Skip to content
California Wine Atlas

Antelope Valley of the California High Desert

AVA · Los Angeles County · District 15 — 82.13% of this appellation; also in Kern (17.87%)

27 CFR 9.219 · established 2011-05-24

Heat class V · 1991-2020 normals

Climate normals in three numbers

4,656°F-days

, Apr 1 – Oct 31

138 GridMET cells cover this region

V

32mm

season rain, Apr 1 – Oct 31

14 mm of it in the , Sep 1 – Oct 31

Warm and cool vintages since 1980

loading vintages…

Rain across the season, and at harvest

loading vintages…

The boundary

This boundaryClick to open

Hovering a shaded region names it; a click opens its page.

Measured vineyard area

loading crop mapping…

Drought categories, year by year

Los Angeles County — not Antelope Valley of the California High Desert

loading drought monitor…

What's in the ground

7.3

pH, 1:1 water

20.0cm

, whole profile

195cm

to

Well drained

, dominant condition

Distribution across 122 · mean ◆, median │, p10–p90 bar

7.3
0.4%
11.2%
available water
20.0cm
depth to restriction
195cm

Dominant

  • 22.9%
  • 20.7%
  • 14.5%
  • 9.1%
  • 6.5%

122 map units · soil described over 97.0% of the region’s area · 3.0% is water, rock outcrop or other non-soil · 4% of the described area has a restrictive layer within the profile.

Sand, silt and clay, against every other appellation

CLAYSANDSILT

Sandy loam

68% sand · 20% silt · 11% clay

Sandier than 98% of California appellations and clayier than 1%. Each grey point is one appellation’s topsoil; appellations nest, so this is a distribution of places rather than of land.

Plus 8% rock fragments by volume, which the triangle does not describe — the three fractions are of the fine-earth material only.

Elevation, slope and aspect

loading terrain…

Bearing acreage by variety

Los Angeles County · District 15 — 82.13% of this appellation; also in Kern (17.87%)

loading acreage…

Price per ton

Los Angeles County · District 15 — 82.13% of this appellation; also in Kern (17.87%)

loading crush report…

The appellation in federal law

The boundary, in the government’s own words (742 words)

(c) Boundary. The Antelope Valley of the California High Desert viticultural area is located in Los Angeles and Kern Counties, California. The boundary of the Antelope Valley of the California High Desert viticultural area is as described below: (1) The beginning point is on the Rosamond map at the intersection of the Kern and Los Angeles Counties boundary line and the Edwards Air Force Base (AFB), boundary line, T8N, R12W. From the beginning point, proceed south along the Edwards AFB boundary line to West Avenue E, where the Edwards AFB boundary line turns east, section 22, T8N/R12W; then (2) Proceed generally east along the Edwards AFB boundary line, crossing over the Rosamond Lake and Redman maps, onto the Rogers Lake South map to the point where the Edwards AFB boundary line crosses the 2,500-foot elevation line along the northern boundary of section 30, T8N/R9W; then (3) Proceed generally south along the meandering 2,500-foot elevation line, crossing over the Redman and Alpine Butte maps, onto the Hi Vista map to the elevation line's intersection with Avenue J, section 17, T7N/R9W; then (4) Proceed straight east approximately 0.2 mile along Avenue J to the northeast corner of section 20, T7N/R9W, (intersection of Avenue J and 160th Street East); then (5) Proceed straight south along the eastern boundary lines of sections 20 and 29, T7N/R9W, to the northwestern corner of section 33, T7N, R9W; then (6) Proceed in a clockwise direction along the northern and eastern boundary lines of section 33, T7N/R9W, to the northwestern corner of section 3, T6N/R9W (intersection of Avenue M and 170th Street East); then (7) Proceed in a clockwise direction along the northern and eastern boundary lines of section 3, T6N/R9W, to the northwestern corner of section 11, T6N/R9W; then (8) Proceed in a clockwise direction along the northern and eastern boundary lines of section 11, T6N/R9W, crossing onto the Lovejoy Buttes map, to the northwestern corner of section 13, T6N/R9W; then (9) Proceed in a clockwise direction along the northern and eastern boundary lines of section 13 and then the eastern boundary line of section 24, T6N/R9W, to the northwestern corner of section 30, T6N/R8W (intersection of Avenue Q and 200th Street East); then (10) Proceed in a clockwise direction along the northern and eastern boundary lines of section 30, T6N/R8W, to the northwestern corner of section 32, T6N/R8W; then (11) Proceed east along the northern boundary of section 32 T6N/R8W, crossing onto the El Mirage map, and continue along the northern boundary of section 33, T6N/R8W, to elevation point 2916 (along Avenue R); then (12) Proceed due south in a straight line to the point where the 3,100-foot elevation line crosses the eastern boundary line of section 8, T5N/R8W; then (13) Proceed generally west-southwest along the meandering 3,100-foot elevation line, crossing over the Lovejoy Buttes map, onto the Littlerock map and continue to the elevation line's intersection with the California Aqueduct, approximately 0.2 mile south of Pearlblossom Highway, section 22, T5N/R10W; then (14) Proceed generally north and then northwest along the California Aqueduct, crossing over the Palmdale, Ritter Ridge, Lancaster West, Del Sur, Lake Hughes, and Fairmont Butte maps, onto the Neenach School map to the California Aqueduct's intersection with the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (adjacent to the Los Angeles Aqueduct) in section 16, T8N/R16W; then (15) Proceed north and then generally east and north along the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, crossing over the Fairmont Butte map, and continue onto the Tylerhorse Canyon map to the point where the Trail and the adjacent Los Angeles Aqueduct separate near elevation point 3120 and West Antelope Station in section 3, T9N/R15W; then (16) Proceed generally northeast along the Los Angeles Aqueduct crossing onto the Willow Springs map, to the Aqueduct's intersection with Tehachapi Willow Springs Road, section 7, T10N/R13W; then (17) Proceed generally south on Tehachapi Willow Springs Road, crossing onto the Little Buttes map, to the road's intersection with the 2,500-foot elevation line along the western boundary of section 17, T9N/R13W; then (18) Proceed generally east along the meandering 2,500-foot elevation line, crossing over the Willow Springs map and continuing onto the Soledad Mtn. map, where that elevation line crosses over and back three times from the Rosamond map, to the elevation line's intersection with the Edwards AFB boundary line, section 10, T9N/R12W; and then (19) Proceed straight south along the Edwards AFB boundary line, crossing over to the Rosamond map, and return to the beginning point.