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California Wine Atlas

San Francisco Bay

AVA · Santa Clara County · District 6 — 26.18% of this appellation; also in Alameda (20.22%), San Mateo (15.92%), Contra Costa (14.53%), Santa Cruz (11.07%), Solano (3.22%), San Francisco (1.6%), San Benito (0.9%)

27 CFR 9.157 · established 1999-01-20 · last amended 2024-03-15

Heat class II · 1991-2020 normals

Climate normals in three numbers

2,940°F-days

, Apr 1 – Oct 31

514 GridMET cells cover this region

II

raw 4 km GridMET would say III

106mm

season rain, Apr 1 – Oct 31

34 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

Santa Clara County — not San Francisco Bay

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What's in the ground

6.5

pH, 1:1 water

16.6cm

, whole profile

119cm

to

Well drained

, dominant condition

Distribution across 1064 · mean ◆, median │, p10–p90 bar

6.5
3.5%
26.8%
available water
16.6cm
depth to restriction
119cm

Dominant

  • 5.6%
  • 4.7%
  • 4.3%
  • 3.5%
  • 3.4%

1064 map units · soil described over 84.5% of the region’s area · 21.2% 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

CLAYSANDSILT

Loam

40% sand · 34% silt · 27% clay

Sandier than 40% of California appellations and clayier than 81%. Each grey point is one appellation’s topsoil; appellations nest, so this is a distribution of places rather than of land.

Plus 9% 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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Producers

A curated roster, not a census — only source-verified entries appear, 2772 published across the atlas.

Bearing acreage by variety

Santa Clara County · District 6 — 26.18% of this appellation; also in Alameda (20.22%), San Mateo (15.92%), Contra Costa (14.53%), Santa Cruz (11.07%), Solano (3.22%), San Francisco (1.6%), San Benito (0.9%)

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Price per ton

Santa Clara County · District 6 — 26.18% of this appellation; also in Alameda (20.22%), San Mateo (15.92%), Contra Costa (14.53%), Santa Cruz (11.07%), Solano (3.22%), San Francisco (1.6%), San Benito (0.9%)

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The appellation in federal law

The boundary, in the government’s own words (1,877 words)

