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California Wine Atlas

Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara

Sub-AVA · Santa Barbara County · District 8

27 CFR 9.217 · established 2009-10-08

Heat class IV · 1991-2020 normals

Climate normals in three numbers

3,649°F-days

, Apr 1 – Oct 31

14 GridMET cells cover this region

IV

81mm

season rain, Apr 1 – Oct 31

30 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

Santa Barbara County — not Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara

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What's in the ground

7.3

pH, 1:1 water

15.9cm

, whole profile

92cm

to

Well drained

, dominant condition

Distribution across 59 · mean ◆, median │, p10–p90 bar

7.3
2.7%
31.3%
available water
15.9cm
depth to restriction
92cm

Dominant

  • 29.2%
  • 14.8%
  • 11.3%
  • 9.6%
  • 6.4%

59 map units · soil described over 94.2% of the region’s area · 5.0% is water, rock outcrop or other non-soil · 84% of the described area has a restrictive layer within the profile.

Sand, silt and clay, against every other appellation

CLAYSANDSILT

Clay loam

24% sand · 44% silt · 31% clay

Sandier than 2% of California appellations and clayier than 93%. Each grey point is one appellation’s topsoil; appellations nest, so this is a distribution of places rather than of land.

Plus 9% 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

Santa Barbara County · District 8

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Price per ton

Santa Barbara County · District 8

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The appellation in federal law

The boundary, in the government’s own words (475 words)

(c) Boundary. The Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara viticultural area is located in Santa Barbara County, California. The boundary of the Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara viticultural area is as described below: (1) The beginning point is on the Los Olivos map at the intersection of the Santa Lucia Ranger District diagonal line and Figueroa Mountain Road, a light-duty road, section 27, T8N, R30W. From the beginning point, proceed southeast along the Santa Lucia Ranger District diagonal line, crossing onto the Figueroa Mountain map, and continuing east to its intersection with the northwest corner of section 6, T7N, R29W; then (2) Proceed straight south along the R29W and R30W line, which is a boundary line of the Los Padres National Forest, to its intersection with the southwest corner of section 18 that coincides with one of the two 90-degree, southwest corners of the Los Padres National Forest, T7N, R29W; then (3) Proceed east, south, and then east, along the boundary line of the Los Padres National Forest, to its intersection with the boundary line of the Cañada de Los Pinos, or College Rancho Grant, at the northwest corner of section 28, T7N, R29W; then (4) Proceed straight south along the boundary line of the Cañada de Los Pinos, or College Rancho Grant, crossing onto the Lake Cachuma map, to its intersection with the 1,074-foot Bitt elevation point and the Lake Cachuma Recreation Area boundary line, section 17 east boundary line, T6N, R29W; then (5) Proceed generally southwest along the Lake Cachuma Recreation Area boundary line to its intersection with the Santa Ynez River to the west of Lake Cachuma and Bradbury Dam, T6N, R30W; then (6) Proceed generally west along the Santa Ynez River, crossing onto the Santa Ynez map, and continuing to its intersection with California State Road 154, northwest of BM 533, T6N, R30W; then (7) Proceed north-northwest in a straight line 1.2 miles to the marked 924-foot elevation point, T6N, R30W; then (8) Proceed north-northwest in a straight line 1.2 miles to the “Y” in an unimproved road 0.1 mile south of the 800-foot elevation line, west of Happy Canyon Road, T6N, R30W; then (9) Proceed north-northwest in a straight line for 0.5 mile, crossing onto the Los Olivos map, and continuing to the marked 1,324-foot elevation point, 0.5 mile southwest of Bar G O Ranch, T7N, R30W; then (10) Proceed north-northwest in a straight line for 2.5 miles crossing over the marked 1,432-foot elevation point in section 9, then continue in a straight line northerly 1.4 miles to the marked 1,721-foot elevation point in section 4, T7N, R30W; then (11) Proceed north in a straight line 1.4 miles to the marked 2,334-foot elevation point, west of a meandering unimproved road and south of Figueroa Mountain Road, T8N, R30W; then (12) Proceed east-northeast in a straight line, returning to the beginning point.