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The Napa Valley AVA now joins the ONLINE ranks with The Mendocino County AVA and The Sierra Foothills AVA pages! Click on the links in the navigation bar to visit those pages. Explore Pinot Gris/Grigio |
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Pinot Gris is the same thing as the Italian Pinot Grigio. It is a sweet, somewhat acidic white wine with melon, lemon and pear fruit flavors. Look for a floral, honey bouquet with almond, vanilla and smoky oak character. Although Pinot Gris is a relative newcomer to California, in recent years it has gained some favor over Chardonnay.
These pages will provide the tools for you to create your own self guided tour. Your exploration can focus on one region or follow a route to sample the highlights of several. Not all wineries have much of a Pinot Gris focus. Find the links in the navigation bar to the left to move back and forth between the California AVA regions where Pinot Gris is grown. Those will take you to pages that list all of their sub AVAs with lists of wineries and links to additional information about food, lodging and area highlights. Stay tuned as, over time, we will provide additional first hand information to give you more finely honed information for your own use.
Pinot Gris and Food
Pinot Gris goes well with Asian food,light pasta, seafood, crackers and cheese but avoid citrus or tomato based foods because of its acidity. Pinot Gris grown in warmer regions is less acid.
Terroir
Pinot Gris is a clone of the Pinot Noir grape and this is why the berries are various shades of reddish/purple although the juice is pale. The wine is straw colored. Like its parent, the grape prefers cooler climates but in California it is also grown successfully in warmer regions.
California Pinot Gris
A Little History
Pinot Gris originated in Burgundy, France
California American Viticultural Areas (AVAs)
American Viticultural Areas are unique, legally designated grape growing areas that are defined by the ATF. These regions are most often defined by their topography, soil types, climate and sometimes historical relevance.
| North Coast | Mendocino County, Lake County, Sonoma County, Napa Valley, Marin County and Solono County |
| Sierra Foothills | North Yuba, El Dorado, Fair Play, CA Shenandoah Valley, Fiddletown |
| Inland | Yolo County, Madera County, Sacramento County, |
| Delta | San Joaquin County, Siskiyou County, Stanislaus County |
| Central Coast | Alameda, Contra Costa, Monterey, San Benito, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara Santa Cruz |
| South Coast | Los Angeles County, Riverside & San Bernardino, San Diego County |
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The Mendocino County AVA is located in the California North Coast American Viticultural Area (AVA). This is a spectacular region that includes the high, rocky, Pacific Ocean wave pounded bluffs in the west and the Coastal Ranges which form the eastern border of the County. Mendocino County is where the San Andreas fault veers off into the ocean. Most of the wine grapes are grown in the Coastal Ranges where the vineyards are sheltered in the interior valleys that protect the warmth loving vines from cool ocean breezes. There are 56 wineries in Mendocino County and 250 growers. This is a very beautiful and interesting region and well worth the trek to explore. In the pages under development, we hope to provide information to help you to narrow your focus in this large area.
The Mendocino County AVA Pinot Gris page is NOW ONLINE! Click on the logo to go to the Mendocino Pinot Gris page for detailed information about each sub-AVA including lists of wineries. There are additional links to food and lodging opportunities in Mendocino County.
| Mendocino Ridge | Mendocino |
| Anderson Valley | Redwood Valley |
| Potter Valley | Cole Ranch |
| McDowell Valley | Yorkville Highlands |
| Dos Rios |
The Lake County AVA surrounds Clear Lake, California's biggest natural lake. Lake County is next door to and east of Mendocino. This is a growing viticultural area. There are fourteen wineries that produce mostly Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc. Topographically, the elevation is between 1,370 feet at the valley floor and the 2,000 foot extinct volcano, Mount Konocti. The soil is rich alluvial sediment in the valley and red volcanic soil is found at the higher elevations.
The pages about these locations are under development.
| Benmore Valley | Clear Lake |
| Guenoc Valley | High Valley |
| Red Hills-California |
The Sonoma County AVA is located in the California North Coast American Viticultural Area (AVA) Sonoma is south of Mendocino's and west of Napa County. The rugged bluffs of the Pacific Ocean are Sonoma County's western border. The Mayacamas Mountain Ranges are Sonoma's eastern border. Coastal regions are cooled by the cold waters and breezes from the Pacific Ocean. Inland, the days are warm but the nights are cooled as breezes and fog from the ocean filter through the Petaluma Gap and Russian River. Route 12 runs the length of the Valley from Santa Rosa to Glen Ellen. Pinot Gris is among some of the most widely grown grapes in Sonoma County.
Sonoma County was part of an inland sea but plate tectonics pushed up the coastal ranges. Volcanoes laid down ash and lava creating a mosaic of soil types in the region. These are all critical contributing factors for Sonoma County's terroir.
