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California Wine Atlas

Sta. Rita Hills

Sub-AVA · Santa Barbara County · District 8

27 CFR 9.162 · established 2001-05-31 · last amended 2016-08-22

Heat class II · 1991-2020 normals

Climate normals in three numbers

2,891°F-days

, Apr 1 – Oct 31

16 GridMET cells cover this region

II

raw 4 km GridMET would say III

65mm

season rain, Apr 1 – Oct 31

22 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 Barbara County — not Sta. Rita Hills

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What's in the ground

6.4

pH, 1:1 water

14.1cm

, whole profile

107cm

to

Well drained

, dominant condition

Distribution across 110 · mean ◆, median │, p10–p90 bar

6.4
2.6%
19.6%
available water
14.1cm
depth to restriction
107cm

Dominant

  • 14.7%
  • 13.6%
  • 6.5%
  • 6.0%
  • 5.8%

110 map units · soil described over 93.0% of the region’s area · 5.8% is water, rock outcrop or other non-soil · 74% of the described area has a restrictive layer within the profile.

Sand, silt and clay, against every other appellation

CLAYSANDSILT

Sandy loam

55% sand · 26% silt · 20% clay

Sandier than 82% of California appellations and clayier than 29%. Each grey point is one appellation’s topsoil; appellations nest, so this is a distribution of places rather than of land.

Plus 11% 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

Santa Barbara County · District 8

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Price per ton

Santa Barbara County · District 8

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The appellation in federal law

The boundary, in the government’s own words (661 words)

(c) Boundary. The Sta. Rita Hills viticultural area is located in Santa Barbara County, California. The boundary is as follows: (1) The beginning point is found on the Solvang, California U.S.G.S. Quadrangle map at an unnamed hilltop, elevation 1600 feet, in section 27, T.6N, R. 32W, on the Solvang, Calif., Quadrangle U.S.G.S. map. (2) Then proceed north and slightly west 2.3 miles to an unnamed hilltop elevation 1174 feet, Section 15, T.6N., R. 32W. (3) Proceed west-northwest in a straight line 0.5 mile to the intersection of Santa Rosa Road and an unnamed, unimproved road that runs just north of a marked gaging station. (4) Proceed west along the unnamed, unimproved road approximately 0.4 mile to a “T” intersection with an unnamed, unimproved road and the 320-foot elevation contour, Santa Rosa Land Grant, T. 6N, R. 32W. (5) Proceed northwest along the 320-foot elevation contour, crossing onto the Santa Rosa Hills, Calif., Quadrangle U.S.G.S. map, then continue northwest, north, and northeast along the meandering 320-foot elevation contour for approximately 1.2 miles, crossing onto the Solvang, Calif., Quadrangle U.S.G.S. map, and continue east then north along the 320-foot elevation contour approximately 0.5 miles, crossing onto the Zaca Creek, Calif., Quadrangle U.S.G.S. map, to the intersection of the 320-foot elevation contour with an unnamed, unimproved north-south road that follows the length of the Cañada de los Palos Blancos, San Carlos de Jonata Land Grant, T. 6N, R. 32W. (6) Proceed north-northwest along the unnamed, unimproved road 1.2 miles, crossing onto the Los Alamos, Calif., Quadrangle U.S.G.S. map, and continue along the road 1.3 miles to the marked 635-foot elevation point at the intersection of the road and a 4-wheel drive trail, San Carlos de Jonata Land Grant, T. 7N, R. 32W. (7) Proceed northwest in a straight line approximately 1.3 miles to an unnamed hilltop, elevation 1443 feet. Section 20, T. 7N, R. 32W. (8) Proceed west 1.4 miles to an unnamed hilltop elevation 1479 feet. Section 24, T.7N., R. 33W. (9) Proceed north 1.2 miles to an unnamed hilltop elevation 1705 feet. Section 13, T.7N., R. 33W. (10) Proceed northwest approximately 2 miles to an unnamed hilltop elevation 1543. Section 10, T.7N., R. 33W. (11) Proceed west and slightly south 1.6 miles to an unnamed hilltop elevation 935 feet within the northern section of the Santa Rosa Land Grant. T.7N., R. 33W. (12) Proceed south by southwest 1.5 miles to an unnamed hilltop elevation 605 feet in the northern section of the Santa Rosa Land Grant. T.7N., R. 33W. (13) Proceed west by southwest approximately 2 miles to the point where California Highway 246 intersects with the 200-foot elevation contour line comprising the western border of the Santa Rita Hills, within the Santa Rosa Land Grant. T.7N., R. 34W, on the Lompoc, Calif., Quadrangle U.S.G.S. map. (14) Proceed following the 200 foot elevation contour line south along the western border of the Santa Rita Hills to the extreme southern tip of the 200 foot elevation contour that is .6 miles due west of an unnamed hilltop 361 feet in elevation in the Canada de Salispuedes Land Grant. T.6N., R. 34W. (15) Proceed southeast 2.35 miles to an unnamed hilltop elevation 1070 feet. Section 18, T.6N., R. 33W, on the Lompoc Hills, Calif., Quadrangle U.S.G.S. map. (16) Proceed east and slightly south 1.95 miles to an unnamed hilltop elevation 921 feet. Section 16, T.6N., R. 33W, on the Santa Rosa Hills, Calif., Quadrangle U.S.G.S. map. (17) Proceed east by southeast 1.35 miles to an unnamed hilltop elevation 1307 feet at intersection between Sections 22 and 23. T.6N., R. 33W. (18) Proceed east 2.35 miles to an unnamed hilltop elevation 1507 feet in the southern area of the Santa Rosa Land Grant. T.6N., 32W. (19) Proceed east by southeast 2.1 miles to an unnamed hilltop elevation 1279 feet in the southern area of the Santa Rosa Land Grant. T.6N., 32W. (20) Then proceed east by southeast 1.45 miles to the point of the beginning.