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California Wine Atlas

Mendocino Ridge

Sub-AVA · Mendocino County · District 1

27 CFR 9.158 · established 1997-10-27

Heat class III · 1991-2020 normals

Climate normals in three numbers

3,002°F-days

, Apr 1 – Oct 31

65 GridMET cells cover this region

III

raw 4 km GridMET would say II

224mm

season rain, Apr 1 – Oct 31

81 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 Mendocino Ridge

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What's in the ground

5.7

pH, 1:1 water

11.8cm

, whole profile

98cm

to

Well drained

, dominant condition

Distribution across 55 · mean ◆, median │, p10–p90 bar

5.7
4.7%
19.7%
available water
11.8cm
depth to restriction
98cm

Dominant

  • 20.8%
  • 17.5%
  • 16.7%
  • 13.7%
  • 9.4%

55 map units · soil described over 98.0% of the region’s area · 1.3% is water, rock outcrop or other non-soil · 97% of the described area has a restrictive layer within the profile.

Sand, silt and clay, against every other appellation

CLAYSANDSILT

Loam

44% sand · 36% silt · 20% clay

Sandier than 60% of California appellations and clayier than 30%. Each grey point is one appellation’s topsoil; appellations nest, so this is a distribution of places rather than of land.

Plus 23% 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 (406 words)

(c) Boundary. The Mendocino Ridge viticultural area is located within Mendocino County, California. Within the boundary description that follows, the viticultural area starts at the 1200 foot elevation (contour line) and encompasses all areas at or above the 1200 foot elevation line. The boundaries of the Mendocino Ridge viticultural area, using landmarks and points of reference found on appropriate U.S.G.S. maps, follow. (1) Beginning at the Mendocino/Sonoma County line at the mouth of the Gualala River, where the Gualala River empties into the Pacific Ocean, in section 27 of Township 11 North (T11N), Range 5 West (R5W), located in the southeastern portion of U.S.G.S. 15 minute series map, “Point Arena, California;” (2) Then following the Mendocino/Sonoma County line eastward to the southeast corner of section 8 in T11N/R13W, on the U.S.G.S. 15 minute map, “Ornbaun Valley, California;” (3) Then from the southeast corner of section 8 in T11N/R13W directly north approximately 3 + miles to the southwest corner of section 9 in T12N/R13W; (4) Then proceeding in a straight line in a northwesterly direction to the southwestern corner of section 14 in T13N/R14W; (5) Then directly north along the western line of section 14 in T13N/R14W to a point on the western line of section 14 approximately 1/4 from the top where the Anderson Valley viticultural area boundary intersects the western line of section 14 in T13N/R14W; (6) Then in a straight line, in a northwesterly direction, to the intersection of an unnamed creek and the south section line of section 14, T14N/R15W, on the U.S.G.S. 15 minute series map, “Boonville, California;” (7) Then in a westerly direction along the south section lines of sections 14 and 15 in T14N/R15W to the southwest corner of section 15, T14N/R15W, on the U.S.G.S. 15 minute series map, “Navarro, California;” (8) Then in a northerly direction along the western section lines of sections 15, 10, and 3 in T14N/R15W in a straight line to the intersection of the Navarro River on the western section line of section 3 in T14N/R15W; (9) Then in a northwesterly direction along the Navarro River to the mouth of the river where it meets the Pacific Ocean in section 5 of T15N/R17W; (10) Then in a southern direction along the Mendocino County coastline to the Mendocino/Sonoma County line to the beginning point at the mouth of the Gualala River in section 27 of T11N/R15W, on the U.S.G.S. 15 minute series map, “Point Arena, California.”