Kelsey Bench-Lake County
Sub-AVA · Lake County · District 2
27 CFR 9.233 · established 2013-10-02
Heat class III · 1991-2020 normals
Climate normals in three numbers
, Apr 1 – Oct 31
10 GridMET cells cover this region
season rain, Apr 1 – Oct 31
45 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
Lake County — not Kelsey Bench-Lake County
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What's in the ground
6.6
pH, 1:1 water
17.0cm
, whole profile
113cm
to
Well drained
, dominant condition
Distribution across 49 · mean ◆, median │, p10–p90 bar
Dominant
- 22.0%
- 17.3%
- 14.7%
- 9.8%
- 6.3%
49 map units · soil described over 95.6% of the region’s area · 3.1% is water, rock outcrop or other non-soil · 65% of the described area has a restrictive layer within the profile.
Sand, silt and clay, against every other appellation
Loam
42% sand · 34% silt · 25% clay
Sandier than 49% of California appellations and clayier than 69%. Each grey point is one appellation’s topsoil; appellations nest, so this is a distribution of places rather than of land.
Plus 14% 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
Lake County · District 2
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Price per ton
Lake County · District 2
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The appellation in federal law
The boundary, in the government’s own words (1,065 words)
(c) Boundary. The Kelsey Bench-Lake County viticultural area is located in Lake County, California. The boundary of the Kelsey Bench-Lake County viticultural area is as described below: (1) The beginning point is on the Kelseyville map within the town of Kelseyville at the intersection of Konocti Road and Main Street (not named on the map), section 14, T13N/R9W. From the beginning point, proceed east on Konocti Road approximately 0.9 mile to the road's 3-way intersection with an unnamed, unimproved road to the south, section 13, T13N/R9W; then (2) Proceed south on the unnamed, unimproved road approximately 0.35 mile to a fork in the road, and continue on the eastern branch of the fork approximately 0.4 mile to the point where the road intersects a straight line drawn westward from the marked 2,493-foot elevation point in section 19, T13N/R9W, to the intersection of the 1,600-foot elevation line and the eastern boundary of section 23, T13N/R9W (which is concurrent with Wilkerson Road); then (3) Proceed westerly along the straight line described in paragraph (c)(2) approximately 0.3 mile to the line's western end at the intersection of the 1,600-foot elevation line and the eastern boundary of section 23, T13N/R9W; then (4) Proceed south along the eastern boundaries of sections 23 and 26, T13N/R9W, approximately 0.8 mile to the first intersection of the eastern boundary of section 26 and the 1,720-foot elevation line; then (5) Proceed southeasterly along the 1,720-foot elevation line to the line's intersection with State Highway 29/175, just west of BM 1758, section 25, T13N/R9W; then (6) Proceed west on State Highway 29/175 approximately 0.15 mile to the highway's intersection with an unnamed, unimproved road, section 25, T13N/R9W; then (7) Proceed southwest then west on the unnamed, unimproved road approximately 0.4 mile to the road's intersection with Cole Creek Road at Bottle Rock Road, section 25, T13N/R9W; then (8) Proceed west on Cole Creek Road approximately 0.65 mile to the road's intersection with an unnamed, light-duty road known locally as Live Oak Drive (at BM 1625), section 26, T13N/R9W; then (9) Proceed northwest on Live Oak Drive to the road's intersection with Gross Road (at BM 1423), section 26, T13N/R9W; then (10) Proceed south on Gross Road approximately 0.65 mile to the road's intersection with the 1,600-foot elevation line, section 26, T13N/R9W; then (11) Proceed southerly along the meandering 1,600-foot elevation line to the line's intersection with Sweetwater Creek section 10, T12N/R9W; then (12) Proceed due west in a straight line approximately 0.6 mile to the line's first intersection with the 1,600-foot elevation after crossing Kelsey Creek, section 10, T12N/R9W; then (13) Proceed westerly and then