Diamond Mountain District AVA

Diamond Mountain District AVA (wine region)
Diamond Mountain District with view to the valley below
Type	American Viticultural Area
Year established	2001[1]
Country	USA
Part of	Napa Valley AVA
Other regions in Napa Valley AVA	Los Carneros AVA, Howell Mountain AVA, Wild Horse Valley AVA, Stags Leap District AVA, Mt. Veeder AVA, Atlas Peak AVA, Spring Mountain District AVA, Oakville AVA, Rutherford AVA, St. Helena AVA, Chiles Valley AVA, Yountville AVA, Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley AVA, Calistoga AVA
Soil conditions	volcanic
Total area	5,000 acres (20 km2)[2]
Size of planted vineyards	500 acres (2 km2)[2]
Varietals produced	Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Sauvignon Blanc
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The Diamond Mountain District AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in California's Mayacamas Mountains in the northeast portion of the Napa Valley AVA. The appellation sits at a higher elevation than most of Napa Valley's wine region, resulting in less cool fog coming in from San Pablo Bay, and more direct exposure to sunlight. The soil of this AVA is volcanic and very porous which allows it to cool down quickly despite the increased sunlight.^[2]

Geography and Climate

The entire AVA is over 400 feet (120 m) above sea level, which helps to cool it compared to the nearby valley floor appellations.^[3] The soil of the Diamond Mountain District is volcanic, including the small bits of volcanic glass that give the area it's name. ^[4]

The AVA is defined by the Napa-Sonoma county line on the west, Petrified Forest Road on the north, the 400 foot line of altitude running parallel to Route 29 on the east, and the Spring Mountain District to the south.^[3]

History

Diamond Mountain District's history as a winegrowing region dates back to 1862 or 1863, when the first vines were planted by Jacob Schram on a tract of land he purchased on the Napa side of the mountain.^[4][3] By 1892, his holdings had expanded to 100 acres, including underground cellars for aging and storing wine. His name has continued in the property, now known as Schramsberg Vineyards^[3]

Controversy

When the AVA was proposed in 1999, a request for public comments was published in the Federal Register. One winery, Diamond Mountain Vineyards, objected to the western border ending on the Napa-Sonoma county line, as it would split their property in half. Their objections extended the public comment period by several months. Ultimately, the decision was to keep the boundary on the Napa-Sonoma line.^[3]

Additionally, as originally proposed, the AVA would have been called the "Diamond Mountain AVA," but since the bulk of Diamond Mountain, and indeed, it's peak, are in Sonoma County, the AVA was renamed.^[4]

References

1. ^ Code of Federal Regulations. "§ 9.166 Diamond Mountain District." Title 27: Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; Part 9 — American Viticultural Areas; Subpart C — Approved American Viticultural Areas. Retrieved Oct. 31, 2007.
2. ^ ^{a b c} Appellation America (2007). "Diamond Mountain District (AVA): Appellation Description". Retrieved Oct. 31, 2007.
3. ^ ^{a b c d e} Federal Register 66 (106): 29695–29698. 1 June 2001. http://frwebgate1.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/PDFgate.cgi?WAISdocID=grLAmx/1/2/0&WAISaction=retrieve. Retrieved 28 June 2011. 
4. ^ ^{a b c} Pitcher, Steve. "Mining Jewels on Diamond Mountain". The Wine News. http://www.thewinenews.com/junjul05/cover.asp. Retrieved 27 June 2011.