(c) Boundary. The San Francisco Bay viticultural area is located mainly within five counties, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, and Contra Costa, which border the San Francisco Bay. The area also includes portions of three other counties, Solano, Santa Cruz, and San Benito, which are in the general vicinity of the greater San Francisco Bay metropolitan area. The boundary of the San Francisco Bay viticultural area is as described below. (1) Beginning at the intersection of the 37 degree 00′ North latitude parallel with State Route 152 on the Pacheco Peak Quadrangle. (2) Then proceed in a northwesterly direction in a straight line to the intersection of Coyote Creek with the township line dividing Township 9 South from Township 10 South on the Gilroy Hot Springs Quadrangle. (3) Then proceed in a northwesterly direction in a straight line to the intersection of the township line dividing Township 8 South from Township 9 South with the range line dividing Range 3 East from Range 4 East on the Mt. Sizer Quadrangle. (4) Then proceed in a northwesterly direction in a straight line (across the Morgan Hill Quadrangle) to the intersection of the township line dividing Township 7 South from Township 8 South with the range line dividing Range 2 East from Range 3 East on the Lick Observatory Quadrangle. (5) Then proceed in a northwesterly direction in a straight line to the intersection of State Route 130 with the township line dividing Township 6 South from Township 7 South on the San Jose East Quadrangle. (6) Then proceed in a northeasterly direction following State Route 130 to its intersection with the range line dividing Range 1 East from Range 2 East on the Calaveras Reservoir Quadrangle. (7) Then proceed north following this range line to its intersection with the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct on the La Costa Valley Quadrangle. (8) Then proceed in a northeasterly direction in a straight line following the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct to the western boundary of Section 14 in Township 4 South, Range 2 East on the Mendenhall Springs Quadrangle. (9) Then proceed south along the western boundary of Section 14 in Township 4 South, Range 2 East to the southwest corner of Section 14 on the Mendenhall Springs Quadrangle. (10) Then proceed east along the southern boundary of Section 14 in Township 4 South, Range 2 East to the southeast corner of Section 14 on the Mendenhall Springs Quadrangle. (11) Then proceed south along the western boundary of Section 24 in Township 4 South, Range 2 East to the southwest corner of Section 24 on the Mendenhall Springs Quadrangle. (12) Then proceed east along the southern boundary of Section 24 in Township 4 South, Range 2 East and Section 19 in Township 4 South, Range 3 East to the southeast corner of Section 19 on the Mendenhall Springs Quadrangle. (13) Then proceed northeast in a straight line approximately 3.2 miles to BM 1878 in Section 14 on the Cedar Mtn. Quadrangle. (14) Then proceed north in a straight line approximately 4.2 miles to BM 1600 adjacent to Tesla Road in Section 26, Township 3 South, Range 3 East on the Midway Quadrangle. (15) Then proceed north-northwest in a straight line approximately 2.8 miles to Patterson Pass, BM 1602, in Section 10, Township 3 South, Range 3 East, on the Altamont Quadrangle. (16) Then proceed north-northwest in a straight line approximately 2.7 miles to the intersection of the eastern boundary of Section 32 with Highway 580 in Township 2 South, Range 3 East. (17) Then proceed north-northeast in a straight line approximately 1.1 miles to an unnamed peak, elevation 1147, in Section 28, Township 2 South, Range 3 East. (18) Then proceed north-northwest in a straight line approximately 1 mile to BM 720 in Section 21, Township 2 South, Range 3 East, and proceed northwest in a straight line approximately 1.8 miles to the northeast corner of Section 18 on the Byron Hot Springs Quadrangle, Township 2 South, Range 3 East. (19) Then proceed due west along the northern boundaries of Section 18 and Section 13 (Township 2 South, Range 2 East) to a point approximately 400 feet due south of Brushy Peak on the Byron Hot Springs Quadrangle. (20) Then proceed due north to Brushy Peak (elevation 1,702) on the Byron Hot Springs Quadrangle. (21) Then proceed in a northwesterly direction in a straight line (across the Tassajara and Diablo Quadrangles) to Mt. Diablo (elevation 3,849) on the Clayton Quadrangle. (22) Then proceed in a northwesterly direction in a straight line to the intersection of Kirker Pass Road and Hess Road on the Clayton (2018 edition) map. (23) Proceed northeasterly along Kirker Pass Road to its intersection with Nortonville Road. (24) Proceed east-northeast in a straight line for 2.5 miles, crossing onto the Antioch South map, to the intersection of Somersville Road and Donlan Boulevard. (25) Proceed southeasterly in a straight line for 2.5 miles to the intersection of the Stewartville Trail and the Contra Loma Trail. (26) Proceed southwesterly along Stewartville Trail for 1.9 miles to the intersection of Oil Canyon Trail, Stewartville Trail, and Chadbourne Road. (27) Proceed southeast in a straight line for 3 miles to the southern terminus of Tour Way. (28) Proceed southeast in a straight line for 0.6 miles to the intersection of Chadbourne Road and Deer Valley Road. (29) Proceed southerly along Deer Valley Road for 3.1 miles to its intersection with Marsh Creek. (30) Proceed southeasterly along Marsh Creek for 2.4 miles, crossing onto the Tassajara (2018 edition) map, to the creek's intersection with Miwok Trail. (31) Proceed north-northeast in a straight line for 2.9 miles, crossing onto the Byron Hot Springs (2018 edition) map, to the intersection of Kellogg Creek and Walnut Boulevard. (32) Proceed