Napa - Carneros AVA

The Carneros AVA covers land in both Sonoma and Napa Counties-the only AVA in the United States to do so. 

Here’s a little bit about the Carneros AVA in Napa!

Carneros History

Carneros was one of the first AVA’s established in California, back in 1983. But the first grapes were planted almost 200 years ago! There are 45 wineries in this area so there are tons of places to sip incredible wines, particularly, Pinot Noir & Chardonnay, while soaking in glorious views.

Some of the first families to plant grapes after Prohibition were Louis M. Martini of Louis Martini Winery, followed decades later by Larry & Beta Hyde of Hyde Vineyards, Francis & Kathy Mahoney of Mahoney Vineyards, Tony & Jo Ann Truchard of Truchard Vineyards, Lee & Cristina Hudson of Hudson Ranch.

 “Carneros” means “Rams” in Spanish, which hails back from the 1830’s when Mexico tended to the area and it was covered with dairies, hay fields, and sheep ranches. So, when you’re driving through Napa and you see all the cute little lambs, you can legitimately picture their sheep ancestors doing the same thing!

 Carneros Climate and Soil

Carneros has a Mediterranean climate. That means it’s surrounded by large bodies of water (San Pablo Bay and Pacific Ocean), a chilly fog covers this area in the mornings & has brisk winds in the afternoons, giving Carneros a much cooler climate than found in other wine regions up valley. Fog from the bay keeps the area relatively cool even on the hottest days. 

The soil in the Carneros is mostly clay. Thousands of years ago Carneros was once under water so the top soils are derived from material carried downstream by the Napa River & erosion from the hills. Because of the clay soil, grape-growers depend on irrigation during the summer months.  We’ll learn more about irrigation and how it came to be in future Blogs!

Carneros Grapes

Most importantly- the grapes! The cool climate of the Carneros AVA produces world-famous Pinot Noirs, as well as some spectacular Chardonnays. 

Pinot Noir from Carneros is known for its crisp acidity and tight structure and frequently exhibits spice berry fruit. Carneros Chardonnay is marked by its high acidity that can bring balance to the fatter, rounder Chardonnays produced in the warmer climate area of Sonoma and Napa.

Sparkling wine is also produced here, so if Champagne is your thing, and you enjoy a good view while sipping, then definitely visit Domaine Carneros! 

Between the breathtaking views, fabulous weather conditions, and the dozens of wineries, you do not want to miss out on the Carneros AVA when you visit Wine Country! - Lea Gourley

AVA - American Viticultural Area

AVA - American Viticultural Area

When you go out wine tasting you get all these terms thrown at you and it can be intimidating. We’re here to simplify things so that you can feel like an expert!

One of those terms is “AVA” and it simply stands for American Viticultural Area. AVA’s are designated by geology, soil, weather, and altitude. So when you taste a bunch of wines from one AVA, you may notice similar characteristics across completely different varietals.

Another term you’ll hear again and again is terroir, which refers to how the climate, soil and terrain affect the taste of a wine. The best explanation of terroir I’ve heard is “a place of taste”. It’s not just the grapes you savor when you sip wine- you’re experiencing the effects of soil, wind, sun and rain. Every AVA has its own unique terroir.

With all that being said, let’s learn a little bit about the amazing Carneros AVA!

Stay tuned!!!

Every other Monday, we will be posting a new AVA in Napa and once we get through the 16 AVA's in Napa, we'll head on over to Sonoma!

Carneros - Napa & Sonoma AVA

With over 1,000 wineries between Napa and Sonoma, it can seem a bit daunting. We have 16 AVA's in Napa Valley and 18 AVA'S in Sonoma. AVA is the American Viticultural Area of a wine region. Each area is subdivided based upon similar soil, climate and altitude.

Together with Lea Gourley, we are going to be creating weekly blogs that showcase these different regions. Each week I will highlight a winery, restaurant and activity to do in each unique area. Beginning with the first AVA established in 1983, Carneros. The Carneros region is both a part of Sonoma & Napa. 

