| Wine region | |
| Type | American Viticultural Area |
|---|---|
| Year established | 1991[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Part of | Lake County |
| Other regions inLake County | Big Valley District-Lake County AVA,Clear Lake AVA,Guenoc Valley AVA,High Valley AVA,Kelsey Bench-Lake County AVA,Long Valley-Lake County AVA,Red Hills Lake County AVA,Upper Lake Valley AVA |
| Total area | 1,440 acres (2 sq mi)[1] |
| No. of vineyards | 0[2] |
| Comments | de facto defunct |
Benmore Valley is anAmerican Viticultural Area (AVA) located in southwesternLake County,California. It was established on October 19, 1991 by theBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF),Treasury afer reviewing the petition submitted by Sara Schorske of Compliance Specialists,Santa Rosa, California, on behalf of Vimark, Inc., a vineyard owner, proposing the viticultural area in southwest Lake County to be known as "Benmore Valley."[3]
The valley is named for Benjamin Logan Moore, or Ben Moore, a local 19th centurycattle rustler. Ben Moore would steal cattle in adjacentMendocino County and then drive them to Lake County into the hidden valley which now bears his name. He would later drive the cattle intoSacramento Valley where he would sell them.
Benmore Valley is a high depression in the mountains at 2,400 feet (730 m) in elevation, is prominently identified onU.S.G.S. maps, and is much cooler than surrounding areas.[1]At the outset, the viticultural area encompassed about 1,440 acres (2 sq mi) of which 125 acres (51 ha) were cultivatingChardonnay grapes. There were no bonded wineries in the area. Most of thegrapes last produced there were used by Geyser Peak Winery.[2]
As of February 2018, nowineries or planted vineyards were active in the AVA, therefore, no longer highlighted by Lake County Winegrowers Association.[4] The crop is nowcannabis planted on the same location of the defunct vineyard.[5]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.The only notable producer to previously use the region's grapes was the Geyser Peak Winery in Sonoma County, one of the oldest wineries in California.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.38°59′54″N122°59′20″W / 38.9982°N 122.9890°W /38.9982; -122.9890