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California Wine Atlas

Moon Mountain District Sonoma County

Sub-AVA · Sonoma County · District 3

27 CFR 9.231 · established 2013-10-02

Heat class III · 1991-2020 normals

Climate normals in three numbers

3,287°F-days

, Apr 1 – Oct 31

15 GridMET cells cover this region

III

168mm

season rain, Apr 1 – Oct 31

57 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

Sonoma County — not Moon Mountain District Sonoma County

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What's in the ground

6.1

pH, 1:1 water

14.0cm

, whole profile

86cm

to

Well drained

, dominant condition

Distribution across 62 · mean ◆, median │, p10–p90 bar

6.1
3.6%
25.1%
available water
14.0cm
depth to restriction
86cm

Dominant

  • 42.7%
  • 20.6%
  • 14.2%
  • 10.2%
  • 6.4%

62 map units · soil described over 80.1% of the region’s area · 17.2% 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

Loam

36% sand · 39% silt · 25% clay

Sandier than 19% of California appellations and clayier than 74%. Each grey point is one appellation’s topsoil; appellations nest, so this is a distribution of places rather than of land.

Plus 13% 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

Sonoma County · District 3

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Price per ton

Sonoma County · District 3

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The appellation in federal law

The boundary, in the government’s own words (354 words)

(c) Boundary. The Moon Mountain District Sonoma County viticultural area is located in Sonoma County, California. The boundary of the Moon Mountain District Sonoma County viticultural area is as described below: (1) The beginning point is on the Rutherford map at the 2,188-foot elevation point located on the Sonoma-Napa County boundary line in section 26, T7N/R6W. From the beginning point, proceed southerly along the meandering Sonoma-Napa County boundary line, crossing onto the Sonoma map, to the intersection of the county line and Lovall Valley Road, Huichica Land Grant; then (2) Continue along the Sonoma-Napa County boundary line approximately 0.2 mile to the intersection of the county line and the end of an unnamed light-duty road; then (3) Proceed southwesterly in a straight line approximately 1.2 miles, passing through the marked 692-foot peak, to the intersection of the line with an unnamed light-duty road known locally as Thornsberry Road; then (4) Proceed north-northwesterly in a straight line approximately 1 mile to the intersection of two unnamed light-duty roads known locally as Castle Road and Bartholomew Road (marked by the 218-foot elevation point); then (5) Proceed west in a straight line approximately 1.4 miles, passing through the southern-most quarry marked on Schocken Hill, to the intersection of the line with the 400-foot elevation line, Pueblo Lands of Sonoma; then (6) Proceed northwesterly along the meandering 400-foot elevation line for approximately 7.4 miles, crossing onto the Glen Ellen map and then the Kenwood map, to the intersection of the contour line with Nelligan Road, near the mouth of Nunns Canyon, T6N/R6W; then (7) Proceed northerly on Nelligan Road approximately 0.6 mile to the intersection of the road with the 600-foot elevation line; then (8) Proceed northwest along the 600-foot elevation line approximately 1.8 miles to its second intersection with a marked trail (near a marked quarry and approximately 0.2 mile southeasterly of a marked 973-foot peak), Los Guilicos Land Grant; then (9) Proceed east-northeasterly in a straight line approximately 0.8 miles to the marked 1,483-foot peak; then (10) Proceed east-southeasterly in a straight line approximately 1.5 miles, crossing onto the Rutherford map, returning to the beginning point.