberg Vineyards.[2]
Viticulture in Napa suffered several setbacks in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. ThePhylloxera louse killed many of thevines throughout the valley.Prohibition, enacted in 1920, caused many wineries to shut down. A few remained open with agreements to producesacramental wine. Growers who elected to keep their vines planted sold their crops to home winemakers.[13] TheGreat Depression slowed the wine business further. These events stalled the growth of the wine industry inNapa County, California for years.
André Tchelistcheff is generally credited with ushering in the modern era of winemaking in California. Beaulieu hired Tchelisticheff in 1938.[14] He introduced several techniques and procedures to the region, such asaging wine in smallFrench Oak barrels, cold fermentation, vineyard frost prevention, andmalolactic fermentation.
FollowingProhibition,Beringer Vineyards invited attendees of theGolden Gate International Exposition to visit the winery using promotional maps printed with the phrase "All roads lead to Beringer" in 1939. The winery also invited Hollywood stars includingClark Gable,Charles Laughton andCarole Lombard to visit. These early promotions are considered to be the birth of wine-based tourism that is now a large part of the economy of Napa Valley today.[15]
Brother Timothy ofChristian Brothers winery was also instrumental in establishing the modern wine industry in Napa. After an earlier career as a teacher, he transferred to the order's Mont La Salle located onMount Veeder in theMayacamas Mountains northwest of Napa in 1935 to become the wine chemist for the order's expanding wine operations. Christian Brothers had grown grapes and madesacramental wine inBenicia, California during Prohibition, but decided to branch out into commercial production of wine and brandy after theRepeal of Prohibition. The science teacher was a fast learner and soon established Christian Brothers as one of the leading brands in the state's budding wine industry. Brother Timothy's smiling face in advertisements and promotional materials became one of the most familiar images for wine consumers across the country. Following theSecond World War, the wine industry in Napa began to thrive again.
In 1965, Napa Valley iconRobert Mondavi broke away from his family'sCharles Krug estate to found his own winemaking operation inOakville. It was the first new large scale winery to be established in the valley since prohibition and included the original To Kalon land. After this, the number of wineries in the valley grew rapidly, as did the region's reputation.
During theBicentennial, the region gained international recognition from theParis Wine Tasting of 1976 when featured Napa ValleyChardonnay andCabernet Sauvignon vintages ranked #1 honors, scored by renowned Frenchoenophiles, besting several famous French labels in ablind tasting format. The news of the wine competition, termed the "Judgment of Paris", was immediately published by aTime magazine article and later portrayed in the 2008 Hollywood film,Bottle Shock. The results of the momentous event established Napa's international reputation as a premier wine-producing region.[16][17][18]
A modern outbreak of phylloxera was discovered in the valley in 1983 in a vineyard planted withAxR1 rootstock.[19] Many growers seized upon this outbreak as an opportunity to switch to varieties that were better suited to the climate and soil. By the late 1990s about 75% of the affected vineyards had been replanted with phylloxera resistant rootstock.[20] The growers in the region have since channeled their energy to battle theGlassy-winged sharpshooter, a non-native pest that carriesPierce's disease.[21]
A trend of larger national and international companies likeE & J Gallo Winery,Diageo andConstellation Brands buying smaller wineries, vineyards and brands began to gain momentum in the early part of the 21st century.[22] Today Napa Valley features more than 450 wineries that grow grape varieties includingCabernet Sauvignon,Chardonnay,Pinot noir,Merlot,Zinfandel, among others. While winemakers may produce wines from specific AVAs within the valley, many wines are made as ablend from grapes grown on the valley floor and the surrounding hillsides.
The valley floor is flanked by theMayacamas Range on the western and northern sides and theVaca Mountains on the eastern side.[23] Several smaller valleys exist within these two ranges. The floor of the main valley gradually rises from sea level at the southern end to 362 feet (110 m) above sea level at the northern end inCalistoga at the base ofMount Saint Helena. TheOakville andRutherford viticultural areas lie within a geographical area known as the RutherfordBench in the center of the valley floor.[24] The soil in the southern end of the valley consists mainly of sediments deposited by earlier advances and retreats ofSan Pablo Bay while the soil at the northern end of the valley contains a large volume ofvolcanic lava and ash. Several of the small hills that emerge from the middle of the valley floor nearYountville are indicators of the region's volcanic past.
Severalmesoclimates exist within the area due to various weather and geographical influences. The open southern end of the valley floor is cooler during the growing season due to the proximity ofSan Pablo Bay while the sheltered, closed northern end is often much warmer.[25] The eastern side of the valley tends to be more arid due to therain shadow caused by the western mountains and hills.
Napa Valley's climate and geography are shaped by a unique cooling effect, crucial for premium grape growing.[26] Originating from a cold ocean current from Alaska, this effect involves fog formation and cool air influx from the Pacific, offset by warmer air rising from California's Central Valley. This dynamic results in a climate system where fog and cooler sea air are drawn inland through valleys, create ideal conditions for high-quality viticulture.[27] The region's complexity extends to varying topography, sun exposure, and diverse soils, contributing to a wide array of microclimates or terroirs within a relatively small viticulture area. Napa Valley, despite its linear appearance, is a tapestry of climate influences from the adjacent Vaca and Mayacamas mountain ranges, alongside varied lithologies influencing vineyard substrates.[28] This geographical diversity, coupled with the Mediterranean climate characterized by hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters, impacts grape growing in the Napa Valley. Rainfall distribution and the daily summer fog, which typically shrouds the valley until mid-morning, vary across the region, affecting grape variety and quality.[28] However, the potential impacts of climate change pose new challenges: rising global temperatures and possible disruptions to the cooling effect could alter the conditions that have historically favored premium grape growing in Napa Valley.[29]
More than 4.5 million people visit Napa Valley each year, making it a very popular tourist destination in California.[30]
As of 2024, within Napa Valley AVA, there are seventeen sub-AVAs:[1][3]
| Area | Date established |
|---|---|
| Los Carneros (Carneros) | Aug 18, 1983 |
| Howell Mountain | Dec 30, 1983 |
| Wild Horse Valley | Nov 30, 1988 |
| Stags Leap District | Jan 27, 1989 |
| Mt. Veeder | Feb 20, 1990 |
| Atlas Peak | Jan 22, 1992 |
| Spring Mountain District | May 13, 1993 |
| Oakville | Jul 2, 1993 |
| Rutherford | Jul 2, 1993 |
| St. Helena | Sep 11, 1995 |
| Chiles Valley | Feb 17, 1999 |
| Yountville | Mar 19, 1999 |
| Diamond Mountain District | Jun 1, 2001 |
| Oak Knoll District | Feb 25, 2004 |
| Calistoga | Dec 8, 2009 |
| Coombsville | Dec 14, 2011 |
| Crystal Springs | Nov 15, 2024[4] |
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.In 1846, one of Yount's granddaughters married Thomas Rutherford and Yount gave the newlyweds the very generous gift of about 1,000 acres at the northern edge of Rancho Caymus. Following Yount's lead, Rutherford planted grapes and began investing in winemaking in Napa. By the 1880s, the Rutherford area was well established as one of Napa Valley's premium wine districts.
The Charles Krug Winery, first in the Napa Valley and established in 1861, is owned and operated by the Peter Mondavi Family.
