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California Wine Atlas

Madera

AVA · Madera County · District 13 — 95.85% of this appellation; also in Fresno (4.13%)

27 CFR 9.92 · established 1984-12-12 · last amended 1987-02-27

Heat class V · 1991-2020 normals

Climate normals in three numbers

4,434°F-days

, Apr 1 – Oct 31

147 GridMET cells cover this region

V

57mm

season rain, Apr 1 – Oct 31

17 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

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

Measured vineyard area

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Drought categories, year by year

Madera County — not Madera

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What's in the ground

7.4

pH, 1:1 water

14.0cm

, whole profile

131cm

to

Moderately well drained

, dominant condition

Distribution across 291 · mean ◆, median │, p10–p90 bar

7.4
1.2%
14.4%
available water
14.0cm
depth to restriction
131cm

Dominant

  • 14.9%
  • 13.0%
  • 8.4%
  • 8.0%
  • 5.8%

291 map units · soil described over 98.1% of the region’s area · 2.1% is water, rock outcrop or other non-soil · 49% of the described area has a restrictive layer within the profile.

Sand, silt and clay, against every other appellation

CLAYSANDSILT

Sandy loam

63% sand · 22% silt · 14% clay

Sandier than 94% of California appellations and clayier than 8%. Each grey point is one appellation’s topsoil; appellations nest, so this is a distribution of places rather than of land.

Plus 4% 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

Madera County · District 13 — 95.85% of this appellation; also in Fresno (4.13%)

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Price per ton

Madera County · District 13 — 95.85% of this appellation; also in Fresno (4.13%)

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The appellation in federal law

The boundary, in the government’s own words (232 words)

(c) Boundaries. The Madera viticultural area is located in Madera and Fresno Counties, California. The beginning point is found on the “Fresno North,” 7 1/2 minute series U.S.G.S. map at the point where the San Joaquin River intersects the section line dividing sections 20 and 29, and sections 21 and 28, T. 12 S., R. 20 E.; (1) Then east approximately 6 miles following the section line and Shepherd Avenue to the intersection with Sunnyside Road; (2) Then north approximately 7 miles following Sunnyside Road and continuing along the section line to the point of intersection of section 16, 17, 20, and 21, T.11S., R 21E.; (3) Then west approximately 17.6 miles following the section line and continuing along Avenue 15 to the intersection with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad; (4) Then northwest following the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad to Road 26; (5) Then north following Road 26 and continuing north in a straight line to the Chowchilla River in the “Raynor Creek” 7 1/2 minute series U.S.G.S. map, and in the “San Jose” scaled 1:250,000 U.S.G.S. map; (6) Then west following the Chowchilla River to the point where the Madera County-Merced County boundary diverges from the river; (7) Then southwest following the Madera County-Merced County boundary to the San Joaquin River; (8) Then following the San Joaquin River south and east returning to the point of beginning.