This will be a fun and informative journey and I'm excited to see where it will take us!

Welcome to Wine. Travel. Photography.

Wine. Travel. Photography.
Three of my favorite things to do, along with having great, meaningful conversations.
This is a business that I have started in the majestic Wine Country. As a planner, I will be creating your customized itineraries, driving you to these beautiful places and be your personal photographer for the day, capturing those cherished moments to remember for a lifetime.
I love this area, and there is so much to share; from small, family-owned boutique wineries to beautiful, grand wineries and everything in between. It is my mission to create the best experience for your time here.
People ask me what brought me up here. Well, I wasn't planning on moving here. I was set on my career as a director in the film industry. I came up here to discover what people were doing to be sustainable in their communities and was making video pieces on it. Northern California is the mecca of sustainability because of the mineral rich soils of the land and the heart of the people.

I first came to Napa in my early 20's while I was in college, working at a restaurant, Memphis, in Costa Mesa. The guys- Dan, Andy & Diego who owned the restaurant flew us up here and introduced us to the whole wide world of wine. I fell in love with this place. So while all my friends were spending their weekends in Las Vegas, I was on the road, just me and my dog, driving up here. Thankfully my best friend lived up here, so I would stay with her and explore the area and all the wineries. It was my passion and my hobby. Yes, drinking wine can be considered a hobby :)

I relate my interest in learning about wine like I used to learn about the music scene.
Growing up in Orange County in the 90's, it was at a time when the music scene was happening. Many of my friends were in bands that went on to become big, successful bands.
There was a record store in Huntington Beach called Vinyl Solutions. This was before the internet so when you heard about bands, it was usually through your local music store or in magazines. I would go there on a weekly basis, knowing I was going to buy one album but would stay there for hours, flipping through the different albums, looking at the covers and learning about the bands.
This is the same way I learned about wine in my early 20's.
There is a wine shop in Costa Mesa called High Times. I would go there, knowing I was going to buy one bottle of wine but would spend hours familiarizing myself with the different names and labels.
It was just fun. It was something I passionately enjoyed doing.
So that's how I got to know the whole world of California wines.
20 years later, here I am.
As for my directing career, maybe one day...
But for now I'm enjoying living up here in this serene area (no traffic) and I'm very excited about this business and to share everything I have learned and continue to learn.
All the people who came to this area to start a winery have a unique, fascinating story. Being from the film world, I appreciate the stories of where people came from and how they got into the wine industry. I look forward to sharing these stories with you!
Cheers!

Single Vineyard-Single Varietal

At Nickel and Nickel, they focus on 100% Single Vineyard, Single Varietal. What does that mean? First of all single varietal means that they are using 100% of that grape...no blending. For example, to be called a Cabernet Sauvignon, it only needs to have 75% of that grape and any other variety of grape can be added to it. To have a American Viticultural Area (AVA), it needs to be 85% of the grapes coming from that area. To be called single vineyard, it doesn't even have to be 100%...only 95% needs to be coming from that vineyard. At Nickel and Nickel, it's all 100%.

Single vineyard means that all the grapes are coming from that soil type. 

What makes Napa Valley so unique? We have over half the world's soil types in this very small piece of land. Napa Valley is only 30 miles long and 5 miles wide. The reason why we have so much soil diversity is because of all the activity that happened to form Napa Valley. The Eastern mountains, Vaca mountains, were formed by volcanoes and the mountains on the western side were formed both by earthquakes and by volcanoes. Napa Valley also used to be a big waterway, raging rivers were going through the valley, bringing the water from the Sierra Nevadas and making it's way into the San Francisco Bay. As it was making it's way, it would pick up some sediment and leave some sediment behind. This is why we have this mineral rich soil diversity that is optimum for producing quality Cabernet Sauvignon. 

The Wappo & Lakoya Native Americans called this the land of plenty because of how easily and abundantly everything grows.

I like to say, here's this very small valley...it’s a pin drop on the scope of the United States map, yet this area produces what people consider some of the best Cabernets in the world.