There are 260 wineries in the County. Please check back since the Sonoma County AVA is in the works and will be available soon!!!
| Alexander Valley | Chalk Hill |
| Dry Creek | Knights Valley |
| Los Carneros | Northern Sonoma |
| Russian River Valley | Sonoma Coast |
| Sonoma Green Valley | Sonoma Mountain |
| Sonoma Valley |
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The Napa Valley AVA, next door to Sonoma County, is the next stop on our journey south in the California North Coast American Viticultural Area (AVA). The region is mostly commonly referred to as "Napa Valley" since most of its area is in a valley nestled between the Mayacamas Mountains to the west and the Vaca mountains in the east. The 4,343 foot Mt. St. Helena and the town of Calistoga mark its northern border. Surprisingly, this northern region of Napa this is the warmest because it is sheltered from ocean influences. South, is the city of Napa and San Pablo Bay which connects to San Francisco Bay. The bays are conduits for cool air that moderates the temperatures in this southern portion of Napa. Evenings and mornings bring fog that filters its way from the ocean, through the bays up to the furthest reaches of the valley.
This is a 30 mile stretch of complicated geologic history as over millions of years, tectonic plates collided causing volcanic activity spewing lava and ash. During that time ocean levels rose and fell and water infiltrated from the bays to lay down layers of ocean soils. This has contributed to more than 30 different soils making up the ground of Napa. Once again, terroir is created by the variety of soils and combined with the numerous microclimates. These contribute to the success of just about any varietal of grape in Napa, among them is Pinot Gris.
There are more than 400 wineries in Napa Valley. This is an exceedingly diverse area and there are several little known regions that are well worth the effort to explore.
| Howell Mountain | St. Helena |
| Chiles Valley | Spring Mountain |
| Rutherford | Oakville |
| Mt. Veeder | Yountville |
| Stags Leap | Atlas Peak |
| Oak Knoll | Los Carneros |
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Click on the logo to go to The Sierra Foothills Pinot Gris page. The Sierra Foothills AVA is on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada. There are 5 sub-AVAs (listed below) that make up the Foothills. The vineyards in the Sierra Foothills are relatively remote and are found at elevations between 1,200 to 3,600 feet above sea level which is well above the fog line. This makes for long, sunny summer days. The soils from 1,200 to about 2,000 foot levels are made of decomposed granite and at elevations above the 3,000 foot level there is crushed volcanic rock. Both soil types provide good drainage but lack many nutrients.
So what's this about nutrients? Aren't they good? Grape vines tend to restrict the amount of grapes they produce when nutrients are sparse. The result is that those grapes end up with a greater concentration of those desirable characteristics--meaning better wine!
The Sierra Foothills Pinot Gris page provides more information about the unique qualities of this region's Pinot Gris. You will find hints about food pairings, lists of wineries and links to associations and Chambers of Commerce for more information about restaurants, lodging and local highlights.
| North Yuba | El Dorado |
| Fair Play | Fiddletown |
| CA Shenandoah Valley |
The Inland region is not an AVA but it is a region located east of San Francisco Bay and the Coastal Ranges and west of the Sierra Nevada Foothills. The town of Red Bluff is on the northern end and Sacramento, the state capital, marks the southern border. This 120 mile long valley is protected from ocean breezes and fogs by the Coastal Ranges. Chardonnay and Zinfandel are the most widely grown grapes. Many of the sub-AVAs in this region are one vineyard enterprises so they have been grouped together under the county heading.
Stay tuned for more information about these regions including lists of wineries and specific terroir information per AVA as well as links for area food, lodging and points of interest.
| Yolo County | Madera County |
| Sacramento County |
The Delta region is not an AVA but we have collected the following counties geographically into this category. This is an area that contains some of the most fertile soils in the world. The Delta region is located east of San Francisco Bay and the Coastal Ranges and west of the Sierra Nevada Foothills in the west. The San Joaquin Valley is cooled by ocean breezes and fogs filtering through the San Francisco and San Pablo Bays. Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon are the most widely grown grapes.
Stay tuned for information about these sub-AVAs.
| San Joaquin County | Siskiyou County |
| Stanislaus County |
The Bay Area AVA is marked by great diversity in geography and microclimates influenced by mountains, by the ocean and by valleys. Each region produces equal diversity in the character of the wines. The upper elevations of of the Santa Cruz Mountains, combined with the cool ocean breezes create dense, spicy fruitful wines. Valley regions have climates moderated by ocean fog that is blown into them.
Check back for more information about the Bay Area AVAs.
| Ben Lamond Mountain | Livermore |
| San Francisco Bay | San Ysidro District |
| Santa Clara Valley | Santa Cruz Mountains |
The Central Coast AVA is one of the largest and stretches from San Francisco County south to Santa Barbara County. That is 250 miles long and 25 miles wide. This region mostly features Pinot Gris, Merlot, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir all of which favor the cooling influence of the Pacific Ocean, San Francisco Bay and Monterey Bay. Paso Robles is distinct within the region being 20 miles inland which allows for warm days but the topography brings ocean filtered air to cool the nights. This is an area of diverse topography creating the magical microclimates that allow for a diversity of varietals to thrive.
These pages will be available soon.
| Alameda | Contra Costa |
| Monterey | San Benito |
| San Francisco | San Luis Obispo |
| San Mateo | Santa Barbara |
| Santa Clara | Santa Cruz |
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