Transcript Degree days
Map of California with SBC overview of SANTA BARBARA COUNTY History • 1782 - Father Junipero Serra planted Mission vine cuttings in what is now the Milpas District of Santa Barbara • 1804 - Adobe winery constructed in Goleta • By late 1800's - 45 separate vineyards encompassing 260 acres of land are cultivated to wine grapes. • 1884 - Justinian Caire imported grape slips (vitis vinifera) from France and planted a 150-acre vineyard on Santa Cruz Island • 1933 – Prohibition repealed • 1960's - First commercial vineyard planted by Uriel Nielsen and Bill De Mattei in the Tepusquet region of Santa Maria Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA) Definition • Determined by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Trade Bureau • As of 2/2016 there are 233 AVAs nationwide • They are determined by: • Evidence that the name of the proposed AVA is locally or nationally known as referring to the area • Historical or current evidence that the boundaries are legitimate • Evidence that growing conditions are distinctive • Contrary to Appellation or DOC/DOCG systems of Europe they do not restrict varietal use • 85% of grapes grown Fast Facts • Six approved AVAs. 200+ wineries. • 21,500 acres planted. Half the size of Napa Valley. • Three top varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah • More than 50 different varieties grown • Longest transverse coastline from Alaska to Cape Horn, South America. Transverse mountain ranges of Santa Ynez Mountains and San Rafael Mountains pull cool temperatures off the Pacific Ocean. Fast Facts • Great natural acidity, hence age ability of the wines • Long hang-time ensures grape complexity • Large diurnal temperature shifts • Vast majority of wineries and vineyards are family owned and many with production under 10,000 cases • Location of the famed movie, Sideways Geology • Region is a tectonic train-wreck. Pieces of the continent transferring over to another plate, rotating and shearing as an old subduction zone travelled underneath • 40 million years ago the East Pacific Rise (an oceanic spreading center) hit the Southern Coast of California, the inception of the San Andreas Fault • As the spreading center got sucked under, the San Andreas fault became a huge right lateral fault • 20 million years ago an area just north of San Diego fragments off and is spun around to finally rest where Santa Barbara is today Topography • Santa Barbara’s Wine Country is bordered by the Transverse Mountain Ranges: •North side – San Rafael Mountains connect to the Santa Ynez Mountains above Santa Barbara •South Side - Santa Ynez Mountains travel East-West towards Los Angeles • This area is is split horizontally down the middle by the Purisima Hills, rendering essentially two very distinct valleys (northern Santa Maria and southern Santa Ynez Valleys) • Both of these distinct valleys open to the Pacific Ocean at sea level and rise to eastern peaks above 5,400 ft. Climate • Santa Barbara Country has very diverse climates for a grape growing region • Using the Degree Day Summation it runs from Region 1 in the West (Sta. Rita Hills) to Region 3 in the East (Happy Canyon) • Nightly fog advances up the valleys followed by daily retreats which further accentuates these climatic regions • Fog’s role brings a moisture rich atmosphere that renders higher phenolics • Due to the different zones, different varietals excel California Bump • Santa Barbara’s wine country has a right triangle shape on the west-side adjacent to the ocean. • Santa Ynez Mountains are responsible for the “Bump” in the California coast line. • This bump are the origins of a dramatic oceanic current shift that occurs at Point Conception. The California current travelling south runs into the So Cal countercurrent, bringing warmer water and creating water temperature differentials. • The topography, with an open western side and a pinched down valley on the eastern side, also accounts for the daily fog advance and retreat Soils • Born of many of these Geologic events millions of years ago, most of the vineyard soils in are relatively younger depositions • We see two main themes Clayey Loams Sand • Sub-strata which again takes the origins of the deep marine environments brought to the surface. Diatomaceous earth is found in the western end intermixed with Clay loam, like Botella formation. Further east there is more limestone, more compacted chalks under the sand. • Nearly all of the vineyards are found on the valley floors or alluvial fans coming off the slopes overview of SANTA BARBARA COUNTY Santa Ynez Valley • Established: 1983 • Climate: Less marine influence than Santa Maria Valley because the hills to the west prevent marine influence deep into the valley. Less moderated climate and warmer overall temperatures. • Elevation: 200 - 1,700 feet • Rainfall: 10 – 17 inches • Degree days: 2,680 • Soils: Gravelly and clay loam with seven major soil associations. • Principal varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara • Established: 2008 • Climate: Warmest micro-climate in Santa Barbara County. Summertime temperatures in the low to mid 90s. • Elevation: 500 – 1,500 feet • Rainfall: 10 – 12 inches • Degree days: 3,300 • Soils: Mixture of loam and clay loam with red and yellow chert and serpentine cobbles. Soils are generally high in minerals and low in nutrients, resulting in smaller vines and high quality grapes. • Principal varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc Sta. Rita Hills • Established: 2001 (2005 renamed) • Size: 30,720 (planted and non) • Climate: Region is exposed to fog and coastal breezes from the nearby Pacific Ocean. Hills run east to west, allowing cool ocean breezes to enter the valley. • Elevation: 200 - 1,700 feet • Rainfall: 10-12 inches • Degree days: 2,200 • Soils: Loam, sandy loam, silt loam and clay loam. • Principal varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir Ballard Canyon • Established: 2013 • Size: 7,800 acres (planted and non) • Climate: Moderate breezes, more diurnal shifts. • Elevation: 200-600 feet • Rainfall: 10 – 12 inches • Degree days: 2,900 • Soils: Well drained sands with clay loams on high terraces and uplands. • Principal varieties: Syrah, Grenache Los Olivos District • Established: 2016 • Size: 22,000 acres (total) with 1,700 planted • Climate: Moderate breezes, more diurnal shifts. • Elevation: 200-1000 feet • Rainfall: 10 – 12 inches • Degree days: 3,000 • Soils: Fairly flat, with rolling hills. Alluvial plain with consistent alluvial soils • Principal varieties: Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah Santa Maria Valley • Established: 1981 with expansion in 2006 • Size: 116,183 acres (planted and non) • Climate: “Maritime fringe” from the Pacific Ocean, causing foggy, cooling, and windy conditions. Consistent summer temperatures from the natural funnelshaped valley and cool marine air. • Elevation: 200- 800 feet • Rainfall: 14 inches (average) • Degree days: Less than 3,000 • Soils: Wide variety of soils without a single dominant soil type. Well-drained, fertile mix from sandy loam to clay loam. • Principal varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir