California Shenandoah Valley
AVA · Amador County · District 10 — 88.79% of this appellation; also in El Dorado (11.21%)
27 CFR 9.37 · established 1982-12-28 · last amended 1987-02-27
Heat class IV · 1991-2020 normals
Climate normals in three numbers
, Apr 1 – Oct 31
8 GridMET cells cover this region
season rain, Apr 1 – Oct 31
53 mm of it in the , Sep 1 – Oct 31
Warm and cool vintages since 1980
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Rain across the season, and at harvest
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The boundary
Hovering a shaded region names it; a click opens its page.
Measured vineyard area
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Drought categories, year by year
Amador County — not California Shenandoah Valley
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What's in the ground
6.0
pH, 1:1 water
16.5cm
, whole profile
116cm
to
Well drained
, dominant condition
Distribution across 59 · mean ◆, median │, p10–p90 bar
Dominant
- 59.6%
- 13.0%
- 7.6%
- 7.5%
- 3.3%
59 map units · soil described over 88.5% of the region’s area · 18.0% is water, rock outcrop or other non-soil · 86% of the described area has a restrictive layer within the profile.
Sand, silt and clay, against every other appellation
Sandy loam
54% sand · 29% silt · 17% clay
Sandier than 81% of California appellations and clayier than 14%. Each grey point is one appellation’s topsoil; appellations nest, so this is a distribution of places rather than of land.
Plus 11% rock fragments by volume, which the triangle does not describe — the three fractions are of the fine-earth material only.
Elevation, slope and aspect
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Bearing acreage by variety
Amador County · District 10 — 88.79% of this appellation; also in El Dorado (11.21%)
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Price per ton
Amador County · District 10 — 88.79% of this appellation; also in El Dorado (11.21%)
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The appellation in federal law
The boundary, in the government’s own words (325 words)
(c) Boundaries. The Shenandoah Valley viticultural Area is located in portions of Amador and El Dorado Counties of California. The boundaries are as follows: (1) Beginning at the point where the Consumnes River meets Big Indian Creek. (2) Then south, following Big Indian Creek, until Big Indian Creek meets the boundary between Sections 1 and 2 of Township 7 North Range 10 East. (3) Then following this boundary south until it meets the Oleta (Fiddletown) Road. (4) Then following the Oleta Road east until it meets the boundary between Sections 6 and 5 of Township 7 North Range 11 East. (5) Then following that boundary north into Township 8 North Range 11 East, and continues north on the boundary between Sections 31 and 32 until this boundary meets Big Indian Creek. (6) Then following Big Indian Creek in a northeasterly direction until Big Indian Creek meets the boundary between Sections 28 and 27 of Township 8 North Range 11 East. (7) Then following this boundary north until it reaches the southeast corner of Section 21 of Township 8 North Range 11 East. (8) The boundary then proceeds east, then north, then west along the boundary of the western half of Section 22 of Township 8 North Range 11 East to the intersection of Sections 16, 15, 21, and 22. (9) Then proceeding north along the boundary line between Sections 16 and 15 of Township 8 North Range 11 East and continues north along the boundary of Sections 9 and 10 of Township 8 North Range 11 East to the intersection of Sections 9, 10, 3, and 4 of Township 8 North Range 11 East. (10) Then proceeding west along the boundary of Sections 9 and 4. (11) Then continuing west along the boundary of Sections 5 and 8 of Township 8 North Range 11 East to the Consumnes River. (12) Then the boundary proceeds west along the Consumnes River to the point of the beginning.
The rule qualifies the name: California.