northerly along the meandering 1,600-foot elevation line to the line's intersection with Kelsey Creek Drive, section 4, T12N/R9W; then (14) Proceed west on Kelsey Creek Drive and then Adobe Creek Drive, crossing onto the Highland Springs map, and continue north-northwest on Adobe Creek Drive, a total distance of approximately 3.25 miles, to the marked 1,439-foot elevation point in section 29, T13N/R9W; then (15) Proceed west-southwest in a straight line that passes through the marked 1,559-foot elevation point in section 29, T13N/R9W, and continue in the same direction to the line's intersection with an unnamed, light-duty road known locally as East Highland Springs Road, a total distance of approximately 0.6 mile, section 30, T13N, R9W; then (16) Proceed north on East Highland Springs Road approximately 0.5 mile, to the road's intersection with an unnamed road in the northeast quadrant of section 30, T13N/R9W; then (17) Proceed northwest on the unnamed road to the road's end point, then continue due north-northwest in a straight line, a total distance of approximately 0.3 mile, to the line's intersection with the southern boundary of section 19, T13N/R9W; then (18) Proceed west along the southern boundary of section 19, T13N/R9W, approximately 0.5 mile to the section's southwest corner; then (19) Proceed north along the western boundary of section 19, T13N/R9W, approximately 0.3 mile to the section line's seventh intersection with the 1,600-foot elevation line; then (20) Proceed westerly, northwesterly, and then easterly along the meandering 1,600-foot elevation line to the line's second intersection with the northern boundary of section 19, T13N/R9W; then (21) Proceed east along the northern boundary of section 19, T13N/R9W, approximately 0.35 mile to the section boundary's intersection with an unnamed road known locally as Fritch Road; then (22) Proceed east on Fritch Road approximately 0.4 mile to the road's intersection with Highland Springs Road, section 18, T13N/R9W; then (23) Proceed south on Highland Springs Road approximately 0.8 mile to the road's intersection with Bell Hill Road, section 19, T13N/R9W; then (24) Proceed eastward on the meandering Bell Hill Road approximately 1.4 miles to the road's last intersection with the 1,400-foot elevation line in section 20, T13N/R9W; then (25) Proceed northeasterly along the 1,400-foot elevation line, crossing onto the Kelseyville map, to the line's first intersection with Bell Hill Road in the southeast quadrant of section 16, T13N/R9W; then (26) Proceed northeast and then east on Bell Hill Road approximately 0.15 mile to the road's intersection with Hill Creek, section 16, T13N/R9W; then (27) Proceed northerly (downstream) along Hill Creek approximately 0.9 mile to the creek's intersection with Merritt Road, section 16, T13N/R9W; then (28) Proceed east on Merritt Road approximately 0.1 mile to the road's intersection with the 1,400-foot elevation line, northern boundary of section 16, T13N/R9W; then (29) Proceed northerly along the 1,400-foot elevation line approximately 0.2 mile to State Highway 29/175, section 9, T13N/R9W, and then continue northerly and then southeasterly along the 1,400-foot elevation line approximately 0.5 mile to the line's intersection with Merritt Road, northern boundary of section 15, T13N/R9W; then (30) Proceed east on Merritt Road approximately 0.3 mile to the road's intersection with an unnamed road known locally as Big Valley Road (or North Main Street), northern boundary of section 15, T13N/R9W; then (31) Proceed south then east on Big Valley Road (North Main Street) approximately 0.35 mile to the road's intersection with Kelsey Creek, section 15, T13N/R9W; then (32) Proceed southerly (upstream) along Kelsey Creek approximately 0.5 mile to the creek's intersection with State Highway 29/175, section 14, T13N/R9W; then (33) Proceed southeast on State Highway 29/175 approximately 0.4 mile, crossing Live Oak Drive, to the highway's intersection with an unnamed road known locally as Main Street, section 14, T13N/R9W; then (34) Proceed north on Main Street approximately 0.3 mile, returning to the beginning point.