11 Entering the Napa Valley American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) Mediterranean climates, which encompass only 2% of the world’s landmass, are considered optimal for the cultivation of grapes. Each area imbues its own unique expression on the grape and how this reflects in the glass. Many of these regions within the United States have been defined as American Viticultural Areas or AVAs. Through trial and error and learning from others, the valley today is home to 17 AVAs. Napa was established as an AVA in 1981, and the 16 smaller sub AVAs within Napa Valley were designated later. These AVAs are known for their differences of having homogeneity of soil, heat exposure and mountain or valley influence, all of which and more we refer to as “terroir.” Terroir is a French word to describe the complete natural environment in which a wine is produced. As the train travels north, we will pass through five of these AVAs — Oak Knoll, Yountville, Oakville, Rutherford and St. Helena — and will be able to see seven others. Each AVA produces wines that are bound inextricably in flavor profile by where the grape was grown. Each has its own story to tell and can only be truly understood as an AVA-specific wine, defined as having at least 85% of the grapes in the bottle coming from that single AVA. Napa, being 30 miles long, sits on the San Pablo Bay where the Carneros AVA borders the coolest part of the valley in the south. Modeling the climate of Burgundy, France and renowned for their chardonnay and pinot noir grapes, this is where the valley does best with these varietals due to the fruits’ thin skin. Napa AVAs, best known for their climate similar to that of the hotter Bordeaux, focus on the five Bordeaux varietals of merlot, petite verdot, malbec, cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon. These grapes with thicker skins prefer the high heat and resulting stress, causing more density and complexity of flavor. We feel that the further from Napa you are, the smaller it seems. When in Napa, we think you will find how vast this area is and will seek out the AVA that speaks most to you in the glass.
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