southeast in a straight line for 4.3 miles to the intersection of Brushy Creek and Vasco Road. (33) Proceed northeasterly along Brushy Creek, crossing onto the Clifton Court Forebay map, to the confluence of Brushy Creek with the western shore of Italian Slough to a point due west of the stream gauging station on Italian Slough, just west of Widdows Island and the shared Contra Costa-San Joaquin County line. (34) Proceed due east to the stream gauging station, then proceed northeast for 5.5 miles, crossing onto the Woodward Island map, to the intersection of the Mokelumne Aqueduct and Orwood Road. (35) Proceed north-northwest in a straight line for 4.1 miles to the intersection of Holland Tract Road and the 10-foot elevation contour. (36) Proceed north for 1.9 miles along Holland Tract Road, crossing onto the Bouldin Island map, and continuing to the northernmost point of Holland Tract Road. (37) Proceed southeast in a straight line for 2.7 miles, crossing onto the Jersey Island map, to the intersection of Wells Road and Sandmound Road. (38) Proceed northwest in a straight line for 0.7 mile to the intersection of Bethel Island Road and the shoreline of Dutch Slough Road. (39) Proceed westerly along the shoreline of Dutch Slough and Big Break, crossing onto the Antioch North map, and continuing westerly along the shoreline of New York Slough, crossing onto the Honker Bay (2018 edition) map, and continuing westerly along the shoreline and onto the Vine Hill (2018 edition) map to the intersection of the shoreline and Interstate 680 at the Benicia-Martinez Bridge. (40) Then proceed generally north following Interstate 680, crossing over and back on the Benicia Quadrangle map and continuing over the Fairfield South Quadrangle map, to its intersection with the Southern Pacific railroad track at Cordelia, Section 12, T4N/R3W, on the Cordelia Quadrangle map. (41) Then proceed generally west along the Southern Pacific railroad track to its intersection with the Napa and Solano Counties boundary line in Jameson Canyon at Creston, Section 9, T4N/R3W, on the Cordelia Quadrangle map. (42) Then proceed generally south-southeast, followed by straight west along the Napa and Solano Counties boundary line; continue straight west, crossing over the Cuttings Wharf Quadrangle map, to its intersection with the east shoreline of Sonoma Creek slough, which coincides with the Highway 37 bridge on the Solano County side of the creek, T4N/R5W, on the Sears Point Quadrangle. (43) Then proceed generally southeast along the north and east shorelines of San Pablo Bay, also known as the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge, crossing over the Cuttings Wharf Quadrangle map, to its intersection with the Breakwater line, located within the Vallejo City boundary and 0.7 mile west-southwest of the beacon, T3N/R4W, on the Mare Island Quadrangle. (44) Then proceed straight south-southwest 1.2 miles to its intersection with the San Pablo Bay shoreline at BM 14, west of Davis Point, T3N/R4W, on the Mare Island Quadrangle. (45) Then proceed generally south along the contiguous eastern shorelines of San Pablo Bay and San Francisco Bay, crossing over the Richmond and San Quentin Quadrangle maps, to its intersection with the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge on the Oakland West Quadrangle. (46) Then proceed west on the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge to the San Francisco County shoreline on the San Francisco North Quadrangle. (47) Then proceed along the San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Cruz County shoreline (across the Quadrangles of San Francisco South, Montara Mountain, Half Moon Bay, San Gregorio, Pigeon Point, Franklin Point, Año Nuevo and Davenport) to the place where Majors Creek flows into the Pacific Ocean on the Santa Cruz Quadrangle. (48) Then proceed northeasterly along Majors Creek to its intersection with the 400 foot contour line on the Felton Quadrangle. (49) Then proceed along the 400 foot contour line in a generally easterly/northeasterly direction to its intersection with Bull Creek on the Felton Quadrangle. (50) Then proceed along Bull Creek to its intersection with Highway 9 on the Felton Quadrangle. (51) Then proceed along Highway 9 in a northerly direction to its intersection with Felton Empire Road. (52) Then proceed along Felton Empire Road in a westerly direction to its intersection with the 400 foot contour line on the Felton Quadrangle. (53) Then proceed along the 400 foot contour line (across the Laurel, Soquel, Watsonville West and Loma Prieta Quadrangles) to its intersection with Highway 152 on the Watsonville East Quadrangle. (54) Then proceed along Highway 152 in a northeasterly direction to its intersection with the 600 foot contour line just west of Bodfish Creek on the Watsonville East Quadrangle. (55) Then proceed in a generally east/southeasterly direction along the 600 foot contour line (across the Mt. Madonna and Gilroy Quadrangles), approximately 7.3 miles, to the first intersection of the western section line of Section 30, Township 11 South, Range 4 East on the Chittenden Quadrangle. (56) Then proceed south along the section line approximately 1.9 miles to the south township line at Section 31, Township 11 South, Range 4 East on the Chittenden Quadrangle. (57) Then proceed in an easterly direction along the township line (across the San Felipe Quadrangle), approximately 12.4 miles to the intersection of Township 11 South and Township 12 South and Range 5 East and Range 6 East on the Three Sisters Quadrangle. (58) Then proceed north along the Range 5 East and Range 6 East range line approximately 5.5 miles to Pacheco Creek on the Pacheco Creek Quadrangle. (59) Then proceed northeast along Pacheco Creek approximately .5 mile to the beginning point.