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California Wine Atlas

Long Valley-Lake County

AVA · Lake County · District 2

27 CFR 9.289 · established 2023-07-05

Heat class IV · 1991-2020 normals

Climate normals in three numbers

3,590°F-days

, Apr 1 – Oct 31

9 GridMET cells cover this region

IV

114mm

season rain, Apr 1 – Oct 31

33 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

Lake County — not Long Valley-Lake County

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What's in the ground

6.5

pH, 1:1 water

17.0cm

, whole profile

145cm

to

Well drained

, dominant condition

Distribution across 30 · mean ◆, median │, p10–p90 bar

6.5
1.5%
24.0%
available water
17.0cm
depth to restriction
145cm

Dominant

  • 24.0%
  • 14.1%
  • 12.8%
  • 11.1%
  • 9.0%

30 map units · soil described over 89.5% of the region’s area · 4.0% is water, rock outcrop or other non-soil · 41% of the described area has a restrictive layer within the profile.

Sand, silt and clay, against every other appellation

CLAYSANDSILT

Loam

39% sand · 37% silt · 24% clay

Sandier than 34% of California appellations and clayier than 64%. Each grey point is one appellation’s topsoil; appellations nest, so this is a distribution of places rather than of land.

Plus 19% 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 (755 words)

(c) Boundary. The Long Valley-Lake County viticultural area is located in Lake County, California. The boundary of the Long Valley-Lake County viticultural area is as described as follows: (1) The beginning point is on the Benmore Canyon map at the intersection of State Highway 20 and the 1,600-foot elevation contour, just north of Sweet Hollow Creek, in section 35, T14N/R7W. (2) From the beginning point, proceed northerly along the meandering 1,600-foot elevation contour for approximately 4.1 miles to its intersection with the northern fork of an unnamed creek in Salt Canyon known locally as Salt Creek in section 23, T14N/R7W; then (3) Proceed westerly (upstream) along Salt Creek approximately 760 feet to its intersection with the 1,720-foot elevation contour in section 23, T14N/R7W; then (4) Proceed northeasterly, then westerly along the meandering 1,720- foot elevation contour for approximately 11.3 miles, crossing onto the Clearlake Oaks map, to the intersection of the elevation contour with the Mendocino National Forest boundary along the western boundary of section 12, T15N/R8W; then (5) Proceed north along the Mendocino National Forest boundary approximately 896 feet to its intersection with the unnamed creek in Sulphur Canyon; then (6) Proceed northeast (downstream) along the unnamed creek approximately 770 feet to its intersection with the 1,400-foot elevation contour in section 12, T14N/R8W; then (7) Proceed northeasterly, then northwesterly along the meandering 1,400-foot elevation contour to its intersection with the Mendocino National Forest boundary along the western boundary of section 36, T15N/R8W; then (8) Proceed north along the western boundary of section 36 to its intersection with the northern boundary of section 36; then (9) Proceed east along the northern boundary of section 36 to its intersection with the 1,400-foot elevation contour; then (10) Proceed southeasterly along the 1,400-foot elevation contour, crossing onto the Benmore Canyon map and continuing easterly along the 1,400-foot elevation contour to its intersection with the southern boundary of section 11, T14N/R7W; then (11) Proceed north in a straight line to the northern boundary of section 11; then (12) Proceed east along the northern boundary of section 11, crossing Wolf Creek, to the intersection of the section boundary with the 1,320-foot elevation contour; then (13) Proceed south in a straight line to the 1,400-foot elevation contour in section 11; then (14) Proceed southeasterly along the 1,400-foot elevation contour to the western boundary of section 12, T14N/R7W; then (15) Proceed southeast in a straight line, crossing the North Fork of Cache Creek, to the 1,400-foot elevation contour in section 12 west of the summit of Chalk Mountain; then (16) Proceed southeasterly, then southerly along the meandering 1,400- foot elevation contour to its third intersection with the eastern boundary of section 13; then (17) Proceed west in a straight line to an unnamed, unimproved 4-wheel drive road in section 13; then (18) Proceed south in a straight line, crossing over a second unnamed, unimproved 4-wheel drive road in section 13, to the 1,240-foot elevation contour in section 24, T14N/R7W; then (19) Proceed east in a straight line to the 1,400-foot elevation contour in section 24; then (20) Proceed southeasterly, then northeasterly along the meandering 1,400-foot elevation contour to its intersection with an unnamed creek in section 19, T14N/R6W; then (21) Proceed southwesterly (downstream) along the unnamed creek to its intersection with the 1,200-foot contour in section 19; then (22) Proceed south in a straight line to the northern boundary of section 30, T14N/R6W; then (23) Proceed southeast, then east along the northern boundary of section 30 to its intersection with the 1,400-foot elevation contour; then (24) Proceed south in a straight line to the unnamed creek in Benmore Canyon in section 30; then (25) Proceed southeast in a straight line to the 1,400-foot elevation contour in section 30; then (26) Proceed southeasterly along the 1,400-foot elevation contour to its intersection with the eastern boundary of section 31, T14N/R6W; then (27) Proceed generally south along the eastern boundary of section 31 and continuing along the eastern boundary of section 6, T13N/R6W, crossing onto the Lower Lake map, to the intersection of the boundary line and State Highway 20 north of Phipps Creek; then (28) Proceed west in a straight line to the 1,200-foot elevation contour; then (29) Proceed northerly along the 1,200-foot elevation contour, crossing onto the Benmore Canyon map, and continuing along the 1,200-foot elevation contour to its intersection with an unnamed trail in section 31, T14N/R6W; then (30) Proceed north in a straight line to State Highway 20; then (31) Proceed west along State Highway 20, returning to the beginning point.