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California Wine Atlas

Comptche

AVA · Mendocino County · District 1

27 CFR 9.292 · established 2024-04-08

Heat class I · 1991-2020 normals

Climate normals in three numbers

2,370°F-days

, Apr 1 – Oct 31

3 GridMET cells cover this region

I

215mm

season rain, Apr 1 – Oct 31

67 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

This boundaryClick to open

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

Measured vineyard area

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Drought categories, year by year

Mendocino County — not Comptche

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What's in the ground

5.9

pH, 1:1 water

20.1cm

, whole profile

151cm

to

Well drained

, dominant condition

Distribution across 16 · mean ◆, median │, p10–p90 bar

5.9
5.0%
21.8%
available water
20.1cm
depth to restriction
151cm

Dominant

  • 36.5%
  • 15.1%
  • 12.4%
  • 11.6%
  • 7.0%

16 map units · soil described over 100.0% of the region’s area · 0.1% is water, rock outcrop or other non-soil · 56% of the described area has a restrictive layer within the profile.

Sand, silt and clay, against every other appellation

CLAYSANDSILT

Loam

41% sand · 37% silt · 22% clay

Sandier than 47% of California appellations and clayier than 47%. Each grey point is one appellation’s topsoil; appellations nest, so this is a distribution of places rather than of land.

Plus 7% 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

Mendocino County · District 1

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Price per ton

Mendocino County · District 1

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The appellation in federal law

The boundary, in the government’s own words (334 words)

(c) Boundary. The Comptche viticultural area is located in Mendocino County, California. The boundary of the Comptche viticultural area is as described as follows: (1) The beginning point is on the Comptche map at the intersection of a north-south tributary of the Albion River and an unnamed improved road known locally as Comptche Ukiah Road, section 12, T16N/R16W. From the beginning point, proceed northwest in a straight line, crossing an unnamed, unimproved road known locally as Surprise Valley Road, to the 400-foot elevation contour, section 12, T16N/R16W; then (2) Proceed north, then easterly along the 400-foot elevation contour to its intersection with an unnamed, unimproved road southeast of the marked 517-foot peak in section 1, T16N/R16W; then (3) Proceed southeasterly along the unnamed, unimproved road to its intersection with an unnamed, unimproved road known locally as Surprise Valley Road, section 1, T16N/R16W; then (4) Proceed northeasterly along Surprise Valley Road to its intersection with an unnamed, unimproved road known locally as North Fork Road, section 1, T16N/R16 W; then (5) Proceed northwesterly along North Fork Road to its intersection with an unnamed, unimproved road known locally as Docker Hill Road in section 36, T17N/R16W; then (6) Proceed north along Docker Hill Road to its intersection with the 400-foot elevation contour, section 36, T17N/R16W; then (7) Proceed easterly along the 400-foot elevation contour to its intersection with the North Fork of the Albion River in section 37, T17N/R15W; then (8) Continue in a generally southerly direction along the 400-foot elevation contour to its intersection with an unnamed intermittent creek in section 6, T16N/R15W; then (9) Proceed south in a straight line to the 400-foot elevation contour, section 6, T16N/R15W; then (10) Proceed southeasterly, then north, then southeasterly along the meandering 400-foot elevation contour to its intersection with the Albion River in section 8, T16N/R15W; then (11) Proceed westerly along the Albion River to its intersection with a north-south tributary in section 12, T16N/R16W; then (12) Proceed northeasterly along the tributary, returning to the beginning point.