SPRING MOUNTAIN APPELLATION
Described by one prominent wine writer as “probably more responsible than any other Napa hillside for creating the mystique of ‘mountain grapes," the Spring Mountain District rises 2,600 feet above the Napa Valley floor with an air of mystery.
The region of roughly 1,000 planted acres and 30 vineyards looks out over the town of St. Helena on the east side slope of the Mayacamas Mountains between Napa Valley and the Santa Rosa Plain in Sonoma County.
It was originally established as an AVA (American Viticulture Area) back in 1993, and is the home of preciously small plots of vineyards that are not easy to cultivate due to their remoteness and placement on steep terraces. These very limitations are in fact assets, and the reason wines from this region are so highly prized for their fine tannins, balance and complexity.
Described by one prominent wine writer as “probably more responsible than any other Napa hillside for creating the mystique of ‘mountain grapes," the Spring Mountain District rises 2,600 feet above the Napa Valley floor with an air of mystery.
The region of roughly 1,000 planted acres and 30 vineyards looks out over the town of St. Helena on the east side slope of the Mayacamas Mountains between Napa Valley and the Santa Rosa Plain in Sonoma County.
It was originally established as an AVA (American Viticulture Area) back in 1993, and is the home of preciously small plots of vineyards that are not easy to cultivate due to their remoteness and placement on steep terraces. These very limitations are in fact assets, and the reason wines from this region are so highly prized for their fine tannins, balance and complexity.
DIAMOND MOUNTAIN APPELLATION
The northernmost and warmest viticultural region in the Mayacamas Mountains, Diamond Mountain rises above the fog line to elevations as high as 2,200 feet. As a result, vineyards here experience warmer nights and cooler days than on the valley floor which tend to create wines with dynamic tannins and good acidity that age well.
The AVA's reputation for creating great but scarce wine grapes is underscored by the minuscule 500 acres of vines planted, the smallest acreage under vine in all of Napa Valley.
The northernmost and warmest viticultural region in the Mayacamas Mountains, Diamond Mountain rises above the fog line to elevations as high as 2,200 feet. As a result, vineyards here experience warmer nights and cooler days than on the valley floor which tend to create wines with dynamic tannins and good acidity that age well.
The AVA's reputation for creating great but scarce wine grapes is underscored by the minuscule 500 acres of vines planted, the smallest acreage under vine in all of Napa Valley.
MOUNT VEEDER APPELLATION
Mount Veeder AVA is a collection of 1,000 planted acres of extremely steep vineyards (some as much as 30 degrees) along the southernmost section of the Mayacamas Mountain range, west of Napa and Yountville. Many of the wines containing Mount Veeder fruit benefit from the region's rugged conditions, with thin volcanic soils, exceptional drainage and direct sunlight. With the longest growing season and lowest yields in Napa Valley, it is influenced by the cooling influence of the San Pablo Bay and most vineyard management is done by hand. The results are intense, age-worthy wines wines with distinctive wild berry fruit flavors and a full range of spices.
Mount Veeder AVA is a collection of 1,000 planted acres of extremely steep vineyards (some as much as 30 degrees) along the southernmost section of the Mayacamas Mountain range, west of Napa and Yountville. Many of the wines containing Mount Veeder fruit benefit from the region's rugged conditions, with thin volcanic soils, exceptional drainage and direct sunlight. With the longest growing season and lowest yields in Napa Valley, it is influenced by the cooling influence of the San Pablo Bay and most vineyard management is done by hand. The results are intense, age-worthy wines wines with distinctive wild berry fruit flavors and a full range of spices.
